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Professor Kenneth Stokoe, the Jennie C. and Milton T. Graves chair in engineering, was recently named a Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
Distinguished Membership is the highest honor ASCE can bestow. It is reserved for civil engineers who have attained eminence in some branch of engineering or in related arts and sciences, including the fields of engineering education and construction. Stokoe is recognized for world-renowned contributions to the understanding of soil dynamics in geotechnical engineering.
Several of Stokoe's developments are commonly used by engineers worldwide, including resonant column apparatus to assess soil properties, cross-hole seismic methods for measuring in situ wave velocities in soil and rock, and a spectral-analysis-of-surface-waves method for geotechnical and earthquake engineering applications.
Stokoe was an early advocate of the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) program at the National Science Foundation, and his team at The University of Texas at Austin developed a world-class, large-scale, mobile field capability for nonintrusive and nondestructive characterization of the ground. He was also the first to measure modulus degradation of soil in situ using the large NEES Center shakers.
As an educator, he has mentored many graduate and doctorate students and has played a key role in elevating the geotechnical engineering program at The University of Texas at Austin. His former students have gone on to successful careers in academia, business and government, a great source of pride for Stokoe. "I simply enjoy what I do," said Stokoe.
“This recognition is a reflection of the tremendous advancements that Ken has made in civil engineering, and particularly in geotechnical engineering," said Department Chair Richard Corsi. “His efforts contribute to our great stature as an academic community.”
Stokoe’s research achievements have earned him several awards, including the Karl Terzaghi Lecture and the H. Bolton Seed Medal from ASCE, the Harold Mooney Award from the Society of Exploration Geophysics, the Frank Friechkenect Award from the Engineering and Environmental Geophysics Society, and the C.A. Hogentogler Award from the American Society for Testing and Materials.
The 2016 class of Distinguished Members will receive their honors at the ASCE 2016 Convention, which will be held in Portland, OR, from Sept. 28 to Oct. 1.
Former department chair and beloved professor Joseph F. Malina Jr. passed away on June 14, 2016, in Austin. After more than half a century with The University of Texas at Austin, he leaves a lasting legacy as a respected teacher, mentor, industry leader and professional engineer.
Joe grew up in Brooklyn, New York, as the second of nine children. He earned a bachelor of science in civil engineering from Manhattan College in 1957. After graduation, he went to graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and obtained his M.S. degree in 1959 and Ph.D. in 1961.
Joe joined the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering as an assistant professor in 1961 and was the C.W. Cook Professor in Environmental Engineering until his retirement in 2012. He served as chair from 1976 to 1988, helping to enhance the national reputation of the department and its academic programs. During this time, annual research expenditures increased from approximately $2 million to over $5 million and graduate student enrollment increased from 250 students to 360 students.
His research focused on biological treatment of municipal and industrial wastewaters; handling, treatment and disposal of municipal sludges; industrial residuals and hazardous wastes; solid waste engineering; computer-aided-engineering of waste treatment systems; and the environmental impact of highway construction and highway runoff.
He served as a consultant to more than 70 companies, as well as to local, municipal, state and federal governments and agencies and international organizations. Environmental engineers regularly refer to his research, and the short courses he organized on advanced water pollution controls have shaped treatment plant design and operations across the world. He was also a founding member of the American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE) Environmental and Water Resources Institute.
His professional contributions have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Water Environment Association of Texas, the ASCE Arthur M. Wellington Prize, the Edward J. Cleary Award and the Gordon Maskew Fair Award from the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and the Engineer of the Year Award from the Travis Chapter of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers.
Throughout decades of dedicated service, Joe’s accessibility to students never wavered, and he helped thousands of students understand the real-world importance and applications of civil and environmental engineering. He supervised 192 graduate students, including 26 Ph.D. students, and he taught multiple generations of students from the same families.
