Civil Engineering

Oregon State University researchers are helping preserve the legacy of Silver Falls State Park by using three-dimensional scanning to produce digital replicas of the park’s historical structures.

The work is especially timely given the increasing frequency of wildfires in Oregon and throughout the West, with fires destroying similar historical structures at Jawbone Flats in the Opal Creek Wilderness and at Breitenbush Hot Springs in Oregon in 2020.

When we think about our health, we are likely to think about the food we eat, activities we do, and hours we sleep each night. But the buildings we spend time in – our homes, schools, and workplaces – also have a huge effect on our health.

For example, just look at two recent crises, said Parichehr Salimifard, assistant professor of architectural engineering–mechanical engineering track and Culbertson Faculty Scholar.

College of Engineering researchers are playing prominent roles in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s $435 million program to make the nation’s transportation system safer, more innovative, and more efficient.

The program funds 34 university transportation centers, or UTCs. Each center comprises a consortium of researchers from a number of universities and is tasked with conducting research and technology transfer in its assigned topic area. The centers will also help to develop the next generation of transportation professionals.

A team led by University of Florida researchers recently tested a small fleet of large, robust, mobile weather stations at the OH Hinsdale Wave Research Lab at Oregon State University.

To increase opportunities for engineering students planning to join the construction industry, the College of Engineering joined forces in 2021 with the OSU Foundation, the Construction Education Foundation, key donors, and construction industry advocates to create the Construction Industry Empowerment Scholarship Program. The program provides a three-year, $30,000 commitment to fund high-achieving, first-generation engineering students committed to joining the construction industry and who face significant financial need, starting in their second year.

From the moment he joined Oregon State University’s College of Engineering in 2019, Aaron Mendez has pursued opportunities that promote leadership and community, including serving as president of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers student chapter and a statewide transportation committee.

What images pop up when you hear someone mention wind power and solar power? It’s a safe bet you’ll picture towering three bladed turbines, photovoltaic panels, or perhaps vast mirror arrays. But what do you see when you imagine the machinery used to harvest wave energy?