Seminar Archives

URBAN HYDROLOGY, STREAM IMPACTS AND STREAM RESTORATION

Speaker: Seth P. Brown, PE, GKY & Associates, Inc., Springfield, VA.

Date: Wednesday, March 29 1-2 PM

Location: Mason Hall D5

ABSTRACT
Well over 1 million acres of land is developed per year in the U.S. alone.  The impacts of this development on the local hydrology and related water resources occur over decades, so it is not immediately apparent to us what this effect is and to what extent this effect will have in the future. 

One major impact due to urbanization is affected stream health and stability.  Increased impervious cover limits infiltration (groundwater recharge), which increases stormwater runoff volumes.  Also, urbanization often requires closed drainage systems, which lead to reduced times of concentration and therefore more "flashy" reactions to storm events.  This double-whammy of increased runoff volumes and efficient delivery of stormwater downstream places a great stressor on receiving waterbodies, such as small headwater streams.  These systems have traditionally been left unprotected due to the commonly-used regional stormwater management approach.  Due to the lack of protection, smaller streams, which are generally located in erosive zones to begin with, often have enlarged in cross-sectional geometry and become unattached with their respective floodplain.  The water quality and quantity impacts of this process are significant, since sediment is considered to be one of the biggest threats to downstream waterbodies, such as the Chesapeake Bay.  Other impacts of urbanization on stream health relate to the biological integrity of stream systems.  Macroinvertebrates, the base of the stream food web, choose stable habitats such as riffle-pool systems in pristine streams.  In urban streams, these habitats become severely disrupted due to the flashy storms associated with development.  This disruption reduces macroinvertebrate populations and species diversification, which in turn affects the fish and other biota which feed off of these populations. 

The field of "stream restoration" has emerged in recent years as a reaction to the new awareness of the impacts to urban streams caused by urbanization.  Stream restoration projects have many differing goals; improve stream stability, increase macrobenthic population and diversity, re-attach adjacent floodplains to stream, mitigate for impacts on infrastructure at stream crossings, and others.  One over-arching goal is to "restore" streams to a stream of quasi-equilibrium.  This is done by using in-stream structures, such as cross vanes, rock walls, and step pools in conjunction with bioengineering techniques such as fascines, branch layering and live staking.  These practices collectively aim to mitigate for impacts to urban streams and their water quality, in-stream habitat and physical stability. 

BIOSKETCH
Seth Brown received a BS in civil engineering in 1995 from Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tennessee, and received a MS in civil engineering from the University of Maryland at College Park in 1999.  His thesis focused on stream geometry change due to the influence of urbanization.  Mr. Brown is a registered professional engineer in the state of Maryland and District of Columbia, and has worked in the consulting industry for over 9 years, focusing on stream restoration design, hydraulic and hydrologic modeling, watershed planing, GIS analysis,  and adult education in technical subjects including erosion and sediment control and water quality management.  Mr. Brown currently works for GKY & Associates located in Springfield, Virginia.   

Faculty Host: Dr. Casey

CEIE Seminar Series
Seminar Presentation by Dr. Michael Casey
February 1, 2006 3:00-4:00 pm
ST Room 112
Title:
Self-Organization and Topology Control of Infrastructure Sensor Networks

Astract:
Infrastructure networks are complex, interconnected, and inter-dependent systems on which modern society has become almost totally dependent.  They provide for cost-effective and efficient distribution of energy, communications, and transportation, yet are increasingly fragile and rapidly propagate failure caused by natural or man-made hazards.  Despite our reliance on these networks and our awareness of their risks, an understanding of their survivability and methods for mitigating the risks inherent in their spatial and topologic organization has been lacking.
Infrastructure sensor networks are coupled with infrastructure for health, performance, or surveillance monitoring.  They detect the precursors of hazards and allow response to prevent cascading failure.  These co-located, dependent sensor networks are themselves susceptible to disruption and require control methodologies to maintain surveillance capability (i.e, survivability) should disruption occur.
This research quantifies the risk and vulnerability associated with dependent sensor networks and investigates the role of topology control and self-organization behavior in mitigating that risk.  Simulated random and targeted attacks are performed on spatial and lifeline infrastructure topologies.  Spatial topologies are shown to exhibit attack resistance, while lifeline topologies undergo percolation sooner and more frequently resulting in significantly higher vulnerability.
Topology control, or dynamic reconfiguration of the network in response to disruption, is shown to significantly mitigate the vulnerability of infrastructure sensor networks.  Its application, however, is limited based on the critical spatial density of nodes placed around infrastructure networks.  The critical density of dependent sensor networks is computed and a framework for the self-organization of infrastructure sensor networks is discussed.
Biography:
Dr. Michael Casey is an Assistant Professor of  Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering at George Mason University.  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 both professionally and in teaching.  He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. from the University of Maryland and a B.S. from Rutgers University both in Civil and Environmental Engineering.

CEIE Seminar Series

Engineers Without Borders: Getting Involved With International Service  

By Javier Ordóñez, PhD Candidate, University of Maryland

Date: Thursday, November 10, 2005 1-2 PM

Location: Johnson Center Room G

Abstract

Engineers Without Borders (EWB) is a non-profit humanitarian organization that partners with disadvantaged communities to improve their quality of life through implementation of environmentally and economically sustainable engineering projects worldwide. Through high-impact pilot projects and ongoing relationships, EWB develops internationally responsible engineers and engineering students.

In August 2005, the University of Maryland chapter of EWB designed and constructed a gravity feed potable water system in the southern highlands of Ecuador.  This was the initial project in developing a lasting commitment to the area.  Mr. Javier F. Ordóñez acted as the project coordinator and he will share his experiences in working with the local community to implement the project over the past year.  He will highlight the partnerships established with local engineers, universities, and the water utility in Cuenca, Ecuador, as well as the provincial government of Azuay. 

