Page 3 - Penn State Civil and Environmental Engineering Magazine

ANNOUNCEMENTS
We are pleased to announce three 2020 CAREER awards from the U.S. National Science Foundation
Caitlin Grady
Assistant Professor, Water Resources Engineering
Ethical Implications of Connected Critical Infrastructure in the Food-Energy-Water Nexus
The goal of this research is to develop fundamental theory surrounding food-energy-water supply chain sustainability by considering critical infrastructure
and stakeholder values. The integrated research and educational plan lays the foundation for Grady’s long-term career goal to build a transdisciplinary research laboratory that develops a predictive understanding of food, energy, and water management and offers solutions to decision-makers. The project will offer undergraduate and graduate students career-strengthening opportunities through international engagement, provide engineering ethics teaching resources, and engage with policymakers to ensure that research outcomes are relevant to achieving societal goals.
Michael Hillman
L. Robert and Mary L. Kimball Assistant Professor, Structural Engineering & Mechanics
A Hybrid Local-Nonlocal Peridynamics Framework to Model Failure Across Deformations and Strain Rates
The goal of this research is to develop a new numerical framework to perform physics-based simulations of material
and structural failure. The project will allow investigations of dynamic fracture, complex three-dimensional failure modes, and damage initiation and propagation, accelerating the understanding of the science behind these processes. The new simulation capabilities will be implemented into a user-friendly software, made freely available to academics, scientists, and engineers for analysis of these problems, and will also facilitate reproducible research. The educational portion of this program will develop open courses that will aid in learning the fundamentals of the new research and disseminate the results.
Nathaniel Warner
Assistant Professor, Environmental Engineering
Novel Water Quality Monitors and Indicators of Salinization to Define SALTSCAPES
The goal of this research is to develop a greater understanding of salt pollution sources within individual watersheds by developing new methods
of recording water quality. Sensors made with open source hardware and software, the shells of freshwater mussels, and sediment cores will all be used to reconstruct the past history of salt deposition. Members of the public, including schools and watershed associations, will be engaged in this research by placing sensors in their backyard stream or favorite fishing hole to help make maps of salt in their local watershed. Advanced chemical analysis using natural isotope ratios will be used to fingerprint the source of the salt.
Degrees Awarded [ 2018-19 ]
20 Ph.D.
176
Undergraduate
214
TOTAL DEGREES IN CEE
18
Master’s
23
NSF ranking for total research expenditures
in science and engineering
1
Members of the National Academy of Engineering
$18
MILLION
2018-19 Research Expenditures
Research expenditures include subcontracts and internally funded projects.
12
34
Faculty
NSF CAREER Award Recipients
CEE NEWSLETTER • VOLUME 36, 2020 3