CONNECTIONS
Bridges Between Past & Future
Civil Engineering
Departmental Newsletter
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Spring / Fall 2005 Connections Newsletter (#6/7)
Note from the Department Head
I am pleased to report that the Civil Engineering Department is continuing to improve each year. By the standards used to measure the activity of academic departments, we are doing very well. We have a distinguished student body that is very active in both the department and outside projects. We continue to show immense quality even through the quantity of students has declined. This past year we have several awards to students and faculty that are highlighted in this newsletter and look forward to another great year.
The emphasis for the College and Department this year will be recruiting and retaining more students into engineering. The job market is excellent for those completing their degree; in fact the shortage is approaching a critical stage in many areas. We hope each of you will look for opportunities to encourage young people to choose our profession as a career. I look forward to continuing to work with the students, faculty and alumni of the Civil Engineering Department.
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Kenneth R. White, Ph.D., PE
Professor and Department Head
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Editor's Comment
This issue of the newsletter will focus on a number of research projects that students and their faculty members have developed. There have been some exciting projects that were completed during the year, demonstrating the application of knowledge gained during course work and field studies. It is a pleasure to ‘showcase’ the hard work of the students in the Department of Civil Engineering.
Dr. Naerendra N Gunaji
In this issue of Connections, we are highlighting the career of Dr. Naerendra N. Gunaji,, one of our distinguished alumni. Dr. Gunaji was born in Belgaum, India. He received his B.E. (Civil) degree in Engineering at the University of Poona, then earned Masters and Doctorate degrees from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Dr. Gunaji had a long career in university teaching commencing at Wisconsin, Ohio Northern, and ultimately retiring in 1987 with 27 years of service at New Mexico State University (NMSU). During his tenure at NMSU he was Professor of Civil Engineering, Director of the
Engineering Experiment Station and the Building Material Research Institute. In 1987, Dr. Gunaji was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to serve as the United States Commissioner of the International Boundary
and Water Commission (IBWC) with Republic of Mexico. This commission is charged by Treaty to develop and manage programs for the solution of water, boundary and sanitation problems along the 1,927-mile border between the United States and Mexico. As the IBWC Commissioner, he was responsible for initiating solutions to a number of severe border pollution problems. He was also responsible for improving the quality of the waters of the Rio Grande. He was responsible for the American Canal Extension between American Dam and Riverside Dam in El Paso, Texas to protect the waters of the United States. He instituted improvements to the Rio Grande Canalization project between Caballo Dam in New Mexico to American Dam at El Paso to improve the conveyance of the domestic and treaty waters. He was also instrumental in the design and construction of the replacement of the Bridge of the Americas in El Paso, Texas.
He played a leadership role in the Boundary Treaty Compliance in making New Mexico’s Premier Santa Teresa Port of Entry a reality. His role as Boundary Treaty Compliance Officer for the U.S. made possible the
expansion of Otay Mesa Port Expansion and Calexico Port of Entry in California; Nogales Port of Entry expansion in Arizona; Zaragosa International Bridge in El Paso, Texas; Dolores-Columbia Solidarity International Bridge in Laredo, Texas; Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge in Pharr, Texas; Los Indios International Bridge in Harlingen; Texas and Los Tomates International Bridge in Brownsville, Texas.
Since his retirement from the Federal Service in 1994, Narendra Gunaji has been a Senior Associate with the consulting firm of Gunaji-Klement and Associates. These firms offer expertise in civil engineering,
surveying, geology, groundwater and environmental engineering services.
Dr. Gunaji has authored numerous technical and scholastic publications. He has served as expert and technical consultants to a number of private and government organizations in various aspects of hydraulics,
hydrology, groundwater and pollution control. He has also served as a member of the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission and New Mexico Border Authority.
Dr. Gunaji is a member of many scholastic and professional societies, notably among them are the Society of Sigma Xi, Tau Beta Pi, Chi Epsilon, the American Society of Civil Engineers and the National Society of Professional Engineers. He has served as President of the New Mexico Society of Professional Engineers where he received a Distinguished Service Award. He was named New Mexico’s “Engineer of the Year” in 1985 and was given the title of “Ingeniero Veterano De Nuevo Mejico” in 1993. The American Society of Engineering Education bestowed upon him the Western Electric Award in 1973 for excellence in research and instruction of
engineering students. He was recognized by his Alma Mater, the University of Wisconsin, who bestowed the “Distinguished Service Citation” on him in 1990.
