Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Presents 15th Annual CEE Day

CEE Senior Awards: Nicholas Zoccoli, Sarah Bates, Thomas Saldutti (to be presented with the Robert D. Lynch Award at Convocation), Dr. Shawn Gross, Rebecca Connolly (to be presented with the CEE Medallion at Convocation) and Mark Orebiyi.

On April 28, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering hosted its 15^th annual CEE Day at Villanova University. A celebration of the class of 2017, the afternoon included capstone design project presentations, recognition of three award-winning students, and an undergraduate research poster session.

The capstone project program is an important part of the Villanova engineering experience that combines everything a student has learned into one final project. This year, 14 teams of civil engineering students chose between five different capstone categories: environmental, water resources, geotechnical/structural/transportation, structural, and service projects for India.  Projects included:

• A water treatment, storage and delivery system for a county-owned golf course
• Green stormwater infrastructure for the City of Knowledge in Panama City, Panama
• Framework for the implementation of intelligent transportation system enhancements on I-76
• A campus renovation plan for Villanova’s SEPTA rail station
• Design of a single span steel superstructure highway bridge
• Design of a church in Panama
• Design of a two-story automotive dealership and a single-story dental clinic building
• Water supplementing solutions for the dry season in India

In addition to the capstone projects, eight undergraduate student research posters were presented, each on a different topic that the students have been studying throughout the school year. One such presentation was a poster sequence by the Villanova Engineering Service Learning team that traveled to Panama over spring break to facilitate the growth and maintenance of Father Wally Kasuboski’s mission initiative. Other research projects ranged from pavement studies in southeastern Pennsylvania to drought mitigation in India.

Finally, one of the highlights of CEE Day is the awards presentation in which three of the department’s seniors are recognized for excellence. This year’s winners were:

Nicholas Zoccoli: The Stanley Ciesielski Award for scholastic excellence and service to the department

Sarah Bates: The Lewis J. Mathers Award for serving those in need with time, energy and engineering talents

Mark Orebiyi: The CEE Department Chair’s Award for a positive attitude and work ethic, and a significant contribution in service to the University.

Reflecting on the day’s events, Professor and Department Chair Shawn Gross, PhD, says, “CEE Day is always a wonderful celebration where our entire departmental community joins together to celebrate our students’ work, both in and out of the classroom. For us as faculty, it is the highlight of the academic year. We get to see all of the senior design project presentations and also get to recognize a few students for their exceptional accomplishments during their four years at Villanova. This year’s class really embraced the spirit and core values of Villanova in using their abilities to serve others, and also achieved significant academic success. I am sure that they will go on to do much in their professional careers and personal lives, and I know that they will always represent Villanova well.”