 

Biographical Sketch

Mr. Ordóñez is a PhD Candidate in the Project Management Program at the University of Maryland, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He received his Master in Science in Project Management from the University of Maryland, and his Bachelor Degree in Civil Engineering from the Universidad de Cuenca, Ecuador.  He is a Project Management Professional (PMP) and member of the University of Maryland Student chapter of EWB.

Dr. Aimee Flannery
Assistant Professor

Topic: Capacity and Quality of Service Analysis of Interrupted Flow Transportation Facilities

When: September 27, 2005
Time: 2:00-3:00 pm
Location: Sub II Room 1

Abstract

Dr. Flannery has led several nationally sponsored research studies on the topic of capacity and quality of service analysis of interrupted flow facilities over the past decade. This lecture will focus on the research conducted to better understand the inter-relationship between driver, vehicle and the roadway environment. These relationships greatly affect driver behavior and performance while simultaneously influencing operational and safety performance of interrupted flow facilities, such as unsignalized intersections and urban streets. Dr. Flannery will describe her contributions to the transportation community and her role in forthcoming changes to standards of practice.

 

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Mohan Venigalla
Assistant Professor

Title: Transportation Air Quality and Emissions Modeling
When: Sept. 21, 2005
Time: 11:00am-12:30pm
Location: SUB II, Rooms 1 & 2

Abstract:

Vehicle activity parameters are key inputs to mobile source emissionsmodeling. Emission factors are sensitive to these inputs, which vary bygeography, time of day and trip purpose classifications. However, stateof the practice in emission factor modeling relies too much on defaultparameters imbedded in the models. Therefore there is a need forderiving these inputs for the various geographic regions for providingrealistic values. The focus of the presentation is on an overview oftransportation air quality and Dr. Venigalla's research on derivingtravel variables for emissions modeling from travel survey databasesand traffic assignment.

Specific emphasis will be given to examining the effects of travel variables on transportation related air quality. On-going research on experimentation with on- board emissionsmonitoring equipment for measuring the emission impact oftransportation improvement projects will be highlighted.

Biographic sketch of Dr. Mohan Venigalla.

George Mason University

Department of Civil, Environmental & Infrastructure Engineering

Seminar Announcement

Funding Surface Transportation: Is This the End of the Road?

Speaker: Thomas M. Downs

President/CEO

The Eno Transportation Foundation

Date: Wednesday, May 4, 2005

Time: 3:00-4:00 PM

Venue: Fairax Campus, Enterprise Hall, Room 173

About the Topic

The national system of funding transportation has broken down. The inability of the Congress to enact new surface transportation legislation for almost three years is an indication of a loss of a national consensus on the nature and purpose of federal transportation funding. The rise of greed and congressional earmarks (pork) has made the national funding not much more than a form of transportation revenue sharing, where the revenue shared is federal and the projects funded are the pet projects of individual members of the Congress. It is time to start rethinking this entire process, because it is not getting us much in the way of outcomes we value as a nation.

About the Speaker

Tom Downs has worked most of his life in transportation or general government. In a career that spans over thirty years, he has served in general government as a city manager in the Midwest, as a White House Fellow, and as City Administrator of Washington, DC. In transportation he has served as an executive assistant to the US Secretary of Transportation, as Associate Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration for Planning and Budget, as Executive Director of the Federal Transit Administration, and as Director of the Washington, DC Department of Transportation. Tom left the Washington area in 1988 to become the President of the Triboro Bridge and Tunnel Authority in New York City. He latter served as the Commissioner of Transportation for the State of New Jersey, and Chairman of the New Jersey Transit Corporation. In 1993 Tom was appointed Chairman and CEO of Amtrak, the nation's passenger railroad. He substantially completed the electrification of the Northeast Corridor, and helped the Congress create a $2.4 billion trust fund for the railroad. After Amtrak, Tom became the CEO of the National Association of Homebuilders. He left the NAHB to join the faculty of the University of Maryland, where he served as Professor and Director of the National Center for Smart Growth. In 2003 Tom was appointed President and CEO of the Eno Transportation Foundation. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, and has advanced degrees from both the University of Missouri and the University of Kansas.

CEIE Department
Seminar Announcement
Predicting Travel Demand for the Metropolitan Washington Region: the MWCOG Suite of Travel Models

Speaker: Mr. Ronald Milone
Principal Transportation Engineer
National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board

Date: Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Time: 7:20-8:20 PM
Venue: Enterprise Hall, Room 175

About the Topic
Have you ever wondered how our regional transportation planners go about predicting traffic volumes on regional streets and freeways, carpool usage, and the ridership on Metrorail and Metrobus? Now is your chance to find out. Our speaker will review the data sources used by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG), and the travel models used in their four-step urban transportation modeling system. He will also briefly discuss the results of a recent peer review of their modeling process, undertaken by the Transportation Research Board.

About the Speaker
Mr. Milone has over twenty years experience in the development and application of transportation demand and mobile emissions models. Most of his experience has been at the Metropolitan Washington COG Transportation Planning Board (TPB), the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) of the National Capitol Region. He also gained planning experience in several cities around the United States as an employee of the COMSIS Corporation. He is currently a Principal Transportation Engineer at COG/TPB where he serves as the technical manager of the Models Development program. He is also the current chairman of the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO) Travel Modeling Subcommittee, a body which functions to promote understanding between practitioners about methods in current application and about issues regarding acceptable standards and practice in transportation planning. Mr. Milone holds a BA degree in Environmental Design and Planning and an MS in Civil Engineering, both from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

About the CEIE seminar series
This is one in a continuing series of seminars organized by the CEIE Department. The seminar is open to all interested parties on or off GMU campus. Participation in the seminar series is mandatory for CEIE graduate students who are admitted to the program in Fall 2001 or later.

