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Student Activities
Mitra Earns Ph.D.
NDSU student Subhro Mitra participated in NDSU's commencement ceremony Dec. 14 at the Fargodome to receive his doctoral degree in Transportation & Logistics. Mitra's dissertation was titled "Development of a Statewide Freight Transportation Model to Assess the Impact of Highway Spring Load Restrictions."
Mitra has been employed by the UGPTI as a GIS-specialist/transportation engineer since November 2006 and prior to that as a graduate research assistant with UGPTI. Mitra has been working with the NDDOT on a project entitled "Analyzing the Highway Needs of a Proposed Ethanol Processing Plant at Spiritwood, ND." Mitra also specializes in GIS and cube modeling and will be teaching TL 785, Spatial Analysis/Transportation Systems spring semester beginning in January 2008.
Chen Nominated for Fellowship Program
NDSU Ph.D. student Xianzhe Chen has been nominated by Jun Zhang, Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, for the IBM Fellowship Program which is a worldwide competitive program. Xianzhe has been working with Zhang on his thesis topic of Supply Chain Management. Zhang noted "Xianzhe has been doing a phenomenal job researching and apply supply chain data."
French Students Complete Degree Requirements While at CSU
Three undergraduate students from Ecole National Superieure Des Technologies and Industries Du Bois - Epinal, France completed a professional training degree requirement of their home institution while in residence at Colorado State University from June through August, 2007. Jonathan Guiet, Adrien Mahler, and Jonathan Pernot worked at the Structural Engineering Laboratory on various research projects. These included MPC supported studies of a shear spike repair method for application to old timber trestle bridge members, composite wood-concrete bridge construction for bridges, and recycling of salvaged wood utility poles for structural use in bridges. They also provided some assistance on projects related to seismic behavior of light frame wood buildings. They will complete degrees in The Department of Wood Science and Technology in the coming year.
Zeng Defends Dissertation Prospectus
NDSU Ph.D. student Hai "James" Zeng defended his dissertation prospectus Oct. 23. His dissertation title is "Economical Assessment of the Impact of RFID Technology on the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Loss Management." Zeng anticipates completing his degree program in the fall of 2008 or spring of 2009.
First SDSU MPC Student Takes Position with Montana Firm
South Dakota State University (SDSU) alumnus Amanda Boushek of Echo, MN, landed a job with CTA, a multi-disciplinary architecture-engineering firm, in Billings, MT. She was the first SDSU graduate to work on a Mountain-Plains Consortium (MPC)-sponsored research project.
After graduating with a B.S. degree in civil engineering in May 2006, Boushek expressed interest in pursuing a master's degree in structural engineering to her professors at SDSU. Nadim Wehbe, her advisor, offered her the opportunity to be a graduate research assistant on the self-consolidating concrete project sponsored by the MPC. Boushek jumped at the opportunity and, in May 2007, she completed her M.S. degree in civil engineering.
Her research focused on the development and evaluation of SCC mix designs for structural applications in highway box culverts. The objective of the study was to test several different designs which made use of South Dakota local aggregates. The project was cosponsored by the South Dakota Department of Transportation.
Boushek's new position at CTA allows her to put her past experiences and training into practice. Originally an innovative combination of an architect and an engineer, CTA has continued to expand this multi-disciplinary approach to now include 24 building-related disciplines under one roof. Some of the company's services include: architecture, engineering, interior design, land planning, landscape architecture, graphics, and multimedia. The company has been in business since 1938 and now employs 400 people in 15 regional offices throughout Montana, Colorado, Washington, Wyoming, Idaho, Texas, Nebraska, and Louisiana. It is also a member of the U.S. Green Building Council and embraces sustainable building practices.
At CTA Boushek mainly focuses on structural projects involving buildings, but her experiences at SDSU continue to benefit and guide her in her day-to-day work. "My coursework provided me with the education I needed to start my career as a structural engineer. The courses at SDSU provided me with knowledge that is very relevant to the tasks I perform. I have used what I learned in those classes many times already in the first few months of my career," says Boushek.
In addition, Boushek says that her experience with the MPC played a vital role in her career search. The opportunity to do interesting and innovative research, plus earn her degree helped her to reach her goal of working in structural engineering. Boushek says that she has already encountered many engineers who are very interested in SCC and ask her about her research.
MPC research funding was invaluable in helping Boushek reach her educational and career goals. "The MPC funding provided me with very interesting graduate research. It allowed me to complete my graduate work and focus on my research and courses. With the funding, I earned my degree more quickly than I would have without it," Boushek says.
Boushek was the first SDSU graduate to work on a MPC-sponsored research. MPC hopes to continue to partner with SDSU and support individuals like Boushek, says MPC director Denver Tolliver. "Our vision is to develop new strategies and concepts to effectively address transportation issues. If this partnership can produce more success stories like Boushek's the future looks bright for transportation research."
Scholarships Awarded at NDSU
The UGPTI awarded four scholarships at its annual Awards Banquet Oct. 11. The $1,500 scholarships are awarded each year through the Mountain-Plains Consortium with funding from the US DOT University Transportation Centers program.
Daniel Leek Geu received the Paul E.R. Abrahamson Scholarship. Geu is majoring in agricultural economics. Geu came to the United States from southern Sudan in east Africa 14 years ago and hopes to specialize in areas such as agricultural transportation, logistics, or marketing. The Abrahamson scholarship recognizes academic achievement and promotes the education of transportation students at NDSU. The scholarship is named in honor of Paul E.R. Abrahamson, the first administrator of the North Dakota Wheat Commission and a leader in the North Dakota agricultural community.
David Bruins, Michael Grundman and Joshua Loegering received Transportation Engineering Scholarships. The scholarships recognize academic achievement and promote the education of transportation students at NDSU.
David Bruins is a senior in civil engineering. A native of Watford, ND, Bruins has been employed by the Fargo District of the North Dakota Department of Transportation and at the DOT Support Center at NDSU. Bruins has been named to the dean's list twice in the College of Engineering.
Michael Grundman is a senior in civil engineering from Osakis, MN. He works at the Advanced Traffic Analysis Center. He is a member of the NDSU cycling team and the NDSU chapter of American Society of Civil Engineers. He also participates in Golden Key International Honor Society and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and has been named to the dean's list in the College of Engineering every semester that he has been at NDSU.
Joshua Loegering is a senior in civil engineering and originally from Milaca, MN. Loegering is involved with the ASCE chapter at NDSU, Collegians for Life and is an officer in the Knights of Columbus. He has been named to the College of Engineering Deans List four times.
