CEAT 2006 Graduates accept Industry and Academic Positions
Zach Grasley
PH.D. Student
Zach is completing his Ph.D. this summer. He defended his thesis on June 29, 2006, entitled “Measuring and Modeling the Time-Dependent Response of Cementitious Materials to Internal Stresses.” Zach will then join the faculty at Texas A&M University in the Department of Civil Engineering as Assistant Professor.
After earning his B.S. from Michigan Technological University, he completed the M.S. program at the University of Illinois. Zach continued in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering’s Ph.D. program and has been working with Faculty Advisor, Professor Lange, on research projects. Most of his research at the University of Illinois has been working on concrete shrinkage modeling and prediction of joint crack-width. “The significance of this research lies in the importance of transfer of loads across joints, and the dependence of this transfer on the crack opening. By accurately predicting shrinkage and joint crack-with, design decisions may be more informed such that overconservatism, which costs money, does not need to be employed,” states Zach.
Zach has had the opportunity to work on CEAT projects that are sponsored by both the FAA and the OMP. When asked what was the one thing he liked most about working with CEAT Zach replied, “The most outstanding feature of CEAT is simply the scale and magnitude of the projects. For example, since the initial phase of the OMP exceeds $6 B, the research results impacting that project can potentially cut millions of dollars from the budget.”
Zach has received many awards while working on his MS and PhD degrees. He was the 2005 DOT FAA Center of Excellence Outstanding Student of the Year. He received the Chester P. Seiss Award for Scholastic Achievement and Promise in Research in 2005. His managed to support his own research for the past two years through the prestigious Dwight David Eisenhower Graduate Transportation Fellowship. In 2004, Zach received the NSF Travel Fellowship for 5th Int. PhD Symposium in Civil Engineering at Delft Technical University. He also was the recipient of the Harvey Hagge Concrete Scholarship in 2004.
Some facts about Zach that you may not know are that he is from the small town of Merrill, Michigan, and he is a Licensed Residential Builder in Michigan. Zach, his wife and two children will be moving to Texas this summer.
Harkanwal Brar
Master's Student
Harkanwal is completing his M.S. this summer and will start his professional career as a Pavement Engineer at SRA International, Inc. in Atlantic City, NJ this summer.
After completing is undergraduate degree at Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology in Patiala, PUNJAB (INDIA), Harkanwal began the MS program at UIUC in Civil Engineering. His Faculty Advisor was Professor Tutumluer, and he worked as a Research Assistant to the CEAT project entitled, “Sub-grade Support and Stabilization” for the O’Hare Modernization Program (OMP).
Harkanwal’s research work was done at ATREL. He states, “My research work was focused on characterizing subgrade soils and evaluating subgrade treatment options for a new runway to be constructed at the Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport as part of the OMP. The main challenge at O’Hare is its silty soil conditions which are highly susceptible to moisture and are difficult to treat with admixture. Using high calcium lime kiln dust as an admixture, it was found out that the conditions of subgrade soils improved adequately to serve as a stabilized subgrade zone and also alleviate wet soil conditions. Thus, part of my research will lead to cost-efficient and stable foundation conditions for the new runway to be constructed at O’Hare.”
When asked what he liked most about the CEE Department and the Center, he said, “It provides students with opportunities to have hands-on experience with real projects such as the O’Hare Modernization Program. Such an experience is invaluable for future prospects and carrier enhancement of a civil engineer.” He also has a great interest in astrology and likes to listen to music. Harkanwal’s hometown is Chandigarh, India.
Robert Rodden
Master's Student
Robert is completing his M.S. this summer. His thesis addresses measurement and modeling of stresses in concrete pavements created by environmental factors. Rob will start work in July 2006 at the American Concrete Pavement Association as the Director of Technical Services and staff liaison to the National Center for Concrete Pavement Technology (CP Tech) Center.
After earning his B.S. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Robert began the M.S. program in Civil Engineering. His Faculty Advisor was Professor Lange, and he worked as a Research Assistant on CEAT projects over the past two years. He states, “My primary involvement with CEAT has been with the PCC Mix Design where I have written TechNotes 4, 11, 12, 17, 21 and co-author on 23. My personal research is in modeling environmental stains/stresses in full-depth concrete runway pavements.” Robert has also been involved in much of the Center’s Outreach program by leading high school students in engineering activities for events hosted by CEAT and the College. He has served as the Webmaster for CEAT and is an Engineer in Training (EIT) for Illinois.
When asked what he liked most about working with the CEE Department and CEAT Robert replied, “Being an undergraduate and graduate student in the CEE Department at UIUC has provided me with the traditional technical background necessary for success in the world of civil engineering but being a research assistant with CEAT has given me the means to apply the technical background with progressive thinking, allowing me to see the importance and practicality of continued education and research.”
Robert received the American Concrete Institute V. Moham Malhotra Scholarship and the Harvey H. Hagge Concrete Scholarship while earning his MS degree. He is a member of the Chi Epsilon Honor Society and was the Webmaster for the ACI Student Chapter. When Robert is not working on research, he is usually either building websites or spending time with his girlfriend, Elizabeth, and two pet bunny rabbits, Bunners and Snickers.
Salvador Villalobos
Master's Student
Sal is completing his M.S. this summer. He has been working on a model to predict saw-cut timing for concrete slabs at O’Hare. Sal will start his professional career at the Construction Technology Laboratories in Skokie, IL this July 2006.
After earning his B.S. from the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Monterrey, Mexico, Salvador started the MS program in Civil Engineering at UIUC. His Faculty Advisor was Professor Lange, and he worked as a Research Assistant on CEAT Projects. His research collaboration with the Center started with the investigation of the mechanical properties of concrete and selection of a mixture design. Sal states, “The part that I enjoyed the most about working with CEAT was the opportunity to show the research to the people from industry and to be able to show such work in semi formal events with the engineers in charge of the project. I also enjoyed the opportunity to work with concrete and explore its applications as an airfield paving material.”
While Sal has been at UIUC, he served as the Concrete Lab Manager in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and he was an instructor for the lab sessions related to concrete materials. He was a member of the ACI-UIUC student chapter and served as secretary for one and a half term. Sal was also interviewed on a local News segment during the fall of 2005 about his experience as a student working on research projects with the O’Hare Modernization Program to expand the airport. During his graduate studies at UIUC, he trained and ran the Chicago marathon twice.