Discussion Thread

Civil engineers who shared their experience and advice in "Explore Engineering Careers in Education" responded to a few questions we did not get to during the live roundtable discussion. 

Here are their answers to the second question in this series of posts:

Today's question:  Several of you mentioned your work on research projects, can you tell us more about what type of research you're working on?
(Answers are based on individual experiences and are not necessarily representative of practices at all educational institutions)

Ken Fridley, Ph.D, F.ASCE, Senior Associate Dean for Administration, University of Alabama, College of Engineering:
I have done a lot of work focused on the design and performance of wood structures funded by federal, state, and industrial sources.  The results of much of my research has been integrated into design specifications.  I have also done a good amount of educational-related research.  Finally, I actually was involved in some research on improving the durability of wood baseball bats.

Brock E. Barry, P.E., Ph.D., F.ASCE, Professor Department of Civil & Mechanical Engineering, United States Military Academy:
I predominately conduct research in the arena of engineering education.  How does the human mind work?  How can we most effectively teach/learn challenging concepts in engineering?  I also do some research in the areas of applied professional ethics and nonverbal communication.  I would note that there is an endless spectrum of research areas, including a multitude of areas that are in development or have yet to be thought of.  Find the area of research that motivates you and make it your thing (in many cases it can become your life's work).  Then find the academic institution wherein that line of research is valued.

Monica Palomo, Ph.D., P.E., BCEE, M.ASCE, Professor, Civil Engineering Department, California State Polytechnic University-Pomona:
I do research in engineering education and applied research. The engineering education research is related to the learning experiences of students  enrolled in my classes or that are participating in my research projects. I have participated in applied research projects by collaborating with other universities or public agencies, where there is a problem and I have formed teams of students to conduct the study. Sometimes it has entailed piloting a lab scale or small field scale experiment and looking at the treatment performance. The results have led to producing technical reports, manuscripts, conference papers and presentations, and many student presentations. 

If you missed our live session watch the recording posted on the Career Discovery web page collaborate.asce.org/careerdiscovery.  Also register there for future roundtable sessions exploring civil engineering careers in industry and construction – and bring your questions for our panelists!

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Jennifer Hofmann Aff.M.ASCE
Manager, Professional Advancement
ASCE
Reston VA
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This is Mohamed E. Mohamed, P.E, Ph.D. candidate at Civil Engineering Department, Lawrence Technological University, Michigan. The research team and I perform research studies on the Carbon Fiber Composite Cables (CFCC) in prestressed concrete bridge beams. We basically replace the traditional steel reinforcement that encounters problems, mainly corrosion with CFCC strands that are corrosion-free. So, we use these cables to apply prestressing force to concrete beams by pulling the cables to prestressing force levels reach 58 kips for 0.7 in. diameter strands. We applied these cables to most of the standard sections such as AASHTO beams, Decked Bulb-T beams, and box beams. Our research on CFCC has led many departments of transportation, especially Michigan DOT to employ CFCC strands in highway bridge construction. Nowadays, there are more than 18 bridges in the USA either prestressed or post-tensioned with CFCC strands. 

Thank you

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Mohamed E. Mohamed, P.E
Ph.D. canditate
Civil Engineering Department, Lawrence Technological University
Southfield, MI
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-05-2021 12:08 PM
From: Jennifer Hofmann
Subject: Civil Engineering Research Projects in Academia

Civil engineers who shared their experience and advice in "Explore Engineering Careers in Education" responded to a few questions we did not get to during the live roundtable discussion. 

Here are their answers to the second question in this series of posts:

Today's question:  Several of you mentioned your work on research projects, can you tell us more about what type of research you're working on?
(Answers are based on individual experiences and are not necessarily representative of practices at all educational institutions)

Ken Fridley, Ph.D, F.ASCE, Senior Associate Dean for Administration, University of Alabama, College of Engineering:
I have done a lot of work focused on the design and performance of wood structures funded by federal, state, and industrial sources.  The results of much of my research has been integrated into design specifications.  I have also done a good amount of educational-related research.  Finally, I actually was involved in some research on improving the durability of wood baseball bats.

Brock E. Barry, P.E., Ph.D., F.ASCE, Professor Department of Civil & Mechanical Engineering, United States Military Academy:
I predominately conduct research in the arena of engineering education.  How does the human mind work?  How can we most effectively teach/learn challenging concepts in engineering?  I also do some research in the areas of applied professional ethics and nonverbal communication.  I would note that there is an endless spectrum of research areas, including a multitude of areas that are in development or have yet to be thought of.  Find the area of research that motivates you and make it your thing (in many cases it can become your life's work).  Then find the academic institution wherein that line of research is valued.

Monica Palomo, Ph.D., P.E., BCEE, M.ASCE, Professor, Civil Engineering Department, California State Polytechnic University-Pomona:
I do research in engineering education and applied research. The engineering education research is related to the learning experiences of students  enrolled in my classes or that are participating in my research projects. I have participated in applied research projects by collaborating with other universities or public agencies, where there is a problem and I have formed teams of students to conduct the study. Sometimes it has entailed piloting a lab scale or small field scale experiment and looking at the treatment performance. The results have led to producing technical reports, manuscripts, conference papers and presentations, and many student presentations. 

If you missed our live session watch the recording posted on the Career Discovery web page collaborate.asce.org/careerdiscovery.  Also register there for future roundtable sessions exploring civil engineering careers in industry and construction – and bring your questions for our panelists!

------------------------------
Jennifer Hofmann Aff.M.ASCE
Manager, Professional Advancement
ASCE
Reston VA
------------------------------