In June, Dr. Roger Meier chaired a technical session on Pavement Mechanics at GeoShanghai 2006 in Shanghai, China. This international geotechnical engineering conference was hosted by Tongji University and the Shanghai Society of Civil Engineering in cooperation with the ASCE Geo-Institute, the International Association of Foundation Drilling, the Deep Foundation Institute and several universities in the US, Japan, and The Netherlands. The conference proceedings have been published as a series of ASCE Geotechnical Special Publications.

Dr. William T. Segui has been appointed to membership on the Committee on Manuals and Textbooks of the American Institute of Steel Construction.  Dr. Segui was previously a corresponding member.  This committee is responsible for updating the Steel Construction Manual and reviewing new AISC Design Guides.
The fourth edition of Dr. Segui’s textbook, Steel Design, is scheduled for publication in November of this year.

Dr. Larry Moore presented a paper entitled “Nutrient Reduction in the Loosahatchie River Basin” at the Lower Mississippi River Symposium in New Orleans on June 2, 2006. The paper was based on a $68,000 research project funded by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC). He also just completed a $22,000 research project entitled “Nonpoint Source Nutrient Load Analysis of Middle Beaver Creek” for TDEC. This research project helped to identify the extent of agricultural pollution in western Tennessee.

Dr. Moore recently published a paper, “The Versatility of Oxidation Ditches,” in Water Environment and Technology, Vol. 18, No. 5, pp. 57-60, May, 2006. He also published a paper, “Floating Horizontal Aerators Enhance Eufaula, Alabama Activated Sludge Plant,” in Pollution Equipment News, June, 2006.

Drs. Stephanie Ivey, Charles Camp, Paul Palazolo, David Arellano and Ms. Anna Phillips-Lambert received a $71,400 grant through The University of Memphis TAF IEL (Technology Access Fee- Innovation to Excellence in Learning) program. This grant will be used to establish a state-of-the-art Geographical Information System (GIS) laboratory for the Department of Civil Engineering. GIS-based engineering projects will be integrated throughout the Civil Engineering curriculum, giving students the opportunity to develop GIS skills, work with specialized GIS software for civil engineers, and apply course content and GIS technology to civil engineering projects.

Drs. Stephanie Ivey and Charles Camp received a $16,700 contract through Sedgwick, Inc. to develop impervious area delineations for the Stormwater Utility Program for the City of Stratford, Canada. Four civil engineering students were supported this summer through this project.

Drs. Paul Palazolo and Stephanie Ivey received $30,000 from the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis (WFGM) to expand the Girls Experiencing Engineering program for the summer of 2007. This is the fourth consecutive year of funding from WFGM for the program. The 2007 summer program will incorporate discipline-specific options for high school girls, in addition to the general GEE program.

Dr. Palazolo just completed a one-year term as the president of the West Tennessee Branch of ASCE. He now becomes the newsletter editor for the branch. Dr. Ivey is the Young Members Chair for the branch and has held a number of events for the young members since becoming the chair. Dr. Palazolo is also the current chair of the ASEE-SE Civil Engineering division.

Dr. Lipinski is serving as the Director of the newly created University Transportation Center. The Center is being funded by two earmarks received for the US Department of Transportation: $2 million over four years for a center that is part of the USDOT Transportation Centers Program, and $5 million over four years for the Center for Advanced Intermodal Technologies. Both centers will focus on transportation problems and issues associated with intermodal freight movement. The centers will be interdisciplinary and involve faculty from various departments within the college and the University. Vanderbilt University is also a partner in the centers. Activities will include education and the development of new courses and interdisciplinary programs in transportation, research, and technology transfer. Significant interactions with private sector transportation firms such as Federal Express, and state and local governments are planned in addressing issues such as infrastructure, logistics and supply chain management, and economic development.

Dr. Lipinski gave a presentation at the June meeting of the Society of American Military Engineers on the application of the Context Sensitive Design Process to Roadway Planning at Shelby Farms.

continued....