Skip navigation.
College of Engineering
Department of Civil Engineering
CONNECTIONS
Bridges Between Past & Future

Civil Engineering
Departmental Newsletter

Spring 2004 Connections Newsletter (#4)

Note from the Department Head

  • I am pleased to report that the Civil Engineering Department is doing well and hopefully getting better each year. By the standards used to measure the activity of academic departments, we are doing very well. We have a great student body that remains very active. I just received a list of student that expect to participate in the Rocky Mountain Regional ASCE Conference in Ft. Collins, Colorado and we have 25 students for the Steel Bridge and Concrete Canoe competitions plus several others for the paper contests. The NMSU faculty has the highest research expenditures per faculty member for the College of Engineering and are nationally ranked (top ten) in research citations.
  • Dr. Steve Castillo, Head of Electrical Engineering, was recently selected as the new Dean of Engineering. Steve is very talented and energetic and I am sure he will do a great job. I appreciate all the great support given to me during that selection process. I look forward to continuing to work with the student, faculty and alumni of the Civil Engineering Department.

    • - Kenneth R. White, Ph.D., PE
    Professor and Department Head

    Back to Top

    John W. Clark Honorary

  • In this issue of Connections, we would like to honor John W. Clark as an outstanding member of the Department of Civil Engineering at New Mexico State University.
  • John W. Clark was professor of civil engineering at NMSU from 1953 to 1971. He was very active in various water control organizations and served as President of the Water Pollution Control Federation - Rocky Mountain Section in 1965. He chaired the Governor's Advisory Committee on Water Pollution Control from 1965 to 1966; he later served as a representative of environmental engineering appointed by the Surgeon General to the Regional Health Advisory Committee. Professor Clark was the Director of the Water Resources Research Institute from 1971 - 1976.
  • John organized the first New Mexico Water and Sewage Works Short School in 1955 and directed the first National Science Foundation Summer Conference on Water Resources. That conference was held at NMSU and brought significant attention to our programs.
    • John Clark's Honorary Stained Glass Window
  • In addition, he was the principal investigator or project director on several large grants and awards from such organization as the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Health, the U.S. Public Health Service, the Department of the Interior as well as other state and private organizations.
  • He developed the formula for biochemical oxygen demand BOD = L(1-10-Kt), which is still the basis of current work in the field. He was also the principal author of a leading text book in the area of environmental engineering Water Supply and Pollution Control, published by Harper & Row in 1965, which has since been revised several times.
  • John's wife, Jackie Clark, designed the stained-glass windows for the atrium on Hernandez Hall's second floor which is depicted as part of the masthead for Connections as seen above. She also designed the stained-glass window for the former laboratory of Dr. Clark, as shown at left.

    • Back to Top

    Quad Dedication

  • The quadrangle between the buildings of the Engineering Complex has been dedicated as the Dr. Samuel P. Maggard Quadrangle, in recognition of his many years of service to the engineering field. The dedication and naming ceremony was held in the quad on October 31, 2003. At that time, an endowed scholarship was announced – The Sam Maggard Transportation Engineering Scholarship to be awarded annually to a civil engineering student. Dr. Maggard is currently teaching the Bridge Inspection Training Course.

    • New Exhibit Cases

  • Construction of two new exhibit cases in the lobby of Hernandez Hall has been completed. They are located next to the bridge exhibit case. One case is devoted to Dr. John W. Hernandez, exhibiting some of his many awards and papers. Of current interest is his paper: A proposed addendum for the Rio Grande Rapid Rail Passenger Feasibility Study written many years ago but still relevant to today’s issues. The new case houses memorabilia from Dr. Gunaji, with some of his awards and accolades.