Emergency Management for Wastewater

Speaker: Ms. Laurel Shultzaberger

Location: Johnson Center, Gold Room (ground floor)

Time: Thursday, March 31, 7:20 pm

Abstract: The presentation will provide an overview of Disaster Preparedness from the wastewater perspective. It will use real life scenarios to show how the plant prepares for and deals with the aftermath of a disaster or emergency.

Speaker's Bio: Ms. Shultzaberger graduated from George Mason University in 2001 with a Master's degree in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering with a concentration in Water Resources Management. She currently works for Fairfax County's Department of Public Works and Environmental Services as the Environmental Management Systems Coordinator for the Wastewater Management Program.

Department of Civil, Environmental and
Infrastructure Engineering
2005 Seminar Series
Low Cost-High Efficiency Waste Water Treatment in India
Presented by Subijoy Dutta
February 23, 2005, from 5:00 to 5:45
Room 15, Science and Technology II

Mr. Dutta is a senior scientist with the US Environmental Protection Agency Pesticide Program Office in Washington DC. He has been evolved in a number of waste water and water quality efforts in India and other developing countries throughout the world.

His presentation will include new developments using deep pond and solar pond treatment methods and the recycling of by-products from the waste water treatment process.

CEIE Seminar Series

Guest Speaker: Dr. Jesús M. de la Garza
Director of the Information
Technology and Infrastructure Systems Program
The National Science Foundation

Topic: Current Trends in Infrastructure Research at the National Science Foundation

Date: Wednesday February 23rd
Time: 3:00-4:00 pm

Location: Enterprise Building Room 173

Speaker Biography:

Dr. Jesús M. de la Garza is the Director of the Information Technology and Infrastructure Systems program in the Civil and Mechanical Systems Division in the Engineering Directorate at the National Science Foundation. He also holds the Vecellio Professorship in Construction Engineering and Management at Virginia Tech.

CEIE Seminar Series

Wednesday February 9th; 3:00-4:00pm

Location: Enterprise Bld., room 173

Remote Sensing and its Application to Transportation

Guest speaker: Dr. Kathleen L. Hancock

Via Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Virginia Tech

Abstract: With remote sensing being incorporated into transportation engineering, one potential application is in change detection studies around major transportation infrastructure projects. This project establishes a methodology for determining, qualitatively and quantitatively, the changes that take place around a major transportation infrastructure project using Boston's Central Artery as a case study. The construction for the original Artery began in the early 50s and the full structure was opened in 1959. The Central Artery/ Tunnel project was started in the early 90s. Archived remotely sensed imagery was used to create historic imagery layers which were then used to build road centerline layers and to identify changes between time periods. Land use layers, procured from Massachusetts Geographic Information Systems (MassGIS), were used to identify land use changes and decennial census data from 1950s to 1990s were used to determine the changes that have taken place in population density, household density, median rents, and median incomes. Finally, a detailed examination of the imagery was performed to determine additional changes. Finally, changes across the different layers were examined together to demonstrate how different subsystems work in tandem.

Speaker: Dr. Kathleen Hancock is the Associate Director for the Center for Geospatial Information Technology and an Associate Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech. Her research interests include the application of spatial analysis and geographic information systems and intelligent mapping for engineering problem solving; freight planning in transportation; highway safety including crash data analysis, cost/benefit analysis for highway safety, roadside safety feature design and development, static dynamic, full-scale and computer simulation testing of roadside safety features.

Dr. Hancock earned her Ph.D. and master's in civil engineering from Vanderbilt University in 1994 and 1991, respectively. She received her bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Colorado State University in 1982. Dr. Hancock received her A.A.S. in architectural technology from Del Mar College in 1977, graduating Cum Laude. She is a Registered Professional Engineer in Tennessee. She is a member of the Transportation Research Board and American Society of Civil Engineers.

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CEIE Department Lecture Series

When: Friday, September 24th 4:30pm

Where: Innovation Hall, Room 316

Topic: Multi-Objective Evolutionary Computation for Aerodynamic Design Problems

Guest Lecturer: Dr. Shigeru Obayashi, Institute of Fluid Science, Tohoku University, Japan

 

Abstract:

Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms (MOEAs) have gained popularity because they can effectively identify trade-offs in Multi-Objective Problems (MOPs) [1]. However, as it is well-known, MOEAs require a large number of evaluations. This could be a major inhibitor in using MOEAs for aerodynamic optimization problems using time-consuming high-fidelity Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The latter is required to obtain accurate aerodynamic performance. Hence, a real-coded Adaptive Range Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithms (ARMOGAs) has been developed [2]. In this study, ARMOGAs are applied to aerodynamic problems to identify trade-offs efficiently. After the trade-offs are identified, trade-offs have to be analyzed to obtain useful knowledge about the design problem. It will also help to advance the design. For this purpose, the Self-Organizing Map (SOM, [3]) is applied to non-dominated solutions obtained by ARMOGAs. The SOM is one of neural network models, whose algorithm is based on unsupervised, competitive learning. It provides a topology preserving mapping from the high dimensional space to map units. Map units, or neurons, usually form a two-dimensional lattice and thus the mapping is a mapping from high dimensional space onto a plane. The property of topology preserving means that the mapping preserves the relative distance between the points. Points that are near each other in the input space are mapped to nearby map units in the SOM. The SOM can thus serve as a cluster analyzing tool of high-dimensional data. ARMOGAs and SOM can be good design tools to improve the aerodynamic design efficiently.

REFERENCES
1] S. Obayashi, D. Sasaki, A. Oyama, Finding Tradeoffs by Using Multiobjective Optimization Algorithms, Transactions of Japan Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences, 47, 155, (2004), in print.

[2] D. Sasaki, S. Obayashi, K. Nakahashi, Navier-Stokes Optimization of Supersonic Wings with Four Objectives Using Evolutionary Algorithm, J. Aircraft, 39, 4, (2002), pp. 621-629.
[3] T. Kohonen, Self-Organizing Maps. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg (1995).

