Monday, August 7, 2023

OU School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science Reaches Research Pinnacle With 10 National Science Foundation CAREER Awards


Ten National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program, or CAREER Awards, in 18 years is a noteworthy achievement and recognition of the caliber of faculty serving the University of Oklahoma’s School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science.

The NSF CAREER Award is the Foundation's most prestigious award and supports early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization. 

Randall Kolar, Ph.D., director of the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science, received his NSF CAREER Award in 1996. 

“Not only do I recognize the amount of effort it takes to secure this honor from NSF, but I am also aware of the level of expertise and understanding required to conduct this level of research,” Kolar said. “The significance of earning 10 awards among a relatively small department — we are at our largest this year with 30 faculty — is an outstanding achievement by our school and one that warrants celebrating.” 

The list of NSF CAREER Award recipients starting with the most recent in 2023 and counting down through 1995 include:

10. Tiantian Yang, Ph.D. (2023)
Forecast-informed Flexible Reservoir System Modeling Enabled by Artificial Intelligence Algorithms Using Subseasonal-to-Seasonal Hydro-climatological Forecasts
Award Abstract # 2236926

9. P. Scott Harvey, Ph.D. (2020)
Mitigation of Seismic Risk to Critical Building Contents via Optimum Nonlinear 3D Isolation
Award Abstract # 1943917

8. Amy Cerato, Ph.D. (2008) Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers -PECASE
The Role of Specific Surface Area and Cation Exchange Capacity in Understanding and Predicting Expansive Soil Behavior
Award Abstract # 0746980

7. Elizabeth Butler, Ph.D. (2001)
Assessing the Potential for Natural and Enhanced Abiotic Transformation of Organic Pollutants in Natural Systems
Award Abstract # 0093332

6. Tohren Kibbey, Ph.D. (2001)
Surfactant Mixtures in Complex Environmental Systems
Award Abstract # 0092995

5. *Michael Mooney, Ph.D. (2000)
GeoWorks: A Multidisciplinary Design Studio Fostering Innovation and Invention in Geo-Construction through Research, Development and Education
Award Abstract # 9984378
*Mooney is no longer at the University of Oklahoma.

4. Mark Nanny, Ph.D. (1998)
Molecular-Level Characterization of Bonding and Bioavailability of Monoaromatic Pollutants Associated with Dissolved Organic Carbon
Award Abstract # 9732969

3. Keith Strevett, Ph.D. (1998)
Impact of Physiological State and Macro-Nutrient Ratio on Microbial Surface Thermodynamics
Award Abstract # 9733969

2. Randall Kolar, Ph.D. (1996)
Research Plan: Simulation of Surface Waterflow and Transport in a Parallel Computing Environment Teaching Plan: Engineering Futures and Engineering Education
Award Abstract # 9623592

1. K.K. Muraleetharan, Ph.D. (1995)
Static and Dynamic Behavior of Unsaturated Soils - Theory and Validation
Award Abstract # 9501718




Tuesday, April 18, 2023

OU Civil Engineers Collaborate on Lake Eufala Dam Replacement Bridge

From left: Civil engineering master's student
Omar Yadak with advisor and Associate Professor
Royce Floyd stand on a hill overlooking the dam.
University of Oklahoma School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science faculty member Royce Floyd and master's student Omar Yadak collaborated on a project to replace the Eufaula Dam Spillway bridge, completed March 31.


Supported in part by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Floyd and Yadak worked closely with the contractor and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the three-year project.

The Eufala dam is the first bridge in the state to use ultra-high performance concrete for connections of precast deck panels and for an overlay. UHPC is an innovative cementitious material with material properties and durability significantly exceeding that of conventional concrete. Floyd provided advice about the new material and the best methods to use during planning, pre-construction and application. He and Yadak measured compressive strength, removed cores from the bridge mockup and tested the UHPC.

Read more at the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service website.

Royce Floyd, Ph.D. samples concrete
for compressive strength.

Master's student, Omar Yadak,
retrieves a core sample for testing.