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Academy of Civil Engineering (ACAGE)
ACAGE is completing a very successful year and is looking forward to another great year of activity. The Academy inducted new members and elected a new slate of officers at the October 29, 2004 annual membership
meeting. Several associate members were initiated as full ACAGE members:
Barbara Crocket
Jerry Paz
Debra Hicks
William ”Tres” Hicks
Lisa Webster
Lisa was elected to the Board as the 2004-05 Secretary. Jerry was also elected to the Board and Chair of the Student Affairs Task Force. The new ACAGE President is Rob Tachau. Pat Conover, a longtime active ACAGE member, agreed to help with another appointment as a Board Member and Chair of the Faculty Affairs Task Force.
An Honorary Member was not initiated at the October 04 Banquet in order to focus attention on recognizing the importance of John Clark to the history and excellence of the NMSU Civil Engineering Department. The
fund raising efforts of John Hernandez and Walter Hines enabled a John Clark Professorship endowment to be established. Their help is recognized in leading the charge and providing funding contributions which were matched by several other ACAGE members to make the new endowment possible.
Dr. Nirmala Khandan was named as the very deserving recipient of the award, of which he promptly gave away most of it to student scholarships. This professorship was the result of the great work and contributions of members of the Academy.
This year, the Academy is working to establish the Jesse V. Lunsford Endowed Civil Engineering Student Scholarship. The Lunsford family has already announce that they have created the scholarship. The Academy will search for alumni who have benefited from the great teaching and advise Jesse
provided over his career. We will make an official announcement of the scholarship during homecoming this year and expect Jesse to attend. Alumni should plan to attend the activities and reminisce with Jesse and fellow students of that great era.
We will be inducting several new members into the Academy on Friday afternoon (October 28th at 3:30-4:30) and then celebrate with them at the banquet on Friday night. One inductee of particular interest to many will be John Riddle who was voted into the Academy just before his death. We plan to include a special remembrance of John during our activities. We are looking forward to spending an evening with Jesse Lunsford at the Banquet – so please plan to attend and celebrate this great time with the new members and Professor Lunsford.
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Faculty News
It is a pleasure to announce recognition of two of our colleagues at the Spring 2005 Convocation. Dr. Ken White was recognized as a Regents Professor and Dr. Nirmala Khandan was recognized as the John Clark Endowed Professor. Congratulations to both individuals for their achievements and for these worthy recognitions. The convocation took place on Tuesday January 11 at 9 am in the Music Recital Hall on the NMSU campus.
Following this ceremony the spring meeting of the College of Engineering occurred. Dean Castillo introduced the new professors to the College faculty. Following the College meeting the Department and the
Dean's office hosted a small reception in honor of both professors.
New Faculty
Dr. Jie Zhang received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Geotechnical Engineering from Tongji University, China, in 1992 and 1995, and obtained his Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering from Purdue University in 2005. From 1995 to 1997, he worked as a lecturer in Civil Engineering Department of Shanghai Jiaotong University, where he was actively involved in teaching, research and consulting services. One of the research projects cooperated with a consulting company received the 3rd class prize of China Natural Science Awards in 1997. Dr. Zhang is a registered P.E. in Ohio. His research interests cover a wide spectrum in the areas of geotechnical numerical modeling, computational mechanics, unsaturated soil mechanics, soil improvement, pavement engineering, waste materials, and geotechnical earthquake engineering.
Returning Faculty
Dr. William McCarthy is returning to the Dept. of Civil Engineering after serving 6 years as the Associate Dean and 1 year as interim Dean of the College of Engineering. He has been appointed as the ABET Coordinator for the Department and is looking forward to returning to teaching and research. Quoting Dr. McCarthy “Teaching is my first love and I am grateful for the opportunity to return to this noble pursuit.”
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General Motors Gift
New Mexico State University recently received the second installment of a $225,000 gift from General Motors, the world’s largest vehicle manufacturer. The $75,000 installment will benefit the College of Engineering as well as several other programs.