    • ACADEMY OF Civil Engineering (ACAGE)

  • The Civil Engineering Academy has been very active in recent months. The northern branch (Albuquerque / Santa Fe and vicinity) started a phone-a-thon to locate as many Civil Engineering alumni as possible to participate with them in support of the Civil Engineering Department. They have made significant progress but are still working on that project. So if you or any former students you know are interested in working with the Academy please let us know ( Kenneth R. White or 505-646-3801)
  • The Academy recently started a campaign to establish the Dr. John Clark endowed professorship at NMSU. The $250,000 professorship would recognize the great contributions of John Clark while he was a civil engineering professor at NMSU. The Academy is trying to raise $60,000 to match $65,000 donated by Professor John Hernandez for a total of $125,000. The $125,000 then could be matched by funds available at NMSU if we beat other departments completing for the same matching dollars. Walt Hines started the process by pledging $5000 and that was quickly followed by $5000 pledges by Norm Guame, Bill Wells, Del Archuleta, Bill Lorang, Mike/Frank Kozeliski, Ed Foreman, Chub Foreman and John Burkstaller. As of March 4, we need only $15,000 to reach our goal.
  • If you would be interested in participating in these or other activities of the Academy, please contact: Walter Hines, John Burkstaller, Conrad Keyes or Kenneth White.

    • Back to Top

    Department News

    Off-Campus Graduate Degree and Continuing Education Opportunities
  • The Civil Engineering Department is developing plans for offering an off-campus graduate degree program. This program will be tailored to meet the needs of the profession, employers, and practicing engineers. The goal is to provide a customized plan of study to assist practicing engineers earn a graduate degree at a reasonable convenience in as little as 2-3 years. Course materials will be offered in a variety of formats including videotapes, CD, DVD, or via the internet. Participants will receive an MS degree in civil engineering with an emphasis in geotechnical, structural, or water resources engineering or an MS degree environmental engineering. Professional engineers will also be able to select courses to earn continuing education credits. Degree requirement will be satisfied by completing a total of 30 credit hours. Technical core courses in the specific discipline (15 cr.) will be combined with professional development electives in economics, management, or communication (6 cr.). With prior approval of the student's graduate committee, practicing engineers with PE licensure and documented design experience may earn up to 9 credits hours for documentation and presentation of relevant on-the-job design experience. One web based structural engineering course is currently available. Formal course and degree program offerings will begin in January 2005.
  • Information about opportunities and requirements for the specific disciplines can be obtained by contacting the following individuals (646-3802):
    Geotechnical engineering- Dr. Paola Bandini (E-mail);
    Structural engineering- Dr. Clinton Woodward (E-mail);
    Water Resources engineering- Dr. Phil King (E-mail); and
    Environmental engineering, Dr. Nirmala Khandan (E-mail).

    • Dr. Ricardo B. Jacquez leads the way in engineering

    Dr. Jacquez receives the 2004 Regents Professorship
  • During the Jan. 12 convocation opening the university’s spring 2004 semester, Ricardo B. Jacquez, an environmental engineer whose research focused on the application of microbiology to wastewater treatment, received the 2004 Regents Professorship. Ricardo B. Jacquez has served the College of Engineering and New Mexico State University for 23 years. He joined the faculty of Civil Engineering in the Fall of 1981. As a registered professional engineer and consultant, he has given his students real-world expertise from the private engineering sector as well as the international community. He played a key role in the establishment of WERC (Waste-management Education & Research Consortium), a consortium of NMSU, UNM, NM Tech, LANL, SNL and Dine College.
  • Dr. Jacquez has developed over $20 million in grant funding and has received national recognition for his contributions to research, education and the advancement of Hispanics in the engineering disciplines. His hard work and devotion to the New Mexico Alliance for Minority Participation has helped to double the number of science technology engineering and math degrees awarded to minorities in New Mexico. He is just one of the many innovative educators who call New Mexico State University home.

