Civil Engineering Commons^™

Movable Bed Physical Model Investigation Of Bed Level Changes Caused By River Sediment Diversions, Hayden Cole Franklin

LSU Master's Theses

Since 1932, due to human and natural processes, over 2,000 square miles of Louisiana’s coast have been lost. River sediment diversions have been proposed as sustainable options to combat land loss. These projects, like the proposed Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, are designed to deliver sediment-rich Mississippi River water into nearby bays and estuaries, helping build and maintain land. However, river sediment diversions may alter river hydraulics and sediment transport, potentially inducing upstream degradation and downstream aggradation. Using the Lower Mississippi River Physical Model (LMRPM), this study quantitatively analyzed bed level changes as well as hydraulic conditions associated with the proposed Mid-Barataria …

Toward Sustainable 3d Printable Cementitious Materials: Low-Carbon Design With Fiber Reinforcement, Nima Mahmoudzadeh Vaziri

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

3D printing of cementitious materials, as an emerging construction technology, faces challenges in both mechanical performance and sustainability. Conventional mixture designs rely on high cement contents, leading to increased CO2 emissions, while printed elements often exhibit brittle behavior with limited crack resistance and reduced post-cracking performance. This study investigates the development of low-carbon 3D printed cementitious composites using environmentally friendly supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) and fillers, combined with fiber reinforcement to enhance mechanical performance. Locally available SCMs and fillers were incorporated to significantly reduce cement content (>40%) and improve sustainability. Fiber reinforcement was introduced to mitigate brittleness and enhance …

Scale-Dependent Particle Transport Over Urban-Like Roughness In Turbulent Flow, Rae Riddle

Dissertations and Theses

This study employs direct numerical simulation (DNS) to investigate the dispersion of inertial particles in turbulent flow over three-dimensional urban-like roughness at Reτ = 200. Particles with Stokes numbers St = 5, 25, and 100 are tracked over cubic arrays with spanwise spacings Sy from 2h to 32h, where h = δ/8 and δ is the half-channel height, alongside a smooth-wall reference case. The results reveal scale-dependent particle responses characterized by three distinct regimes. First, high-inertia particles (St = 100) align strongly with mean secondary flows, exhibiting organized plumes above roughness elements. Their vertical transport peaks at intermediate spacing …

From Our Stories, To Our Streets (Osos), Jennifer Lopez

Student Publications

Youth traffic safety persists as a critical planning challenge and public health concern in New Mexico, where pedestrian fatality rates consistently rank among the highest in the United States (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NTSA, Governors Highway Safety Association, GHSA, 2023; Baca, 2025). Students (children), due to their daily interactions with roadways, whether when they walk, bike, ride transit, or drive/get driven to and from school, are among the most vulnerable groups within the transportation system (Ferenchak, N. Wesley, M., 2017. For many students in Albuquerque, the commute to or from school is one of the most dangerous parts of …

Hybrid Deep Learning Model For Accurate Settlement Forecasting Of Metro Tracks Under Canal Diversion Engineering, Haijie He, Zhenlin Wang, Sifan Shen, Shiyu Sheng, Jing Zhang, Chuang He, Huafeng Shan, Qiongfang Zhang, Li Ai

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

The structural stability of metro systems is essential for safe and reliable urban rail operation. Large-scale underground construction may influence existing metro lines, making accurate settlement prediction necessary. Traditional empirical and numerical methods often fail to capture long-term settlement behavior. This study predicts track bed settlement of Hangzhou Metro Line 1 using monitoring data collected during the Grand Canal diversion construction. A hybrid model (CEEMDAN-BWO-BiLSTM-ATT model) integrating Complete Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition with Adaptive Noise, Beluga Whale Optimization, Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory, and an attention mechanism is developed. Results from four monitoring points along the up line show good performance, …

Intelligent Cost-Optimized Mix Design Prediction And Engineered Strength System For Geopolymer Concrete: A Machine Learning-Based Recommender System, Yuvaraj Natarajan, K.R. Sri Preethaa, V. Danushkumar, Syed Muhammad Oan Naqvi, M. Shyamala Devi, Karen Lozano, Bubryur Kim, Jinwoo An