The College of Engineering will receive $51,625 to support the following prgrams: Society of Hispanic
Professional Engineers, Capstone Design Project, Mini Baja projects, New Mexico BEST program, RASEM summer program, Las Cruces Pre-freshman Engineering Program, Society of Women Engineers Student Chapter, college student ambassadors, scholarships and recruitment and retention.
AMP graduate
Another promising New Mexico AMP (Alliance for Minority Participation) graduate is Juan Lozoya. After receiving his Master’s degree in Civil Engineering in December 2004, Lozoya is now working for the Boeing Company in Seattle, Washington, where he will be trained in airframe structural analysis.
As exciting as the opportunity is for Lozoya, he had not always planned on being a civil engineer. “I started out wanting to be an architect,” he said, referring to his studies at Santa Fe Community College. It was Steve Peralta, a former instructor at SFCC and advisor for the Minority Engineering Transfer and Articulation program (META), who convinced Lozoya to start a pre-engineering program. When Lozoya found engineering a more interesting and suitable vocation, he transferred to NMSU in January 2000. He now recognizes Peralta as the most influential figure of his college experience, because it was Peralta who introduced him not only to civil engineering, but also to the great career opportunities therein.
Soon after starting at NMSU, Lozoya began working as a URA (Undergraduate Research Assistantship) student with Dr. Craig Newtson, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering. The experience was a valuable one because his research on the Effects of Early Misting on Concrete Shrinkage, contributed to his Masters thesis. “I was able to use a lot of the research I did through the URA program to supplement my graduate research,” he said. Technical writing, speaking, and presentation proficiency were additional benefits of his involvement with AMP. Lozoya added that these skills were most critical in his Masters defense, and was glad to have participated in workshops with Assistant English Professor Cheryl Nims, who works with URA students to improve their general communication techniques.
Lozoya would advise students to consider joining New Mexico AMP because it is a program that helps students build confidence within the field of engineering. Professional societies, he also believes, offer a variety of career opportunities and team-working skills. Lozoya has been involved with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), the Hispanic Engineers National Achievement Awards Conference (HENAAC), and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Eventually, he hopes to design buildings and bridge structures.
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Student Activities
Maritza Macias-Corral has won 2nd place for her paper presented at the Graduate Research and Arts Symposium (GRAS) in 2005. The paper was titled: Two countries, one common problem: managing agricultural waste. As a civil engineering student, Ms. Macias-Corral is concerned with the water issues in the Southwest, especially New Mexico and Coahuila.
Jose A. Solis, an undergraduate civil engineering student, has won 2nd
place for his paper presented at the ASCE Regional Conference in 2005 held in Salt lake City, Utah. The paper was titled: Evapotranspiration of Treated and Non-treated Saltcedar. He also won 1st place for that same paper from the ASCE New Mexico Section meeting.
In addition to these student awards, Eric M. Lopez was selected as recipient of the Robert and Evelyn McKee Scholarship for the 2005-2006 academic year. He will be studying evapotranspiration in a pecan orchard in Mesilla
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CE Graduate Students awarded $10,000 P3 Grant by EPA
A proposal submitted by three graduate students, Ramana Gadhamshetty (PhD), Veera (John) Gude (PhD) and Anand Maganti (MS) working with Dr. Khandan was one of the 42 proposals selected by EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) for the 2005-2006 P3 Grant. Over a 150 proposals were submitted for the P3 Grant by student teams from national
universities; proposals were evaluated by a peer review panel based on the following criteria: problem definition; innovation and technical merit; connections to sustainability; measurable results, evaluation method, and implementation strategy; and integration of competition as an educational tool.
The goal of the proposal submitted by the CE team was to develop a reactor for sustainable production of hydrogen from renewable sources such as cattle manure. The review panel noted that the merit of the proposal was in “. . . developing a novel reactor configuration for producing valuable hydrogen from a waste stream; this is a more environmentally friendly alternative to the classical approach of producing methane.”
In spring 2006, all the teams that received the P3 Grant will take their designs to Washington, D.C. to compete for the P3 Award. The National Academies will convene a panel to judge the competition. Winners of the P3 Award will be eligible for additional funds from EPA to match contributions from industry or
non-governmental organizations to help further develop the design, implement the project in the field, and move the design to the marketplace.