    • Back to Top

    New Mexico, Texas team up to tackle common problem: cow manure

  • NMSU researchers Zohrab Samani and Adrian Hanson have developed a “digester” system that will take dairy cattle manure and convert it to methane, which can be used to generate electricity. Drs. Samani and Hanson have spent nearly 10 years trying to develop a digester is specifically designed for areas such as New Mexico and West Texas, where water is scarce and cows are kept in open corrals.
    • Digester system
  • Their system is easy to build and operate, requires minimal water use and produces high-quality methane in less than a month. They have recently received a $321,000 grant that will enable the researchers to build a full-scale digester system to test their process. The model digester will be built in La Mesa, N.M., where a local grower will use this electricity to heat greenhouses and will use a byproduct of the process – compost – to help grow plants.
  • Manure for the digester system will be trucked in from local dairies. New Mexico has the seventh-largest herd of dairy cows in the country, with an estimated 320,000 cows who generate about 2.6 million tons of manure a year. As it breaks down, this manure produces approximately 1.5 million tons of methane, a greenhouse gas associated with global warming. Although the dairy industry is under pressure to reduce the pollution that results from cow manure, there has been little success in this area. One reason is the complexity and cost of existing digester systems. Another reason is that no digesters have been developed for areas where water is scarce.
    Digester system
  • The digester will be able to handle approximately 5,000 tons of manure a year and is expected to generate about 1,500 kilowatt-hours of electricity a day, enough to provide power for 40-70 homes. The new digester system also will help utilities in New Mexico meet the state’s goal of producing at least 10 % of their electricity from renewable resources by 2011. According to Dr. Samani “Cow manure could produce 20 % of New Mexico’s energy needs.
  • Collaborators on the demonstration project include the New Mexico Mineral and Natural Resources Department; the Texas State Energy Conservation Office; and WERC, a NMSU-based consortium. Samani said he hopes to have the digester built in about a year.

    • Back to Top

    Civil Engineering Highlights

    Bromilow Lecture
  • Rhonda Faught, Cabinet Secretary for the New Mexico Highway and Transportation Department and a New Mexico State University alumna, was this year’s Frank Bromilow Lecture speaker. Her speech was titled “Your University, Your Education and Your Success.” Faught, a Deming native, was the first female district engineer in New Mexico and recently became the first female Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Highway and Transportation Department in its 100-year history. She received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from NMSU in 1980 and was the College of Engineering’s 2003 Distinguished Alumna. Ms. Fraught’s career was highlighted in Connections, #2, Spring 2003.

    • Transportation Conference

  • The 50th Transportation Engineering Conference was held at the Hilton Hotel in Las Cruces, March 24th-26th during Spring Break, hosted by New Mexico State University and the New Mexico Dept. of Transportation. Highlighting the conference was a focus on the NMDOT Strategic Plan for improving and maintaining the highways and transportation systems of New Mexico State. Among the many issues discussed, car pooling seemed to be of the most interest to attendees and the public.
  • Rhonda Faught, the State Transportation Cabinet Secretary, mentioned that a Park and Ride Program could be established in Las Cruces at the end of the year. This would mean that commuters in Las Cruces, El Paso and White Sands Missile Range would be able to park and then ride a bus between points. Car pooling is currently an option, but some ‘would-be’ riders felt that a bus would be even better, saving on personal costs, traffic congestion, and parking spaces.
  • Currently, there is a web site, designed by a group of instructors and students at the Dona Ana Branch Community College, to promote car and van pooling. This web site, at: www.nmrideshare.org, provides information about pooling, calculations on how much it costs to drive to and from work in a year, and matches with potential care pool members.

    • Strong Bridges, Smart Bridges

  • Dr. Rola Idriss, professor of civil engineering, is installing an optical fiber monitoring system that lets a bridge tell someone if its structure is sound or needs attention for structural weaknesses. A fiber-optic cable is threaded around the concrete-beam rebar, which is then placed as part of the actual structure of the bridge. The objective is to use sensors in and as part of the permanent bridge structure. Six 90-ton beams, a total of 120 sensors, will support the westbound lanes of Interstate 10 overpass at University Avenue in Las Cruces. The sensors will give federal and state highway department feedback about the performance of its design, the new high-performance concrete used, and structural soundness as the bridge ages. The overpass bridge is the first of its kind in the country.

    • Back to Top
    Julie Moore, Editor
    Civil Engineering Department
    New Mexico State University
    P.O. Box 30001, MSC 3CE
    Las Cruces, NM 88003-8801