 

Biography

 

Dr. Obayashi is a Professor at the Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan. Dr. Obayashi received his Doctor of Engineering degree from the University of Tokyo and has held prestigious positions with the National Research Council and with the NASA Ames Research Center. Dr. Obayashi has conducted research in the areas of aeroelasticity, aerodynamic optimization methods, and TFI algorithms and their application to engineering systems.

Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering Department
Seminar Announcement

Organizational Resilience to Hazard Events

Dr. Erica Dalziell
Department of Civil Engineering
University of Canterbury, New Zealand

Date: Thursday, May 27, 2004
Time: 11 am - Noon
Venue: ST2 -- room 100,
Fairfax Campus of George Mason University

Abstract

Organizations manage, maintain and operate our infrastructure, create our economy and contribute to our society. The ability of organizations to respond effectively following a large hazard event will have a significant influence on the length of time that essential services are unavailable, and our ability to retain economic competitiveness in the aftermath of a hazard event. This presentation will discuss a six-year research program to be launched in July of this year, which brings together researchers from the different disciplines of risk management, systems analysis, emergency planning and management, network analysis and logistics, GIS, construction management and construction law. This research takes a systems view of organizations and their ability to recover from natural hazard events, recognizing that there are multiple interdependencies within organizations, and interactions between different organizations. This means that effective risk management for any one organization must look beyond that single organization and consider the resilience of other organizations on which it depends. Our intention is to develop a framework for more effective co-ordination between organizations during their planning, and response and recovery from major hazard events.

About the Speaker

Erica Dalziell is a lecturer in risk management and engineering systems at the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Canterbury. Over the next six years, Dr. Dalziell will be leading a $1.8 million research program recently funded by the Foundation for Research Science and Technology of New Zealand looking at the ability of organizations to prepare and respond and recover from major hazard events.

CEIE Department Lecture Series
When: April 28, 2004 3:00-4:00 pm
Where: Sub I Room B
Topic: The Census “long form” is dead, why should you care?
Guest Lecturer: Elaine Murakami of FHWA’s Office of Planning

Abstract:

The decennial census “long form” has included questions about the Journey to Work since 1960. The questions have included mode, travel time, home and workplace locations, departure time, and vehicle availability. These variables combined with socioeconomic and demographic characteristics such as household income and size, age, race and ethnicity, and sex, have made this data a valuable asset for transportation planners, even if it was available only every 10 years. Data were available for small geographic units, in a consistent manner across time and across space. We will demonstrate the CTPP 2000 Access Tool and the Census PUMS software. We will describe some of the issues related to privacy and disclosure avoidance that have affected data access.

The Census Bureau says that the “long form” data from Census 2000 was the last. The American Community Survey (ACS) is planned as its replacement. We will discuss some of the differences and the potential benefits of ACS as well as potential problems.

Biographies:

Elaine Murakami is a Community Planner with Federal Highway Administration, Office of Planning. She has been with FHWA for 11 years, and previously worked at the MPO in Seattle, the Puget Sound Regional Council. She has dual masters degrees in Urban Planning and Gerontology from the University of Southern California.

Nanda Srinivasan is an Associate with Cambridge Systematics. He has a masters degree in Transportation Planning from University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Special Seminar
George Mason University
Room D3 A&B Mason Hall
4:30 to 6:00pm, March 23, 2004

National Satellite Land Remote
Sensing Data Archive

Presented by

John L. Faundeen
USGS Records Officer, EROS Data Center

The long-term availability of land remote sensing data is indispensable to a wide range of research and analysis applications. The National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive (NSLRSDA) was conceived to ensure the availability of this important data and information for the future. The USGS EROS Data Center has been archiving, managing, and distributing land remote sensing data and other Earth surface data for more than 30 years. A large amount of data already existed at the USGS EROS Data Center before the U.S. Congress acted to assure its preservation. Over the past three decades the Nation has invested significant resources to acquire and distribute data worldwide from the Landsat series of satellites -- more than 630,000 gigabytes of which are held at the EROS Data Center. This collection from Landsats 1 through 5 and 7, including image data from both the Thematic Mapper (TM) and Multispectral Scanner (MSS) sensors, forms the core of NSLRSDA holdings. The archive also includes more than 28,000 gigabytes of data from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) carried aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's polar orbiting weather satellites and more than 880,000 declassified intelligence satellite photographs. Lean how to access this rich data source for academic studies, research and teaching applications.

 

Sponsored By:
The Department of Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering
School of Information Technology and Engineering and
The Department of Earth Systems and Geo-Information Sciences
School of Computational Sciences
For Additional Information Contact:
Prof. William Roper, 993-1648, wroper@gmu.edu

Critical Infrastructure Protection Program, George Mason University Law School
Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering Department, School of Information Technology and Engineering

PRESENT

Infrastructure Security: Bridge Monitoring and Protection

A SERIES OF SEMINARS

Highway Infrastructure Security: A National Perspective

Speaker: Dr. Stephen Chase, Federal Highway Administration
When: Friday, February 20, 4:30PM
Where: Johnson Center Room E

Abstract:

An overview of the challenges faced by the highway sector to improve homeland security is presented. A summary of recently completed and ongoing activities by the highway sector to improve the security of the nation and its highway systems is then presented. Finally, an overview of current and planned research and development activities and initiatives to improve highway security are presented.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Chase is the Technical Director for Bridge Research and Development in the Federal Highway Administration's Office of Infrastructure Research and Development. As Technical Director, Dr. Chase oversees all research and development activities related to highway structures. Dr. Chase has also been tasked with coordinating all FHWA Research and Development activities relating to Security. Dr. Chase has over 35 years of experience in the public and private sectors. He has more than 25 years of experience with the Federal Highway Administration as a bridge engineer, the last 12 years in Research and Development.

