Department Celebrates 17th Annual CEE Day

Madhat Fares, Angela Cotugno, Bridget Gile (will be presented with the department’s medallion at Commencement) and Sarah Godschall

Madhat Fares: The Stanley Ciesielski Award for scholastic excellence and service to the department

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

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

Following Dr. Gross’ remarks were research presentations by Tommy Luo and Bridge Gile. Luo studied the impacts of roundabouts on a community, while Gile assessed the influence of control devices on the performance of constructed wetlands. The rest of the afternoon was spent in sessions during which attendees were invited to view the students’ hard work first-hand. Nine teams of four or more students shared the wealth of knowledge they have accumulated through their years at Villanova University, culminating in their capstone projects.

Projects were divided into categories by their areas of emphasis: structures, geotechnical, water resources, transportation and civil site. They included:

• The Neema Project: Designed campus buildings, structural framing system and foundations, main structural members, exterior walls and more for a school campus in Kitale, Kenya.
• Greystone Residential Projects: Determined structural components and investigated soil properties to determine foundations for a mixed-use building and apartment building.
• Greystone Development Projects: One team evaluated the hydraulics of existing and proposed land development; another furnished the final transportation design for the development. A third team considered the civil site design, which included sanitary sewer systems, road alignments and grading.
• SEPTA Facility Building: Furnished the design of a low-maintenance and sustainably built structure for train crews and maintenance personnel at a newly-constructed railyard station.
• Malvern Stream Restoration: Assessed existing conditions of watershed and stream hydrology and hydraulics; determined causes of stream migration; pursued stream stabilization and validated design.

Finally, the department acknowledged project mentors, including several alumni working in design and construction, project management, international development, land development and railway maintenance and construction.