Civil and Construction Engineering

Photos by Karl Maasdam

Assistant Professor Parichehr Salimifard links buildings’ environmental and public health impacts

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.

Photo courtesy of @NYSE

On June 1, Knife River President and CEO Brian Gray rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange to celebrate the company’s first day as an independent, publicly traded business.

“It was exhilarating, one of the most exciting moments of my life,” said Gray, B.S. civil engineering ’93. “My wife and family were there to share the moment. It was special for that reason and because I was able to represent the 6,000 men and women at Knife River whose work made this possible.”

From left, Jonathan C. Huffman, former civil engineering doctoral student at Oregon State and now an associate geotechnical engineer at Geotechnical Resources, Inc.; Armin Stuedlein, professor of geotechnical engineering; Andre Barbosa, professor of structural engineering; and Andre F. V. Belejo, former structural engineering doctoral student at Oregon State and now a design engineer at Seft Consulting Group.

A group of College of Engineering researchers has been awarded the J. James R. Croes Medal by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Photos by Johanna Carson

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.

Graduate student Courtney Beringer makes adjustments to LUPA, a prototype wave energy converter tested at the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Lab.

Photos by Johanna Carson and Chance Saechao.

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?