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Bridge Monitoring: A Structural Perpective

Speaker: Professor Andrzej S. Nowak, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
When: Monday, March 15, 4:30PM
Where: Johnson Center Room G

Abstract:

Bridge monitoring can provide an important support in the management of transportation facilities. There is need for verification of the actual truck loads, live load distribution factors, dynamic load factors, fatigue load spectra, and the actual load carrying capacity. The presentation deals with the statistical background for bridge live load model, including static and dynamic components, and girder distribution factors. The static portion of live load includes truck weights (gross vehicle weight), axle loads, load effects (moments, shear forces, strain and stress). The data is based on field measurements carried out in Michigan. A considerable percentage of illegally overloaded trucks was observed, in particular on bridges located far from truck weigh stations. The cumulative distribution functions are shown for various locations in Michigan, and they are strongly site-specific. In addition to site-specific variation, fatigue load spectra are found to be component-specific. Dynamic load was measured on girder bridges. Girder distribution factors were also based on measurements, and compared to analytical values calculated using the code-specific procedures and advanced finite element method (FEM). It was observed that the code specified values are conservative in most cases. The statistical data can be used to update a basis for reliability analysis of girder bridges. The actual load carrying capacity can be verified by proof load tests. A unique procedure is developed using military tanks as proof load.

About the Speaker:

Andrzej S. Nowak is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan, since 1979. He received his MS and Ph.D. from Politechnika Warszawska in Poland. His area of expertise include structural reliability and bridge engineering. Professor Nowak has served as a PI on over 50 research projects (over $3,000,000), sponsored by NSF, FHWA, Michigan DOT, TRB, as well as the Canadian and British governments. Major research accomplishments include the development of a reliability-based calibration procedure for calculation of load and resistance factors, successfully applied to calibration of AASHTO LRFD design code for bridges, ACI 318 Code for Concrete Buildings, and other codes. Professor Nowak made important contributions in the area of bridge diagnostics and evaluation. He has authored over 300 technical publications, and chaired a number of committees associated with professional organizations such as ASCE, ACI, TRB, IABSE and IABMAS. He was named an Honorary Professor of the Politechnika Warszawska and Politechnika Krakowska, and he is a Fellow of ASCE, ACI and IABSE.

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Bridge Monitoring: A GIS Perspective

Speaker: Professor William Roper, George Mason University, Fairfax
When: Thursday, April 1, 3:00PM
Where: Johnson Center Room G

Abstract:

The presentation will address the application of remotely sensed information for assessment and understanding of bridge condition and security risk characterization. High resolution panchromatic and multi-spectral satellite and airborne imagery will be reviewed for characterization of activity on and around a bridge structure. Ground based and airborne light imaging radar will be presented as a tool for remote definition of structural detail and understanding of changes that may represent security and safety risks for bridges. Biometric technologies will be explored for location and identification of unauthorized individuals in critical areas of the bridge structure.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Roper is a visiting professor in the Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure Department of George Mason University with a joint appointment in the School of Computational Sciences. He joined George Mason University after serving as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at George Washington University in Washington, DC. During that time he also served as Senior Science and Technology Advisor to the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency as a special authority government employee. Prior to this position he was the director of the U.S. Army Topographic Engineering Center (TEC), Alexandria, VA. As the chief executive officer of TEC, Dr. Roper was responsible for the overall leadership and management of TEC's R&D programs for the Army, Department of Defense agencies, other Federal agencies and reimbursable customers. Dr. Roper has also severed as the director of the Army Corps of Engineers World-Wide Civil Works Research and Development Program which involved research program development and execution at seven major laboratories and five research centers located throughout the United States.

Dr. Roper's professional experience includes senior management positions in the U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Army. He also served on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin, Michigan State University, and North Carolina State University. Dr. Roper was recently appointed to the new National Academies Committee on the Protection of Critical Transportation Infrastructure and selected to chair the sub-committee on Technology Research, Development and deployment. He has also been active with the Water Science and Technology Board, the Infrastructure and Constructed Environment Board, and the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Engineering, as well as the Society of American Military Engineers. He was a member of the National Oil Spill Research Committee, the National Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force, Construction Industry Strategic Development Council, National Civil Engineering Research Council, and U.S. Co-Chairman of the Geospatial Data Management Task Committee under the U.S.-Japan Natural Resources Agreement. He has authored more than 100 technical papers and delivered numerous presentations to national and international audiences.

Dr. Roper is a member of the Federal Senior Executive Service, the NW York Academy of Sciences and a registered professional engineer in Wisconsin. He is a graduate of the Federal Executive Development Program, Federal Executive Institute, The Harvard Senior Managers in Government Program, Army Command and General Staff College, Air Force War College, and is a distinguished military graduate of the University of Wisconsin. He has also held Adjunct Professor appointments with the engineering graduate schools of Catholic University of America, George Washington University and Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Roper has managed a number of international joint research programs including initiatives with the People's Republic of China, the former U.S.S.R., Canada and Japan. Technical areas of cooperation range form large-scale estuary sediment movement field studies and water resource development, to earthquake engineering, cold region construction methods, and geospatial data management systems.

