News

Highlights of Activities in 2005

The past year was a very active one in the history of the institute.
A summary of major accomplishments is given below.

CEI Annual Meeting and Election

The first CEI Annual Meeting and election held under the provisions of the new bylaws, adopted late in 2004,was held in February.Tom Farley was reelected Chairman, and Mike Post was elected to the new position of Vice-Chairman.
The first formal CEI Annual Report was produced, and distributed at the annual meeting.

Enrollment

Undergraduate enrollment in the department increased to 159 students in the Fall semester, which is an increase of some 118% in four years. Institute support has been a vital component in achieving this growth. Student quality is also increasing.

Scholarships

CEI awarded two undergraduate scholarships for Spring 2005, and made offers to seven students for 2005-2006 (includes one renewal). All seven accepted, but one of them subsequently failed to enroll.The total funds awarded during the year were $11,000.

Internships

The CEI Internships and Scholarships committee was instrumental in placing 25 students in internship positions for Summer 2005, up from 14 last year. Even greater participation is expected in 2006.The committee solicited the positions from area firms and agencies, and assisted in matching interns to jobs.

Student Travel

CEI supported the travel of a group of six GMU students on a technical field trip to Hong Kong. The students gave a very informative and well received report on their trip at the 2005 CEI Annual Meeting.The Board approved Institute support for travel of up to ten students to Panama, in January 2006.

Brochures and Posters

Attractive brochures were produced for the undergraduate program , graduate program, and infrastructure security initiative, to use for student recruiting and other outreach activities. A poster was also produced.

High School Open House

In September the Institute and CEIE Department held an open house for two local high schools.Approximately 25 students, teachers, and counselors attended. The open house featured presentations about the civil engineering profession, GMU program, and scholarship and internship opportunities.

Reception for ASCE President

On May 10 CEI sponsored a reception for Mr. Bill Henry, international president of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).Approximately 80 people attended, and Mr. Henry made a presentation about professional issues, including a discussion of efforts worldwide to stop corruption in public works
contracting. At the reception a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Federal Highway
Administration and GMU providing for FHWA support of educational activities, such as the new course on experimental engineering that is taught at FHWA’s Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center in McLean.

Alumni Survey

The CEIE Curriculum Committee designed, distributed, and analyzed a survey of CEIE alumni and their firms, to
obtain information that is needed to guide further development of the department’s undergraduate program.
Results showed that GMU is the top school in D.C. and Northern Virginia for recruiting of new civil engineering
graduates.The senior design course, internship program, and applied C.E. courses were particularly valued by
graduates and their employers.

New Faculty Member

Professor Michael Casey joined the CEIE faculty in the Fall semester, as an Assistant Professor. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Maryland. He teaches courses in construction/project management and conducts research in sensor systems and IT for infrastructure security and management. He has diverse experience in the application of software systems for civil and construction engineering.

CEIE Graduation Luncheon

The Institute once again supported the Spring graduation luncheon for CEI students, families, and guests. Emeritus Board member Sidney Dewberry was the luncheon speaker.

Planning for a New Building for the School of IT&E

Dean Lloyd Griffiths addressed the Board in September about the plans to fund and build a new home for the School of Information Technology and Engineering, which will provide approximately 200,000 square feet and cost $58 million.The location provides an opportunity for landmark icon status at south campus entrance.Architecturally the building will be a transition from the modern look of the Aquatic Center to the traditional brick of the science quadrangle.The Board and department continued to be involved in planning
for the building throughout the year.The Commonwealth of Virginia has committed its share of the funding, which could lead to a construction start within the next 12 months.

IT&E 20-Year Anniversary Celebration

On October 28 the School held its 20-year anniversary celebration.The CEIE Department had a large display area, featuring coverage of Department and Institute activities. Dean Griffiths kicked off the School’s “2010
Campaign” to raise funds for the new building and the activities to be housed there. He announced several large initial gifts, culminating in his announcement of a $10 million gift from Ernst and Sara Volgenau.The gift
is the largest individual contribution in the history of the university and kicks off the newly named Volgenau School of IT&E’s $20 million fund-raising campaign.