Page 17 - CEGE Spring 2024

Read news online at https://cse.umn.edu/cege/news
ALIREZA KHANI contributed to MnDOT research on Optimizing Charging Infra- structure for Electric Trucks. Electric options for medium- and heavy-duty electric trucks (e-trucks) are still largely
in development. These trucks account for a substantial percentage of trans- portation greenhouse gas emissions. They have greater power needs and different charging needs than personal EVs. Proactively planning for e-truck charging stations will support MnDOT in helping to achieve the state’s greenhouse gas reduction goals. This research was featured in the webinar “Electrification of the Freight System in Minnesota,” hosted by the University of Minnesota’s Center for Transportation Studies. A recording of the event is now available online.
MICHAEL LEVIN has developed a
unique course for CEGE students on
Air Transportation Systems. It is the only class at UMN studying air transportation systems from an infrastructure design and management perspective. Spring 2024 saw the third offering of this course, which is offered for juniors, seniors, and graduate students.
Research Professor SOFIA (SONIA) MOGILEVSKAYA has been developing international connections. She visited the University of Seville, Spain, November 13–26, 2023, where she taught a short course titled “Fundamentals of Homog- enization in Composites.” She also met with the graduate students to discuss collaborative research with Prof. Vladislav Mantic, from the Group of Continuum Mechanics and Structural Analysis at the University of Seville. Her visit was a part of planned activities within the DIAGONAL Consortium funded by the European Commission. CEGE UMN is a partner organization within DIAGONAL, repre- sented by CEGE professors Mogilevskaya and Joseph Labuz. Mantic will visit CEGE summer 2024 to follow up on research developments and discuss plans for future collaboration and organization
of short-term exchange visits for the graduate students from each institution.
DAVID NEWCOMB passed away in March. He was a professor in CEGE from 1989–99 in the area of pavement
Current and former CEGE students and faculty pose together at the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, in January 2024.
engineering. Newcomb led the research program on asphalt materials character- ization. He was the technical director of Mn/ROAD pavement research facility, and he started an enduring collaboration with MnDOT that continues today. In 2000,
he moved from Minnesota to become vice-president for Research and Tech- nology at the National Asphalt Pavement Association. Later he moved to his native Texas, where he was appointed to the division head of Materials and Pavement at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, a position from which he recently retired. He will be greatly missed.
PAIGE NOVAK won Minnesota ASCE’s 2023 Distinguished Engineer of the
Year Award for her contributions to society through her engineering achieve- ments and professional experiences.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced ten inaugural (NSF) Regional Innovation Engines awards, with a poten- tial $1.6 billion investment nationally over the next decade. Great Lakes ReNEW is led by the Chicago-based water inno- vation hub, Current, and includes a
team from the University of Minnesota, including PAIGE NOVAK. Current will receive $15 mil for the first two years, and up to $160 million over ten years to develop and grow a water-focused inno- vation engine in the Great Lakes region. The project’s ambitious plan is to create
a decarbonized circular “blue economy” to leverage the region’s extraordinary water resources to transform the upper Midwest—Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
Brewing one pint of beer generates seven pints of wastewater, on average. So what can you do with that waste- water? PAIGE NOVAK and her team are exploring the possibilities of capturing pollutants in wastewater and using bacteria to transform them into energy.
BOYA XIONG has been selected as a recipient of the 2024 40 Under 40 Recognition Program by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists. The award was presented at the 2024 AAEES Awards Ceremony, April 11, 2024, at the historic Howard University in Washington, D.C.
JUDY Q. YANG received a McKnight Land-Grant Professorship Award. This two-year award recognizes promising assistant professors and is intended to advance the careers of individuals who have the potential to make significant contributions to their departments and their scholarly fields.
University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering | DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND GEO- ENGINEERING 17