 

Seminar Announcement

PROBABILISTIC RISK ASSESSMENT

As a Tool to Select Pollution Prevention Alternatives

Speaker: Souad Benromdhane, Ph.D., SAIC

Date: Tuesday, December 2, 2003

Time: 11:00-12:00 AM

Venue: SUB 2 – # 3

About the Topic

The industrial community, concerned about meeting the Clean Air Act Amendment of 1990 and the upcoming standards, has responded with more preventative strategies regarding the use of hazardous substances and the risks they involve. The costs involved with treatment solutions, waste disposal and management, as well as control technologies have driven industries to a more proactive approach. Risk assessment techniques are now used. Risks associated with the hazards generated by different industrial operations are used in feasibility studies of control options before implementation. The Environmental Protection Agency is currently establishing the methodology and developing the tools to be used in this technique. Traditional risk assessment approaches use point estimates of inhalation concentrations based on standard Gaussian diffusion models. These models implicitly assume steady-state emission rates. For the batch processes, such as those found in iron foundries, this assumption leads to over estimation of the inhalation concentration. Probabilistic risk assessment on the other hand uses a sampling strategy that defines exposure as an inherently statistical problem. This is expected to lead to a better description of the risk to include randomness and variability. Therefore, pollution prevention priorities will be based on realistic scenarios. In this seminar, emission characteristics of manufacturing process in the iron foundry industry and a proposed four-component risk assessment model will be discussed. The casting process with its core and mold making represented a good example of variability in emission rates. It also offered a wide range of toxics and carcinogens to be concerned with. It was a rather good candidate for a probabilistic approach to risk calculation. A four-component risk assessment model was proposed. It involves: 1) identifying and quantifying the source input; 2) modeling transport to the receptor; 3) evaluating the risks to the receptor; and, 4) assessing pollution prevention alternatives at the source. This last step allows refining the selection of pollutants of concern and an eventual ranking of the pollution prevention alternatives.

About the Speaker

Dr. Souad Benromdhane is Senior Environmental Engineer at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). Dr. Benromdhane’s expertise and experience include environmental management, pollution prevention, and assessment of air and water quality impacts for actions subject to the National Environmental and Policy Act. Dr. Benromdhane has 13 years as a practicing engineer and four years in teaching. She has a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Michigan State University.

About the CEIE seminar series

This is the seventh in a series seminars to be organized by the CEIE Department for Fall 2003. The seminar is open to all interested parties on or off GMU campus. Participation in the seminar series is mandatory for CEIE graduate students who are admitted to the program in Fall 2001 or later.

Our apologies for the short notice on this seminar. We hope that many graduate students can make it.

– CEIE Faculty

About the Topic

The presentation will review developments in remote sensing systems and sensor development with a focus on applications in environmental engineering. Sensors will include high-resolution panchromatic, multi-spectral, radar, lidar and Hyperspectral systems. Applications will include land use and vegetation characterization, environmental impact assessment, disaster response and recovery, and pipeline safety and security monitoring. Recent assessments of changes in fragmented forestation, impervious surfaces and other environmental indicators in Loundon county Virginia will be presented. Geospatial based information developed for decision support operations during Hurricane Mitch, the Venezuela landslides and the World Trade Center response are presented and discussed from a response, recovery and reconstruction standpoint. A pipeline safety and security application in Canada is presented that leverages multiple remote sensing systems, change detection analysis, geopositioning, threat analysis and response strategy.

About the Speaker

Dr. William Roper is currently the chairman of Civil Engineering Department at George Washington University, Washington D.C. In his long illustrious career, Dr. Roper has served in many capacities. Included among them are the following:

• Director of the U.S. Army Topographic Engineering Center (TEC), Alexandria, VA.
• Assistant Director of Research and Development (Civil Works) at Headquarters, US Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC.
• Senior management positions in the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Army.
• Member of the National Oil Spill Research Committee, the National Aquatic
• Nuisance Species Task Force, National Civil Engineering Research Council
  Past chairman of the Earthquake Engineering for Dams, and

• Current U.S. Chairman of the Geospatial Data Management Task Committees under the U. S./Japan Natural Resources Agreement.
  
  For More about Dr. Roper see: http://www.cee.seas.gwu.edu/people/faculty_/roper/

Our apologies for the short notice on this seminar. We hope that many graduate students can make it.

– CEIE Faculty

CEIE Seminar Announcement

Topic: Intelligent Agents in Construction

Date: Monday, November 17th at 3 - 4 PM
Venue: Room 320 - ST-II

Speaker: Onuegbu O. Ugwu, PhD
Onuegbu O. Ugwu, PhD, Research Assistant Professor
Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, HKSAR, China

ABSTRACT

Agent paradigm has been heralded as the next big wave in computing that would facilitate collaborative problem solving. Some of the expected step gains include seamless enterprise integration at knowledge (i.e. data, information, and process) levels. But how feasible are these expectations in the construction domain? This talk explores the promise and potentials of intelligent agents in construction. It is divided into three parts. Part 1 gives a panoramic view of agent technology and current application areas in construction. Part 2 discusses a case study research project that investigated agent support for collaborative design of light industrial buildings. It outlines the lessons learned from this research, which has socio-technical dimensions. Part 3 synthesises the two preceding sections to discuss wider issues and challenges that researchers need to address in the context of intelligent agent applications in construction. The speaker outlines the main drivers that would underpin successful application of intelligent agents for decision support in construction. These include; ontologies for knowledge sharing, standardisation and interoperability of agent development platforms, clear understanding of user requirements in developing computational models (such as functional and organisational interaction protocols) for problem solving in the construction domain. Recommendations are given on intelligent agents research in construction.

About the Speaker

Dr Joseph Ugwu is a Research Assistant Professor in the Dept of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong (HKU). His research interests cover theoretical foundations and practical applications of AI, distributed AI, and ICT in design and construction management; sustainability, durability & life cycle assessment of infrastructure projects; and organisational issues in project management. Before joining HKU in June 2002, he worked as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate in the Department of Civil & Building Engineering, Loughborough University UK for 3 years and 3 months, on a collaborative research Project that investigated the use of intelligent agents in collaborative design.
Dr Ugwu graduated with a BEng (Hons) in Civil Engineering from the University of Nigeria Nsukka, an MSc in Construction Management from Strathclyde University Glasgow, UK, and PhD from South Bank University London, UK. He was a Visiting Research Scholar in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering in the Information Technology and Engineering School at George Mason University Fairfax, USA in January/February 2002, and recently held The Royal Society (UK) award as a Visiting Scientist from China to Loughborough University UK in July/August 2003.
Dr Ugwu is a member of different professional bodies including ASCE, ACM, and IEEE (Computer Society). He takes active participation in research and professional activities, and has served in different international scientific committees. He currently reviews papers for several international journals, and has published several papers and reports in his research areas.