“Joe devoted over 50 years of his life to CAEE and the Cockrell School of Engineering,” said CAEE department Chair Richard Corsi. “He was a husband, father, grandfather, friend and scholar, and we will miss him greatly. Our community and the environmental engineering profession is better because of Joe - he cared deeply for his students and colleagues. Joe was a man of integrity who loved his family and career.”
Eight alumni and one faculty member from the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin have been elected to the Academy of Distinguished Alumni.
The department established the Academy of Distinguished Alumni to acknowledge the professional achievements and contributions of its graduates. Twenty-seven charter members were inducted into the academy in 2003, and 92 additional members have been selected since.
The 2016 honorees are recognized for expertise in their fields, research and education advancements and strong leadership qualities.
Active Membership
Valerie Briggs (BS 97, MS 00)
J. Crozier Brown (BS 65, MS 67)
Dewayne E. Hahn (BS 73, MS 74)
Moo Young Han (PhD 89)
Todd Helwig (BS 87, MS 89, PhD 94)
Kyuichi Maruyama (PhD 79)
Gregg A. Reese (BS 80, MS 83)
Glenn J. Rix (MS 84, PhD 88)
Honorary Membership
Dan L. Wheat (no UT degree)
“Members of the CAEE Academy of Distinguished Alumni have each had a profound and positive impact on the world we live in,” said Department Chair Richard Corsi. “They do much to help our students, not the least of which is to inspire them to do great things themselves. We are fortunate to have such a distinguished group of alumni, and the Class of 2016 adds to the impressive and multi-dimensional accomplishments of the Academy.”
The Class of 2016 will be inducted on September 30, 2016. Alumni, faculty and students are invited to attend the induction ceremony.
For more information, please contact
Department Chair and Professor Richard Corsi has been selected to receive a 2016 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award, the highest teaching honor bestowed by the University of Texas System Board of Regents.
Established in 2008, the awards are offered annually in recognition of faculty members of the University of Texas System academic institutions who have demonstrated extraordinary classroom performance and innovation in undergraduate instruction.
Candidate selection is based on a series of rigorous evaluations by students, peer faculty members and external reviewers. The review panels consider a range of activities and other criteria in their evaluations including outstanding teaching, mentoring, personal commitment to students and motivating students in the classroom.
“The starting point for any teacher should be to care about his or her students, to truly care for the educational experience and future of each and every one of them,” said Corsi. “When that’s the case, being a great teacher comes naturally. It just happens. Students know when professors care, and when they know that it is much easier to inspire them, to challenge them to do great things. I want to inspire my students because they inspire me, and I care for them. I feel as if I am standing on the shoulders of giants-to-be. And I am honored to have that opportunity. “
Also a world-renowned expert on indoor air quality, Corsi has served as principal investigator on more than 70 research projects, totalling approximately $13 million. He researches sources and control of indoor air pollution and human exposure to toxic chemicals indoors. He has studied a wide range of indoor sources of air pollution, from dishwashers to paint, microcomputers to moth crystals, and methamphetamine residue to motor vehicle interiors. Their recent studies focus on human exposure to, and control of, ozone and its chemical reaction products in buildings.
He and his students also study innovative control strategies to improve the health of buildings, including the application of materials that passively remove harmful pollutants from indoor air, without the energy penalties associated with conventional air pollution control technologies. Corsi and his students have published more than 300 journal/conference papers, reports and book chapters.
Corsi teaches undergraduate courses in fluid mechanics and courses related to indoor air quality at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and has received numerous awards for teaching and mentoring.
Former student Jason Stith (Ph.D. 2010) received the National Society of Professional Engineers 2016 Young Engineer of the Year Award. This award recognizes a young NSPE member who has made outstanding contributions to the engineering profession and community during the early years of one's career
Stith is a structural engineer at Michael Baker International in Louisville, KY. Since joining the firm after graduation, he has made significant contributions to several major bridge projects throughout Kentucky touching on every stage of a bridge’s life cycle. He played an integral role in the design of twin arch bridges at Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, vastly improving traveling safety and convenience in tourism-rich western Kentucky.