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Geopolymer concrete is a promising low-carbon alternative to ordinary Portland cement concrete, but its practical use is limited by complex mix-design requirements and limited cost-aware decision-support tools. This study developed the Intelligent Cost-Optimized Mix Design Prediction and Engineered Strength System (iCOMPRESS), a machine learning-based recommender system that integrates 28-day compressive strength prediction, cost optimization, and compositionally diverse mixture recommendation. A database of 443 literature-derived mixtures was used to train a hyperparameter-optimized Random Forest model with domain-informed features related to binder chemistry, alkaline activation, water content, aggregates, and curing conditions. The model achieved a five-fold cross-validation mean absolute error (MAE) of …

Effect Of Curing Duration On Bridge Deck Concrete Performance, Zhaniya Omarova

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study evaluates the influence of curing duration on the performance of bridge deck concrete and investigates the feasibility of reducing curing periods without compromising structural and durability properties. Two concrete mixtures, a standard Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) bridge deck mix (47BD) and an optimized reduced-cement-content mix (O47BD-R100), were evaluated under multiple curing durations Fresh, early-age, mechanical, durability, and shrinkage properties were assessed to characterize the effect of curing on concrete behavior. Internal relative humidity and temperature were monitored using embedded sensors to investigate moisture diffusion and its role in shrinkage development for lab specimens and full-scale slabs.

Results …

What Holds High-Speed Rail Back: Lessons From Global Systems And California’S Experience, Deepak K. Sharma, Rajnish Lekhi, Scott Parr

Mineta Transportation Institute

This report examines benefits and challenges of integrating California High-Speed Rail (CHSR) with other rail systems and reviews California legislation impacting HSR’s contracting and financing alternatives. The research compares CHSR with high-speed rail systems around the world to identify similarities and differences in costs, speeds, ridership, and operating conditions. It also reviews Japan’s Land Readjustment Act as a model for value capture and land assembly and explores international experiences on rail integration, along with U.S. cases from the East Coast and Los Angeles. A review of California’s transportation legislation highlights how laws for highways and bridges differ from those for …

Equity Evaluation Of Residents’ Transit+Walk Accessibility To Sacramento Healthcare Facilities, Masoud Ghodrat Abadi, Ahoura Zandiatashbar, Aaron Pickett, Stephanie Nemet, Soheil Sharifi

Mineta Transportation Institute

Access to healthcare is a key component of public health equity, yet many U.S. communities remain dependent on private vehicles for medical travel. This study introduces an integrated framework, the Transit+Walk Score (TWS), to evaluate how effectively residents of Sacramento, California, can reach healthcare facilities via public transit and how safely, comfortably, and conveniently they can walk from transit stops to those facilities. The research aims to inform planners, transit agencies, and policy makers in designing equitable and multimodal transportation systems. The research team combined geospatial network modeling and field-based walkability audits to assess 123 healthcare facilities across Sacramento, with …

A Novel Optuna-Vmd-Ml Framework For Enhanced Settlement Prediction Of Buildings Around Foundation Pits, Jing Zhang, Zhenlin Wang, Shiyu Sheng, Sifan Shen, Chuang He, Huafeng Shan, Haijie He, Li Ai

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

The prediction of building settlement around foundation pit is of vital importance to ensure the safety and stability of urban construction projects. However, current predictions of buildings surrounding foundation pit face numerous challenges. Therefore, this study proposes a framework that integrates Optuna-based hyperparameter optimization, variational mode decomposition (VMD), and machine learning (ML) for accurate and timely settlement prediction in practical engineering scenarios, referred to as the Optuna–VMD–ML framework. Optuna is employed to tune the hyperparameters of both VMD and the ML models; the Optuna-tuned VMD decomposes the settlement time series into mode components, which are then used to train the …

The New 11th Edition Of The Indiana Mutcd, Joseph Bruno, David Boruff

Purdue Road School

The updated 11th edition of the Indiana MUTCD released in January of 2026 has many significant changes from the 2011 edition. This presentation provides an overview of the changes from the previous edition and significant variations between the federal MUTCD and the Indiana MUTCD.

