CEE Undergraduate Student Blog

New Course for Fall 2016

We have re-opened CEE 432/IB 450 - Stream Ecology. There is a 3 credit undergraduate section and a 4 credit graduate section. The course will be taught by Prof. Rafael Tinoco and can now be viewed on Course Explorer.

The course will cover the following: Description of physical, chemical, and biological characteristics in streams and rivers including an integrated treatment of the environmental factors affecting the composition and distribution of biota; emphasizes the application of ecological principles in aquatic ecosystem protection and management.

CEE 498CH: Case Histories in Infrastructure Engineering

CEE 498CH

Title:  Case Histories in Infrastructure Engineering

When:           Summer Session 2016

                        TUE-WED-THUR

                        1100-1300

Instructor:      W. Charles Greer, Jr., P.E.*

Description:    This course will cover multiple case histories in infrastructure engineering. The two types of case histories to be covered will be CEE problems that are unique and challenging and require interdisciplinary knowledge and skills to propose solutions and CEE failure investigations that uncover the mechanisms behind projects that didn’t work as they were originally designed. For each case history, students will be presented with introductory information, engineering data, and background reading material, and they will be expected to discuss the case histories during class. All case history projects involve design and construction issues as well remediation of the problems.  All will involve in-depth investigation of the problems, recommendations of data to collect, evaluations of the data provided, and development of solutions to the CEE challenge or failure. Students will also form teams for a semester project and present their evaluation, data, and viable solutions at the end of the course.  Students will be graded on quizzes, participation in discussions, and the oral and written presentation of the team case history project.

Case history examples included in the course are movement of the 5,000-ton Cape Hatteras lighthouse, movement of two 1,050-ton nuclear reactor pressure vessels across 46 miles of roadway, construction quality control issue such as acceptable in-place concrete strength and other construction materials, and roadway/airfield facilities that experienced premature failures.

The course is intended for seniors and graduate students in CEE and CEE online students.

*W. Charles Greer, Jr., P.E. is a graduate of the University of Illinois with B.S. and M.S. degrees in Civil Engineering.  He is a registered professional in Georgia and Florida.  During his over 41 years of experience, he worked on a broad range of civil engineering projects around the world.  As Senior Vice President, Director of Engineering, and Director of Quality Assurance for Law Engineering, MACTEC, and AMEC E&I, he was responsible for the development and implementation of engineering and quality procedures as well as project management processes.  His awards include the C. C. Wiley Award at the U of I, Engineer of the Year in Georgia by GSPE, and Honorary Member of the International Society for Concrete Pavements.  When Georgia Tech initiated a Masters Degree Program in Facilities Management, he developed and taught the inaugural course entitled Maintenance Management of Built Assets.  Prior to his recent retirement from AMEC E&I, he was involved with the quality processes for construction of the new nuclear power units at Georgia Power's Plant Vogtle and  the V. C. Summer Plant for South Carolina Electric & Gas.  Since 1974, he also has been involved with all phases of construction at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the busiest airport in the world.  Projects at the airport include an 18-foot diameter tunnel under an active runway and taxiway, construction of the underground people mover system, the airfield pavement management program, and many others.

Last Call for New Summer I Course - Mindful Wilderness Experience: Leading Change From Within

Summer 2016 Mindful Wilderness Experience:

Leading Change from Within

Discover your authentic self.  Become a leader from within to effectively inspire change & address society’s greatest challenges. Experience the power of presence. Explore the fundamentals of sustainability and resilience. Learn how to achieve systemic change through mindfulness and ecological principles of biomimicry.

During pre-trip online sessions, learn leadership skills & mindfulness skills adapted from Koru Basic, the research-proven mindfulness program for college students. Then join a seven-day small-group wilderness experience at a base camp near Aspen, CO. On the first day, visit the world-renowned Rocky Mountain Institute & the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies to learn about sustainability & resilience. Then immerse in teachings on leadership & ecological principles, hiking & nature sensing, and Koru mindfulness retreats—preparation for an optional 1-3 night solo experience with deeper reflection.

Required online pre-trip sessions: 2 – 4:20 PM CST, Monday May 16^th, Friday May 20^th, Friday May 27^th, & Thursday June 2^nd. Trip runs June 4-11^th and costs $630 without travel to Aspen. Course credit & financial aid are available at University of Illinois. For more information & registration, please visit http://publish.illinois.edu/mindful-wilderness-experience/. Camping equipment available if needed.

Water Technology & Policy

Please see the following for more information on this course:   Download WTP_flyer 2

NEW - NPRE 201 Energy Systems Summer 2016!

NEW - NPRE 201 Energy Systems is being offered Summer 2016!

NPRE 201 is a popular course across Engineering and related College majors.  Please encourage interested students to consider taking it this summer.  This course fills to capacity every fall.  This is an opportunity for students here in the summer to get in the course who otherwise might not.

NPRE 201 Energy Systems

Credit:  2 hours

Meets June 13 – Aug 4; TR 10:00 – 11:50; 103 Talbot Lab

Patterns of energy production and utilization and technical aspects of renewable energy resources, advanced fossil fuel systems and advanced nuclear systems.  Same as GLBL 201.  Prerequisite:   MATH 220 or MATH 221; one of PHYS 101, PHYS 211, CHEM 104, CHEM 204, ME 300.

ENG 398/598: Honduras Water Project

Please see the following for more information:  Download HWP_Fall2016_Flyer

Honduras Water Project Courses AY 16-17

ENG 398/598 HWP will be offered in 2016-2017 to teach students who are interested in international development about how to provide sustainable infrastructure solutions by focusing on community needs, culture, and political structure. This course has been immensely popular during its first three years, and many students continue to engage with the course partnership even after graduating.