Additionally, Stith helped design the replacement span for the Eggner’s Ferry Bridge, which was completed just four months after it was heavily damaged by a cargo ship. He was also instrumental in the evaluation and the development of rehabilitation plans for the Sherman Minton Bridge, where a fracture critical member resulted in the closure of the structure that carries more than 80,000 vehicle per day.
Stith chairs the AASHTO/NSBA Steel Bridge Collaboration task group which provides best practice guidelines and industry standards. He also volunteered through Missionary Air Group to help design a retrofit for a suspension bridge across a river in Honduras so locals could cross safely and access the area hospital. He also contributes to continuing education and certification programs for Kentucky engineers and serves as a mentor and frequent speaker at local schools.
The following graduate students received a $1,000 Kolodzey Travel Grant for the Summer 2016 semester. The award provides an opportunity for PhD students in the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering to attend technical conferences, make oral and poster presentations about their dissertation research, and to develop a network of colleagues at other universities. Students are selected by a committee comprised of faculty from each area of specialization.
Summer 2016
- Bryant Chambers - EWRE
- Jaime Plazas Tuttle - EWRE
- Michael Wade – BEE
- Sungmin Youn - EWRE
- Xing Zheng - EWRE
Stephen Boyles, who joined the CAEE faculty in spring 2011, has recently been recognized for his teaching excellence by the Cockrell School of Engineering as the 2015-2016 recipient of the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Teaching by an Assistant Professor. From the CAEE department there have been ten recipients of the award since 1984.
Boyles teaches CE 301 Civil Engineering Systems and CE 392D Dynamic Traffic Assignment. His research interests include static and dynamic traffic assignment, network models for urban parking, multiscale network modeling, and planning for innovative vehicle technologies (such as electric or autonomous vehicles).
Robert Gilbert, a professor in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, and six other faculty members at The University of Texas at Austin have been named to the university's respected Academy of Distinguished Teachers for 2016.
The academy was created in 1995 to recognize tenured faculty members who, throughout their careers, have maintained significant contributions to education, particularly at the undergraduate level.
The faculty members were named to the academy based on recommendations from an ad hoc faculty and student committee that reviewed nominations of faculty members. Deans nominate faculty members with input from others in the faculty, students and academy members from their departments.
Academy members receive the title "Distinguished Academy Professor" and a $7,500 increase in annual academic salary, effective the following academic year.
The academy serves as an advisory group to the executive vice president and provost on teaching excellence and will provide institutional leadership and guidance for the distinctive undergraduate experience available in our research university environment.
Four other faculty from the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering also hold this honor: Chandra Bhat, Oguzhan Bayrak, Richard Corsi, David Fowler and Desmond Lawler.
The American Concrete Institute (ACI) Student Chapter at The University of Texas at Austin has been named an ACI Excellent University for 2015. The ACI Award for University Student Activities identifies and recognizes universities that are actively involved in ACI activities and other concrete-related activities.
ACI is a leading authority and resource worldwide for the development and distribution of consensus-based standards, technical resources, educational and training programs, certification programs, and proven expertise for individuals and organizations involved in concrete design, construction, and materials. ACI members consist of engineers, architects, consultants, contractors, educators, material suppliers, equipment suppliers, owners, and students.
The UT Austin chapter is led by officers Fred Aguayo, Saif Al-Shamaisani, Racheal Lute, Trevor Williamson, and Faculty Advisor Dr. Kevin Folliard.
There are 93 ACI student chapters and nearly 20,000 members throughout over 120 countries. Only 22 universities have been chosen to receive this award for 2015.
Recipients of the ACI Award for University Student Activities will be recognized during the 2016 ACI Spring Concrete Convention and Exposition in Milwaukee, WI and will be featured in Concrete International magazine.
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