Building A Vitalizing Team Culture, Iris Bull, Andrew Cibor

Purdue Road School

Leaders in the public sector face unique challenges in the recruitment and retainage of productive employees. Administrative staff from the City of Bloomington Engineering Department present an analysis of the strategies they employ to shape a high performing team. They examine mutable and designed aspects of their processes for advertising, interviewing, hiring, onboarding, and exit interviewing. Session participants will be provided tested strategies for stimulating professional growth, fostering intradepartmental collaboration, and building resilient culture.

History Of The Interstate System In Indiana, Steven Wuertz

Purdue Road School

A brief history of the Interstate System in Indiana and across the Nation— 1956–2026: 70 years of the Interstate System

Iconic Henry Street Bridge In Indianapolis, Marshall Lachecki, Keith Echternach, Mary Appel

Purdue Road School

The iconic new Henry Street bridge over the White River in Indianapolis is a connection to the west side of downtown Indy.  From the challenging hydraulics requirements to the bridge concepts, design, procurement and through construction and archaeology work, the City has worked with many stakeholders and the public to make this new crossing a success.  This presentation will focus on design elements of the bridge while touching upon other project elements.

Improvements In Waterborne Traffic Paint For Indiana, Joseph Bruno, Andrew Blackburn

Purdue Road School

INDOT has updated its specification for waterborne traffic paints that results in improved durability and the ability to apply traffic paint in colder weather. This presentation provides background on INDOT's waterborne traffic paint specification, a summary of the road trials that INDOT conducted to evaluate different paint specifications, future developments for waterborne traffic paint, and a maintenance perspective on INDOT painting operations.

Early In Career Panel: The Value Of Industry Involvement, Stephanie Ferzli, Calvin Rizzo, David Musoke

Purdue Road School

A panel of early-career professionals shares the importance and benefits of participating in industry organizations. Learn how involvement can shape careers and foster professional growth.

Pel Stories, Tim Miller, Cameron Schuh, Sandra Flum, Blake Dollier

Purdue Road School

PEL Stories: Bridging Planning and Environmental Review: This presentation will highlight stories from planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) projects, demonstrating how early planning can streamline environmental review and improve project outcomes.

IndyPEL: Advancing Planning through Environmental Linkages: This session explores the IndyPEL project, highlighting how Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) studies are shaping transportation decisions in Indiana. Attendees will learn about stakeholder engagement, data-driven planning, and lessons learned.

Impact Of Urban Roadway Work Zones On Road Users And Other Stakeholders, Lyndsey Renee Harris

Lyles School of Civil Engineering Graduate Student Reports

As urban populations continue to rise at an unprecedented rate, the need for highly maintained infrastructure in cities -- buildings, utilities, and transportation networks -- has become increasingly critical. An urban work zone refers to a designated area within a city where roadway construction, maintenance, or rehabilitation activities are taking place. These zones are typically characterized by high traffic volumes, complex roadway networks, and proximity to residential, institutional, and commercial land uses. Urban work zones often involve lane closures, detours, reduced speed limits, and temporary traffic control measures to ensure safety for road workers and road users. Due to the …

Building Services Engineering January/February 2026

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

What Is Passive And Active Release Retrofitting Rainwater Harvesting Systems?, Sarah E. Waickowski, Amy E. Scaroni, Beatriss H. Calhoun

Forestry and Natural Resources

Rainwater harvesting is the collection and temporary storage of rainwater for non-potable applications and stormwater management. Rainwater harvesting systems can be retrofitted with passive or active release to improve how well the systems manage stormwater runoff. This publication contains information that may be useful to municipalities, stormwater professionals, rainwater harvesting system owners and/or managers, homeowner associations, and stormwater educators, among others, on what is passive and active release, including their benefits and where to find more information.