CEIE Department
Seminar Announcement

Web Based Collaborative Project Management Systems

Speaker

Terry Ryan, Ph.D., P.E. Executive Director,
Engineers and Surveyors Institute

Date: Thursday, November 6, 2003
Time: 4:30-5:30 PM

Venue: Science and Tech II – Room 320

About the Topic

A significant evolution in managing projects is occurring as a result of the increased availability of web access. Most approaches have grown out of online document management systems which are now evolving into full-blown collaborative design and construction environments. The civil engineering industry is only now feeling the effects of these systems. For an industry whose ultimate goal is to be able to electronically submit, gain review and approval of plans, the web-based approach is significant. An introduction to the attributes available in these systems, the strengths and weaknesses of the systems, some insight to the cost of operation, and finally the potential for the future will be presented.

About the Speaker

Dr Ryan has over 35 years of construction management, information technology, operations research, and teaching experience. He served on the faculty of George Mason University as an Assistant Dean, and was the founder and Professor of Urban Systems Engineering for the university’s innovative Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering program. In addition to other teaching posts at George Washington University, the U. S. Military Academy (USMA), and the University of Southern California, Dr. Ryan has many years of field experience with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and in the private sector. He served as construction manager for a $1.4 billion academic facility built for the Saudi Arabian government, and as Vice President for a specialty retail chain responsible for the design, construction, and maintenance of over 120 stores and 300,000 square feet of space. He is currently the Executive Director of the Engineers and Surveyors Institute, a not for profit corporation that promotes a public/private partnership between the civil engineering services sector and local jurisdictions. A registered professional engineer in Virginia, Dr. Ryan is a graduate of the USMA with a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. He earned Master’s and Doctorate Degrees in Civil Engineering Systems from the University of Illinois

About the Topic

In response to the dynamic, global business environment faced by companies today, Knowledge Management (KM) has been identified as one of the key ways to generate and sustain a competitive advantage in the 21st Century. Successful KM requires much more than just team building and state-of-the-art Information Technology (IT). It is the integration of people, processes, and software tools to create, use and share knowledge, to accomplish an organization's goals. This talk begins with a practical introduction to the core concepts of KM. Next, a balanced framework for studying and applying KM is presented. Finally, the issues of building a KM strategy are addressed, with a focus on technology companies.

 

About the Speaker

Dr. Thomas M. Tirpak, is a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff, Motorola Advanced Technology Center, Motorola Labs. He serves as Adjunct Professor, Master of Management and Manufacturing Program, Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Northwestern University. Dr. Tirpak has 12 years of experience in the electronics industry, leading efforts to develop methods and software tools for improving the productivity and quality of product design and manufacturing processes. He received the M.S. degree in General Engineering (Robotics) and Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Univ. of Illinois at Urbana, and the Master of Engineering Management degree from Northwestern Univ. He is a member of IEEE, INFORMS, and Tau Beta Pi, an Associate Member of the Motorola Science Advisory Board, and a Motorola Six Sigma Black Belt.

High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) Lanes:

Benefits and Prospects

Speaker: Mr. Patrick DeCorla-Souza

Date: Tuesday, October 7, 2003

Time: 3:00-4:00 PM

Venue: Johnson Center, Assembly Room F

About the Topic

Some transportation experts have envisioned future metropolitan freeway networks that involve two different levels of service -- reliable, premium service on separate lanes or roads priced in a way to ensure free-flowing traffic at all times; and the present system that would remain free, but become increasingly congested and unreliable. Patrick DeCorla-Souza, a federal official and internationally recognized expert on road pricing, will present the economic rationale and issues relating to public acceptance for such a dual system. He will provide an overview of U.S. experience with operating HOT lanes in California and Texas, and potential benefits from alternative lane pricing approaches. Finally, DeCorla-Souza will discuss future prospects for HOT lanes and legislative proposals under discussion in Congress.

About the Speaker

Patrick DeCorla-Souza is Team Leader for Highway Pricing and System Analysis in the Office of Transportation Policy Studies at the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in Washington, DC. He manages FHWA’s Value Pricing Pilot Program. In this capacity, he works with public and private sector partners in 15 States to implement innovative road pricing strategies. Patrick holds an M.S. in Planning from Florida State University and an M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Toledo. He currently chairs the Transportation Research Board’s Joint Subcommittee on Pricing. He has published numerous papers and articles on road pricing, air quality, land use strategies and benefit-cost analysis. Patrick is a Member of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), and a Charter Member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).

Seminar

Practical Applications of Possibility Theory in Civil Engineering

Wednesday, April 23, 2003

Science & Tech II, Room 260, Time: 3:00 PM

by Professor Tim Ross

The ability to assess the reliability of complex systems is based primarily on our abilities to both distinguish and represent a combination of variability and uncertainty that are inherent in understanding both a components model and its parameters. The potential random character of a variable, such as in games of chance or in the natural variability of things due to manufacturing processes, is often termed variability. Variability cannot be reduced, but rather only quantified. The size of grains of sand or the specific shapes of a maple leaf are things that exhibit natural variability. If we want to predict either of these quantities we can only do so in an average sense for the population of grains or leaves. There have been many numerous, accurate characterizations of this form of uncertainty-most notably probability theory.