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Canoe and Bridge Contests
This year the Canoe and Bridge contests were held in Salt Lake City. A large number of people went to the competition: 14 in the canoe contest, 13 in the bridge contest , 3 in the pre-design contest, 1 in the technical paper contest, and 1 in the ethics paper contest. A third of the people that attended were engineering technology students. The canoe team won first place again this year, as well as the bridge team, who inched out the competition to win first.
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Student Research Project Highlights
TWO COUNTRIES, A COMMON ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM: AGRICULTURAL WASTE
by Maritza Macias-Corral
The United States and Mexico have not only a common border but also, a common environmental problem: agricultural waste. The New Mexico dairy industry is comprised of about 320,000 milk cows. This industry is the number one cash producing business in the State, but it is also a source of environmental concern due to the large amount of cattle manure that is being generated. Similarly, the state of Coahuila, particularly the area known as “La Laguna” is a major dairy producer in Mexico. The herd size in “La Laguna” has been estimated in about 500,000 head. Due to this, the amount of cattle manure is also considerably high: one million tons/year. This waste has potential adverse environmental impact due to uncontrolled methane emissions and contamination of air, water, and soil.
The climate of southern New Mexico is similar to La Laguna, in Mexico: dry with scarce rainfall. Traditionally, manure is applied to agricultural lands as a soil amendment. However, due to the high cost of
transportation, salinity problems in the soil, and limited water supplies in both areas, land application of manure is not economical. An alternative manure management approach would be to convert the waste into energy (biogas) and a compost-like byproduct. Currently, some research using a pilot-scale anaerobic digestion system is being conducted at NMSU to generate energy and compost.
This project is a joint collaboration between New Mexico State University and Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila to evaluate the technical and economic feasibilities to apply this technology in Mexico.
NONLINEAR ULTRASONIC EVALUATION OF CONCRETE
by Matthew Cramer
Nonlinear ultrasonic techniques can be used effectively to detect damage, particularly early damage associated with micro-cracking, in concrete members in the infrastructure. Nonlinearity in concrete results in the generation of harmonics when an ultrasonic wave encounters the micro-cracking. The analysis of the harmonic generation shows that the harmonic ratios of the second harmonic amplitude divided by the fundamental amplitude squared (A2/A12) and the third harmonic amplitude divided by the fundamental amplitude cubed (A3/A13) increased with increasing damage in concrete. Furthermore, the results of the harmonic ratios varied with the power of the induced signal. The nonlinear analysis provides practice application relative to bridge deck damage
evaluation.
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LOAD RATING OF PRESTRESSED CONCRETE GIRDER BRIDGES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF LFR AND LRFR
by Brandice Rogers
Research efforts are underway in New Mexico to facilitate the transition from the Load Factor Rating (LFR) to Load and Resistance Factor Rating (LRFR) due to the adoption of the LRFR philosophy by the AASHTO
Subcommittee on Bridges and Structures. Five pre-stressed concrete girder bridges were rated using the BRASS-GIRDER and BRASS-GIRDER (LRFR) structural software. The objectives of the study was to evaluate and verify the Bridge Rating and Analysis of Structural Systems (BRASS) software; to identify the source of dissension between LFR and LRFR rating factors; and to examine any trends in the rating factors as affected by bridge geometry.
The comparison of LFR and LRFR focused on both flexure and shear at the strength limit state. The LRFR method generally yielded lower rating factors for flexure, with longer span bridges demonstrating a larger deviation between LFR and LRFR. The live load effects were identified as the major factor contributing to the difference in flexure ratings; the dead load effects and flexural resistance had little impact. The LRFR rating factors for shear were also generally lower than those produced by LFR. The discrepancy in the shear ratings was due to both the live load effects and shear resistance. The dead load effects contributed little to the variation in LFR and LRFR rating factors for shear. Overall, shear controlled the load ratings rather than flexure. This study will be published in the Transportation Research Record later this year.
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N-FARM IRRIGATION EFFICIENCY EVALUATION IN THE MIDDLE RIO GRANDE CONSERVANCY DISTRICT
by Jimmy Moreno
A total of 12 irrigation efficiency evaluations on 6 fields were conducted in the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (MRGCD). Two irrigation runs were conducted for each study field. Measurements included
pre-irrigation moisture content, soil infiltration characteristics, soil texture, inflow, and advance characteristics. Irrigation duration, operational procedures, and irrigation problems were also observed and noted for each evaluation. This data was used to calculate performance parameters for each evaluated field.
