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Reunion 2008

People and News Featured in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Faculty Dr. Bruce Logan Faculty Member named KAUST Investigator   Bruce Logan, the Kappe professor of environmental engineering at Penn State, is one of 12 scientists to receive a Global Research Partnership (GRP) Investigator award from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Logan will receive up to $10 million over the next five years to investigate microbial fuel cell technologies that convert waste into electricity or hydrogen and in the process, clean water. Through the GRP, KAUST, a new world-class, graduate-level research institution currently under development in Saudi Arabia, is providing individual research assistance to a group of highly accomplished scientists and engineers who are dedicated to a wide range of research topics of global significance with particular importance to Saudi Arabia and the region. Their research includes issues such as water desalination, renewable and sustainable next-generation energy sources, genomics of salt-tolerant plants, durable and environmentally friendly construction materials, sustainable utility of hydrocarbons, low-cost high-efficiency solar technology and the application of computational science to human health and biotechnology. Each Investigator is expected to spend between three weeks and three months per year on the KAUST campus in Saudi Arabia participating in the research and academic life of the institution. Logan is a recognized leader in his field with a strong record of achievement. His KAUST research, "Energy for a Sustainable Water Infrastructure and Agriculture," aims to produce energy from wastewater. The microbial fuel cell process, which produces clean water, also produces energy by recovering it from organic matter in wastewater and agricultural wastes. This energy can be used for water desalinization, pumping or other applications. He has also developed a related technology that produces pure hydrogen from organic waste. Logan's work aims to create sustainable water and agricultural water practices that is in strong alignment with KAUST's focus on renewable energy and environmental technology. His website is at http://www.engr.psu.edu/ce/enve/logan.htm. His Excellency Minister Ali Ibrahim Al-Naimi, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of KAUST, said, "We are pleased that these exceptionally talented individuals have chosen to partner with KAUST to bring their significant scientific and technological contributions to life. Their specific research will not only stimulate the growth of Saudi Arabia’s emerging knowledge-based economy but also serve as a cornerstone of scientific advancement for the good of all people the world over." King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is being built in Saudi Arabia as an international, graduate-level research university dedicated to inspiring a new age of scientific achievement in the Kingdom, across the region and around the globe. As an independent, merit-based institution, KAUST will enable top researchers from around the globe and across all cultures to work together to solve challenging scientific and technological problems. Under the GRP, there are three main programs: Investigators (individual scientists), Centers (multiple investigators), and Fellows (post-doctoral researchers). KAUST is expected to announce grants recipients for Centers and Fellows in the second quarter of 2008. The core campus, located on more than 36 million square meters on the Red Sea at Thuwal, is set to open in September 2009. For more information about KAUST, visit http://www.kaust.edu.sa.	News April 22, 2008 ASCE Committee on Student Activities presents the 2008 Region 2 Governors Award to Pennsylvania State University, University Park in recognition of excellence as an ASCE Student Chapter. Congratulations! April 7.2008 Congratulations to the Steel Bridge Team on their 2nd place finish at the AISC/ASCE Regional Student Competition this weekend at Lafayette College.  The team will travel to Gainesville, FL, in late May to participate at the national level.  University of Delaware narrowly took first place, while Lafayette came in third. Congratulations, also, to the Concrete Canoe Team for their top 4 finish. Also, we are pleased to announce that Penn State will be hosting the 2009 Regional Student Competition. A committee will be forming soon to begin planning for next year's competition.  If you are interested in helping out, send me an e-mail (contact info below). April 7, 2008 Glunt Scholar Puts Passion for Nature to Work on Storm Water Katie Blansett, a 2006 recipient of the J. Roger Glunt/National Housing Endowment Undergraduate Scholarship, grew up kayaking and canoeing in rivers and lakes and with a healthy respect for the environment. Read More April 2, 2008 Bruce Logan, Kappe professor of environmental engineering and the director of the Penn Sate H2E Center, was one of three people honored by the National Hydrogen Association (NHA) with the group's 2008 Award for Meritorious Service. He received the award, April 2, at the group's annual awards luncheon in Sacramento, California. According to Jeffrey Serfass, NHA's president, Logan is was honored for leadership in advancing hydrogen and fuel cell technology research and development. Serfass noted Logan's many accomplishments, including organizing and hosting three Hydrogen Energy Days; his work in bioenergy including novel and high-yield biological hydrogen production systems and the direct generation of electricity from biomass using microbial fuels cells; the establishment of the Penn State Hydrogen Fueling Station; and his numerous publications. April 2, 2008 Valerie Watson, master student in enviromental engineering, has been selected to receive a 2008 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) award. This award is based on your abilities and accomplishments as well as your potential to contribute to strengthening the vitality of the U.S. science and engineering enterprise. March 28, 2008 The 2008 Kavanagh Lecturer is Dr. Leslie E. Robertson, Director of Design, Leslie E. Robertson Associates, R.L.L.P. The lecture will be held Thursday, April 3, 2008 in 129 Alumni Hall, HUB-Robeson Center at 7:30 p.m. The title of this year's talk is Bringing Together the Architect and the Structural Engineer. More information on the lecture is available at Kavanagh Lecture January 25, 2008 Penn State Researchers are Part of UNESCO Award winning Center The National Science Foundation (NSF) Science and Technology Center for Sustainability of Semi-Arid Hydrology and Riparian Areas (SAHRA) is one of two institutions which were awarded the 2007 International Great Man-made River Prize by UNESCO, the United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization. The annual prize "rewards remarkable scientific research work on water usage in arid areas as well as areas subject to drought and also for the development of agriculture for the benefit of humanity and the environment." SAHRA, headquartered at the University of Arizona, brings together researchers from several institutions including Penn State University. PSU is represented through Prof. Chris Duffy and Assistant Prof. Thorsten Wagener, both hydrologists working in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Duffy and Wagener work on improved understanding and prediction of the hydrology of semi-arid and arid regions of the world with other SAHRA researchers. SAHRA’s aim is to provide stakeholders and decision makers with scientific knowledge for improved water management and policy in dry regions through basin-focused multidisciplinary research. NSF News Link: http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=110625&org=NSF&from=news November 8, 2007 Maria Lopez attended the 8 th International Symposium on Fiber Reinforced Polymer Reinforcement for Concrete Structures in Patras , Greece . Dr. Lopez presented research results on two on-going projects at Penn State where FRP composite materials are used for strengthening and repair of concrete structures. While in Greece , Dr. Lopez had the opportunity of visiting new structures such as the Rion-Antirion cable stayed bridge, the largest cable stayed bridge in Europe (opened in 2004). She also admired “classic” structures such as the Parthenon in Athens . November 5, 2007 The SHPE National Student Awards are the most prestigious awards given by the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers to student members and chapters for their local contributions in leadership, academic and professional development, outreach and community service. Penn State SHPE student chapter was awarded the 2007 Outstanding National Chapter as well as the Chapter of the year for region 4 (eastern US). Interested in joining SHPE?  Log into http://www.clubs.psu.edu/up/shpe/   or contact Maria Lopez, Academic Advisor at mmlopez@engr.psu.edu November 1, 2007 Microbial Fuel Cells, by B.E. Logan This book will be available from John Wiley & Sons on December 7, 2007. To order now, call 887-762-2974 (Toll free number in the USA ), or go to Wiley.com and order noting the ISBN number 978-0-470-23948-3. Note the book publication date is officially 2008 (not 2007).