Category Archives: Events

New program builds school community

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Women sitting and tables and talking in Kearney Hall.
Students have breakfast at a Women in CCE event in Kearney Hall.

While CCE has made great strides in increasing the number of female faculty members, the school continues its work in encouraging women to pursue degrees in civil and construction engineering. Erica Fischer, assistant professor of structural engineering, developed a new program, Women in CCE, to support that effort.

“The goal is to build a community within CCE so we can engage and support all of our students a little bit better,”
Fischer said.

The program kicked off with a dinner in the Kearney Hall atrium, followed by a breakfast and industry panel. The first step in the program was for faculty members to introduce themselves to students in an informal setting – and introduce students to one another.

“I teach seniors,” Fischer said. “In my first term at Oregon State, a student said, ‘You’re the first female faculty member that I’ve had in four years,’ and this made me sad.”

“Students want to see examples of themselves as they go through their career, and having a female faculty member at the front of the classroom gives them that example,” Fischer said. “But if that’s what it’s going to take to retain students, then having my class at the senior level is too late.”

The program events are open to all students – of any gender – and all faculty members, so students have more opportunities to connect and develop mentors. About 50 students participated regularly in the events and the school will conduct a survey on climate and culture annually to identify what’s working well and what isn’t.

“I’m sure we’re already doing a great job building community but we can always do a little bit better,” Fischer said.

Experts gather to improve work zone safety

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Attendees at tables listen to speakers.
ODOT Director Matthew Garrett (second from right) listens to members of the Oregon Work Zone Executive Strategy Session Committee at a meeting held at Oregon State.

Regional organizations are working together to reduce the frequency and severity of crashes in work zones. In winter, Oregon State hosted the Oregon Work Zone Executive Strategy Session Committee with participants from the American Automobile Association, Associated General Contractors Oregon-Columbia Chapter, Oregon Trucking Associations, Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), and the Oregon State Police. Chaired by ODOT Director Matthew Garrett, the committee works to ensure safety and maintain mobility within work zones.

“Oregon State participates in the discussion by adding input based on our work zone safety research,” said John Gambatese, professor of construction engineering and OEG Faculty Fellow. “For example, last fall we ran experiments on case study projects to determine the effects of flashing blue lights on traffic speeds and recently reported the results to ODOT.” 

By collaborating with fellow committee members, Oregon State researchers can demonstrate capabilities and contribute statewide on improving work zone safety.

“This significant multifaceted collaboration is uncommon in other states,” said David Hurwitz, associate professor of transportation engineering and committee member.

Contractors Night 2018

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Held at Reser Stadium, the 47th annual Contractors Night hosted 400 guests and featured presentations from Ronald Fedrick, chairman and chief executive officer of Nova Group Inc. and chairman of the Trustees of the Beavers Charitable Trust, and Matthew L. Garrett, director of the Oregon Department of Transportation. Additionally, School Head Jason Weiss introduced the Complex for Resilient Infrastructure and Safety (CRIS), a revolutionary new 40,000-square-foot facility, which will further enable groundbreaking research. With the goal of developing major improvements in worker safety, the lab will provide a virtual construction environment that replicates real-world job sites and more. Learn more and view a video on CRIS at cce.oregonstate.edu/CRIS.

Graduate students gain professional experience at transportation conferences

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During October, 22 graduate students in transportation engineering traveled to Washington where they participated in two conferences. On Friday, Oct. 14, they attended the PacTrans Annual Meeting on the University of Washington campus and on Saturday, Oct. 15 the Region 10 University Transportation Center (UTC) student conference. At both events, students gained professional experience by attending technical sessions, networking with regional transportation professionals, and presenting in hybrid poster sessions.

PacTrans is a consortium of transportation professionals and educators from five universities located around the Pacific Northwest. It focuses on using technological advances to develop data-driven, sustainable solutions for the diverse transportation needs of the region. This year, Haizhong Wang, assistant professor in transportation engineering served as the OSU representative on the organizing committee for the annual meeting, which had 217 registered participants plus additional attendees joining throughout the day.

Through the UTC program, the U.S. Department of Transportation awards grants to universities across the U.S. to advance the state-of-the-art in transportation research and develop the next generation of transportation professionals.

The Region 10 UTC student conference is unique in that it is planned entirely for students, by students. The goal is to provide a conference geared toward students’ needs, particularly those who plan to enter engineering practice following graduation. Zachary Barlow, a second year master’s student working with David Hurwitz, associate professor of transportation engineering and associate director of PacTrans, served on the conference organizing committee. OSU ITE student chapter members – led by graduate student David Covey, second year master’s student working with Erdem Coleri, assistant professor in infrastructure materials and transportation engineering – also contributed to the success of the trip by coordinating travel logistics for the large group.

OSU earned high marks at the student conference with Hisham Jashami, a second-year PhD student in transportation engineering who also works with Hurwitz, receiving first place in the student poster competition. The awards were determined by a voting committee comprised of Washington State Department of Transportation employees and student participants.

Thanks to events such as these, OSU students have impactful, experiential learning opportunities, which contribute to their success while in school – and beyond.

Oregon State to Host 2017 National Student Steel Bridge Competition

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2017 National Student Steel Bridge CompetitionOregon State University is pleased to host the 2017 ASCE/AISC National Student Steel Bridge Competition (NSSBC), May 26-27, 2017. The event, which began in the 1980s as a competition between three universities, is a cooperative effort between the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). In advance of the national event, 18 ASCE student chapters host conference competitions with approximately 200 schools from throughout North America participating. The top teams from the conference competitions advance to the national competition.

This national competition provides students with:

  • design and management experience
  • the opportunity to learn fabrication processes
  • the excitement of networking with and competing against teams from other colleges and universities

At the NSSBC, student teams erect and test bridges that they have designed and fabricated to meet client specifications while optimizing performance and economy. Steel Bridge teams compete to be the best in aesthetics, lightness, stiffness, construction speed, construction economy, and structural efficiency. As the national host school, Oregon State students will lead the event planning and work with faculty advisors on fundraising, recruitment of judges, publicity, facilities and contracts, program, technical set-up, registration, and volunteer coordination.

Student Directors

Chelsea Farnsworth and Oscar Gayet

ASCE Student Chapter Faculty Advisor

Tom Miller

OSU NSSBC Faculty Advisor

Judy Liu

CCE Alumnus Tom Skoro to be Named Alumni Fellow

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As part of its Homecoming festivities, the Oregon State University Alumni Association will recognize CCE alumnus Tom Skoro as an alumni fellow on October 23. Skoro was one of six alumni to receive the distinguished honor.

After graduating from Oregon State in 1981 with a bachelor’s in construction engineering management, Skoro worked continuously in the heavy construction industry, primarily with Kiewit Construction Group. Inc. He has varied construction experience but has specialized in bridge construction, including high-tech segmental construction. Skoro resides in Vancouver, Wash., and is a senior vice president of Kiewit Corporation.

The OSUAA established the alumni fellows program in 1988 to help OSU colleges recognize their eminent alumni. Honorees have distinguished themselves in their professions and communities.