This year-long course is open to undergraduate and graduate students in all disciplines. Working with a community in rural Honduras, the students develop an understanding of community needs for a safe drinking water supply, investigate conditions that affect the operation and sustainability of the system, visit the community over Winter Break 2017 to perform field investigations, and develop a holistic design to improve the community’s health through drinking-water improvements and education. Water systems already have been constructed or are under construction in past partner communities of Las Queseras and Fatima, Honduras, and this year’s course is completing design now for the village of Cerro Verde.

In addition to engineering students, we welcome all disciplines and particularly encourage students in Community Health, Political Science, Spanish language, Global Studies, Dietetics, and Education to participate.

Download HWP_Fall2016_Flyer

New Grand Challenge Learning Sustainability Course

Illinois Offers New Grand Challenge Learning Sustainability Course

In Fall 2016, the Grand Challenge Learning Program will offer a new 200-level Frameworks for Sustainability course, GCL 210, which will meet two General Education requirements.

According to iSEE Associate Director Madhu Khanna, students in the new Sustainability, Energy, and Environment Fellows Program (SEE FP) may petition to take GCL 210 as a substitute for the Introduction to Sustainability requirement. Email see-fellows@illlinois.edu to start that process. 

The course, which is open to all undergraduates and has no prerequisites, will feature several professors on campus who care passionately about sustainability, including iSEE Associate Director and Chemistry Professor Ben McCall, Trevor Birkenholtz in Geography, Lisa Lucero in Anthropology, Ming Kuo in Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences, Melissa Orlie in Political Science, “Siva” Sivapalan in Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Madhu Viswanathan in Business.

For a full class description, visit the Course Catalog.

CEE 311 Engineering Surveying at Parkland Fall 2016

Need CEE 311 Engineering Surveying?  Watch this short video for more information.

CIT 255 will transfer directly to UIUC as credit for CEE 311.

 Lecture:           Online, prerecorded

Lab:                 Thursday, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM on the Parkland campus
First lab day:   Thursday, September 15, 2016

Instructor:       Todd Horton, PE, PLS

Enrollment and payment deadline:  September 8, 2016

 Required books:

• Elementary Surveying: An Introduction to Geomatics, 14th edition, Ghilani & Wolf
• Field book, available at Parkland bookstore

 Step 1:  Apply to Parkland online.

Step 2:  Submit your concurrent enrollment form (domestic or international student).

Step 3:  Pay for your course.

Take CIT 255 Engineering Surveying at Parkland

Grand Challenge Learning

Grand Challenge Learning

Grow. Connect. Learn

​Dear Civil & Environmental Engineering (CEE) majors,​

I hope that you’re having a wonderful Spring semester!

You may have heard about the 25 “Experience” courses we launched last year as part of Grand Challenge Learning, the campus’s new approach to General Education.  The College of Engineering and CEE have both been big supporters in terms of the teaching and the taking of those courses.  I’m writing to tell you about the next stage in this exciting campus initiative.  In Fall 2016, we are introducing our new 200-level Critical Frameworks courses, each of which meets at least two Gen Ed requirements.  These courses are open to all undergraduates and have no prerequisites.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work with several professors from all over campus who care passionately about topics like Health, Inequality, or Sustainability?  Students like ​​you told us about these interests.  We’ve reached out to some of the most talented teachers on campus to create three unique Critical Frameworks courses, one for each pathway (Health, Inequality, and Sustainability).  The Frameworks courses will put you in conversation with award-winning faculty in the arts, sciences, social sciences, humanities, business, and engineering.  We think they are ideal for CEE students who know the value of critical thinking from multi-disciplinary perspectives and will welcome the chance to develop new skills and find new opportunities for networking, all while fulfilling Gen Ed requirements.

Each Frameworks course meets twice per week: first for a lecture that gathers all students and faculty, and next in small seminars.  Through this innovative structure, you’ll benefit from the expertise of several​ faculty while working closely with your professor and a small group of peers.  You’ll meet interesting students, hear great lectures, and participate in group projects that you can publish on your own electronic portfolio.

Click on the below links to Course Explorer and see which Frameworks course fits your interests and schedule!  You can also watch our short video, visit our webpage, talk to your advisor, or email lgoodlad@illinois.edu

GCL 200/201*: Frameworks for Inequality & Cultural Understanding

2 Gen Eds: Humanities & the Arts/US Minority Cultures

(*GCL 201 also meets Advanced Composition)

GCL 210: Frameworks for Sustainability, Energy & the Environment

2 Gen Eds: Humanities & the Arts/Cultural Studies

GCL 220: Frameworks for Building Healthy Communities

2 Gen Eds: Humanities & the Arts/Cultural Studies

 

Fall 2016 Course Flyer

The link at the end of this post leads to an informational flyer for those interested in taking NPRE 498. The flyer offers details on the special topics course that will be offered in Fall 2016. Download NPRE 498-598 Flyer

New Summer 2016 NPRE Course Offering

NEW - NPRE 402 Nuclear Power Engineering is being offered Summer 2016!

NPRE 402 is a popular course across Engineering and related College majors.  Please encourage interested students to consider taking it this summer.  This course is offered every fall/spring and fills to capacity every semester.  We do not keep a wait list and every fall/spring have to turn students away.  This is an opportunity for students here in the summer to get in the course who otherwise might not.

NPRE 402 Nuclear Power Engineering

Credit:  3 UG or 4 GRAD hours

Taught by Professor Magdi Ragheb

Meets June 13 – Aug 4; MWF 10:00 – 11:50; 103 Talbot Lab

Principles of utilization of fission energy in nuclear power engineering; includes such topics as fission processes and controlled chain reactions; nuclear reactor types, design principles, and operational characteristics;  power reactor design criteria; radiation hazards and radioactive waste treatment; economics; other applications such as propulsion and research reactors.