The requirement efficiency ranged from 65%-100% for the study fields. Application efficiency ranged from 62%-100% and deep percolation ranged from 0%-38%. Christiansen’s uniformities ranged from 60%-95% and
distribution uniformities ranged from 54%-92%. A runoff percentage was present in the first and second irrigation runs for only one field at 4.3% and 1.6%, respectively.
Deficit irrigation was found to occur frequently in the study fields of the MRGCD. The head level in the supply canals fluctuated repeatedly and caused lower efficiency and uniformity in the study fields. Canal leakage was a significant problem observed in earth-lined canals for the district. This caused reduced inflows and lower on-farm conveyance efficiency. The fields in the MRGCD with laser-leveling and concrete lined canals showed higher efficiencies and uniformities as opposed to those without.
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ESTIMATING SEEPAGE FROM IRRIGATION CANALS IN THE ELEPHANT BUTTE IRRIGATION DISTRICT, NEW MEXICO
by Sami Al-Haddad
Due to the drought conditions in 2003, Elephant Butte Irrigation District (EBID) initiated its water
conservation project of pipe installation in earthen laterals to control seepage losses. The project targeted 20 laterals by installing 15 miles of 48-inch diameter UltraFlo® pipe in 3-year construction schedule. This study aimed to estimate seepage losses from the targeted earthen laterals before and after the pipe installation. Seven seepage tests were conducted using ponding method in six laterals and one pipeline.
The results indicate that the measured unit seepage losses range from 0.96 to 4.29 ft3/ft2/day with an average of 2.47 ft3/ft2/day. Results also indicate that the measured unit total water losses range from 0.96 to 4.55 ft3/ft2/day
with an average of 2.70 ft3/ft2/day. The results indicate that the seepage rates vary spatially due to the variation of the canal beds' soil type. The results of the ponding test for the pipeline indicate that the measured unit water loss is 0.17 ft3/ft2/day due to leakage through the turnouts and the gates. The results indicate that the efficiency of the pipeline system in terms of water salvage is 93.7% considering the average total water losses. The water loss from the pipe was due to leakage
and can be controlled by careful and proper installation of the new turnouts and gates and replacing the old ones. That would increase the pipe efficiency. The pipeline system would save 385.1 acre-ft/mile (295,011 m3/km) for the irrigation season with the obtained efficiency.
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Cotton Evapo-transpiration
Drs. A. Salim Bawazir and Zohrab Samani of the Civil Engineering Department, Max Bleiweiss of the Dept. of Entomology, Plant Pathology &
Weed Science, and Rhonda Skaggs of Dept. of Agricultural Economics &
Agricultural Business, New Mexico State University, have completed a project on evapo-transpiration of cotton.
Using the three major methods of measuring actual evapo-transpiration, a more accurate estimation of water use can be determined by farmers in the Mesilla Valley.
Septic Systems Installation
Dr. Adrian Hanson is part of a program to aid the public in the installation of septic systems. He and Craig Runyon, as well as others, have produced a booklet and a CD for the proper installation of both the septic tank and the drainfield. In rural areas, even in nearby Las Cruces areas, septic systems are the norm.
The booklet (shown at right), available in English or Spanish, contains cartoon characters with easy-to-follow instructions. Maritza Macias-Corral and Luz Elena Mimbela translated the Spanish version. The CD contains a 45 minute video as well as the comic book in English and Spanish, a notebook of DVD information supplements, an on-site information brochures form Texas A&M Extension Service, and an exam.
I am pleased to report that the Civil Engineering Department is continuing to get better each year. At least by the standards used to measure the activity of academic departments, we are doing very well. We have a great student body that is very active. We continue to show great quality even through the quantity of students has declined. This past year we have several awards to students and faculty that are highlighted in this newsletter and look forward to another great year.
The emphasis for the College and Department this year will be recruiting and retaining more students into engineering. The job market is great for those completing their degree and in fact the shortage is approaching a critical state in many areas. We hope each of you will look for opportunities to encourage young people to choose our profession as a career. I look forward to continuing to work with the students, faculty and alumni of the CE Department.
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Julie Moore, Editor
Civil Engineering Department
New Mexico State University
P.O. Box 30001, MSC 3CE
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8801