Another form of uncertainty is that due to a lack of specific information, and this has been generally called uncertaintyŠto distinguish it from variability. There are various forms of uncertainty; uncertainty can arise from ignorance, from scare data, from misleading data, from unknown biases, or from our inability to understand complex systems. An interesting question arises: how can one contend with gaps in knowledge that cannot be represented probabilistically or statistically? Examples of the latter might include the degree of confidence placed in certain modeling assumptions before they can be validated experimentally, or the degree of confidence placed in extrapolating laboratory experiments to field conditions. Lack of knowledge is often temporary, and means for dealing with it have been developed based on possibility theory-a non-probabilistic method that naturally transitions to probabilistic methods when lack of knowledge is eliminated with new information. Possibility theory contains probability theory as a special case and the implementation of the theory is computationally simple and easy to understand.

To illustrate the utility of the possibility theory approach the talk begins with a simple example of the potential failure characteristics of a hollow, metallic sphere. The talk concludes with a proposed scheme to assess commercial rail system reliability and, hence, railroad safety associated with weather and animal induced hazards on rail track beds.

Biography of T. Ross

Prof. Ross has 28 years experience in the fields of computational mechanics, hazard survivability, structural dynamics, structural safety, stochastic processes, risk assessment, and fuzzy systems. His primary specialties are structural engineering and structural dynamics. He was awarded a prestigious J. William Fulbright Fellowship for study during his sabbatical leave at the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Calgary, Alberta, for the 2001-2002 academic year. He has BS, MS and PhD degrees in Civil Engineering from Washington State, Rice and Stanford Universities, respectively.

Prof. Ross is currently Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal, Intelligent and Fuzzy Systems. His 1995 textbook by McGraw-Hill, Fuzzy logic with Engineering Applications, ISBN was the first classroom text for undergraduates in this field. He was elected a Fellow in ASCE in 1992. He has just finished another book entitled, Fuzzy Logic and Probability Applications: Bridging the Gap, published by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), 2002.

CEIE Department
Seminar Announcement on:

Building Performance Assessment Team Report of the Pentagon Attack of September 11, 2001

Speaker: Dr. Paul F. Mlakar, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Date: Monday, April 14, 2003
Time: 7:20 PM

Venue: Mason Hall, Rooms D-3A and B

About the Speaker and the Topic:

On September 11, 2001 the Pentagon was struck by a Boeing 757 piloted by terrorists. Many died and were injured in the tragedy. The symbolism of the attack rippled around the world. Among all the harrowing outcomes there was one opportunity for gaining technical knowledge: the impact area comprised both renovated and unrenovated sections under the Pentagon’s long-term program of full renovation and strengthening, providing an inadvertent opportunity for evaluation.

Within 48 hours of the attack, Dr. Mlakar, Technical Director of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory in Huntsville, Alabama had accepted the role as leader of the Pentagon Study Team. (A similar team was formed for the World Trade Center attack.) The team was jointly commissioned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) to evaluate the details of the Pentagon structure’s performance during and immediately following the September 11 attack.

The Team comprised engineers from government, academia, and industry. Its report was published by the American Society of Civil Engineers in January 2003. Team findings and recommendations were integrated into both the reconstruction of the damaged area which was completed by the one year anniversary of the attack, and into the overall Pentagon renovation project which is on-going..

At this seminar, Dr. Mlakar will present and discuss the findings of the Team’s exhaustive study.

This seminar is part of a series of seminars organized by the CEIE Department for Spring 2003. The seminar is open to all interested undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty. Participation in the seminar series is mandatory for CEIE graduate students who are admitted to the program in Fall 2001 or later.

ASCE Seminar

Monday, April 7, 2003Science & Tech. II Rm. 128 @ 3:00PM

• Bernie Dennis will speak on historical civil engineering landmarks
• This counts as one of the required seminars for M.S. Students!!!
• *Food and drinks will be provided*

Questions? Contact Angie Martin, ASCE Vice-President, anmartin@gmu.edu

Design and Inventive Engineering Seminar

11-22-2002

Room 320, STII, 7:20 PM.

Biography of the speaker.

Dr. Berté is Founder and President of Tetra Engineering Group, Inc.. Tetra Engineering Group, Inc. (TETRA) is an international engineering firm serving the electric power generation industry. TETRA has offices in France and the United States and provides specialized engineering services to improve power plant performance in the areas of component structural integrity, instrumentation / control (I&C), as well as process reliability / efficiency. In addition Tetra Engineering Europe (located in France), provides energy and process plant instrumentation and telecommunication services worldwide. His areas of specialized professional competence include the application of statistical and mathematical analysis techniques to power plant component and systems performance and reliability. This includes over twenty years of experience in the application of Monte Carlo Simulation Methods to a variety of problems in nuclear and fossil power plant design and operations. He has also been involved in the development and implementation of long term strategic model development for fossil and nuclear plant life extension programs.

Dr. Berté is also Founder and President of Innovative Marine Technology Inc. (IMT), whose objective is to perfect and commercialize his sailboat design innovations. Dr. Berté has developed a number of new concept sailboats. He refined the concepts, engineered / fabricated models and prototypes. The early models where presented to the staff at the MIT Innovation Center and were accepted for support as an MIT project. National Science Foundation Funds were used to get the first patent on the initial design and major US boat manufacturers where offered the rights to license the design. He has worked with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Innovation Center to further develop the multi-hull sailing craft invention. Two patents on this design have been granted. The second patent was funded by IMT.

Seminar Overview:

The seminar will address my lifelong experience with the “Invention Inception to Implementation process” ( I3P) . It will include as examples my inventions in the fields of medicine, furniture, archery, mathematics, and sailing. The elements of the process and resources needed to reach practical results will be discussed at length. Some models, and photographs of inventions, will be shown.

Background:

I have been interested in science and engineering from an early age. I have been building things since the time when I could first handle tools. I have degrees from Bronx Community College, City University of New York , and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. My joy is the creative process.