News & Events
3rd Annual Civil Engineering Golf Tournament | May 2010
The ASCE Student Chapter and Civil Engineering Alumni Association will host the 3rd Annual Merrimack Civil Engineering Golf Tournament. The purpose of the event is to raise money for the Fitzgerald Fund, which was established in honor of Francis Fitzgerald to provide funds for civil engineering student activities and projects. The event location and date is to be determined. This is a great opportunity for students, alumni and friends of the civil engineering program to connect for a day of hooks, slices, and laughs. For more information on this event, please contact Jean Reynolds at jean.reynolds@merrimack.edu or 978-837-5299.
Seniors to Present Capstone Design Project | April 2010
This year’s civil engineering graduates will present their capstone design project on April 30th at 4:00 pm in Meeting Room B of the Sakowich Center. An awards banquet for graduating students, their families, and alumni will follow the presentation. The capstone project is intended to provide an opportunity for students to apply their learned engineering skills to an open-ended problem thus rounding out their engineering education at Merrimack College. The design problem is developed and overseen by an external practicing engineer who also serves as the student’s “client”.
Student Steel Bridge Competition | April 2010
The ASCE student bridge team will compete at the New England regional student steel bridge competition that will be hosted by Tufts University on April 9 and 10. The competition is co-sponsored by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The annual competition involves the design and fabrication of a 20-foot long steel bridge that is judged based on a combination of aesthetics, performance, and cost. The top three finishers from the New England regional competition are typically invited to compete in the National Competition.
ASCE Student Officers to Attend Leadership Conference | February 2010
Four student officers from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) student chapter will attend a leadership workshop in Atlanta, GA on February 12 and 13. Dr. Westerling will also be attending the weekend conference as a Regional Governor of ASCE. The workshop is aimed at developing leaders within the society. Funds for student travel will be provided by the Fitzgerald Fund and from a donation from the Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section (BSCES).
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Professor and Student Host Murray Symposium | November 2009
Assistant Professor Aaron Bradshaw and student Gail daSilva ‘10 presented on their research project entitled “The Shear Behavior of Clay in Relation to Submarine Landslide Kinematics”. Their laboratory study was aimed at investigating how the shear strength of soil changes from very slow speeds to very high speeds as would occur in underwater landslides. The research was sponsored by the Murray Fellowship, which is awarded annually to a faculty member from Science and Engineering to conduct research leading to improved teaching effectiveness.
Emeritus Professor Honored by BSCES | September 2009
Emeritus Professor Anthony DeLuzio, was honored by The Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section (BSCES) at the 161st BSCES Annual Awards Dinner. He was recognized for his life-long accomplishments which include, “the design, analysis and qualification testing of over a dozen telescopes for space exploration which were successfully launched; consulting on NASA’s Gemini, Mercury and Apollo programs; development of finite element techniques utilizes on the Apollo Program; and testing and evaluation of dental implants.” Many of Mr. DeLuzio’s former students were in attendance.
From left to right: Aaron Bradshaw Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering; Nick Scenna ‘06; John Collura ‘70; honoree Anthony DeLuzio; Jim D’Angelo ‘70; and Sean Homem ‘06.
Professor Named “2009 ExCEEd Teaching Fellow” | July 2009
Assistant Professor Marc Veletzos was awarded a fellowship to attend the prestigious Excellence in Civil Engineering Education (ExCEEd) teaching workshop hosted by the US Military Academy at West Point, NY. The workshop is held annually and is intended to promote teaching excellence in the field of civil engineering. Dr. Veletzos will lead a seminar in January 2010 to share the ExCEEd teaching methods with other Merrimack College faculty.
Students and Professor Participate in Research Project at Cornell | June 2009
For the second year, civil engineering students and Assistant Professor Aaron Bradshaw participated in a research project sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The objective of the research is to develop systems that can be used to monitor the “health” of buried concrete pipelines. The research involves burying and testing full-scale pipes in a specialized testing facility developed at Cornell University. The students assisted in the preparation of the pipeline tests, which took approximately one month to complete. The research is a four-year, multi-disciplinary project involving students and professors from the University of Michigan, Purdue University, Virginia Tech, and Merrimack College.
Student participants on the research project at Cornell University. From left to right: Gail dSilva ’10; Richard Matson ’11; Stephanie Kearns ‘12; John Davis (Cornell technician).
2nd Annual Civil Engineering Golf Tournament | May 2009
The ASCE Student Chapter and Civil Engineering Alumni Association hosted the 2nd Annual Merrimack Civil Engineering Golf Tournament. The purpose of the event was to raise money for the Fitzgerald Fund, which was established in honor of Francis Fitzgerald to provide funds for civil engineering student activities and projects. The event took place on May 11, 2009 at the Far Corner Golf Course in Boxford Mass. This was a great opportunity for students, alumni and friends of the civil engineering program to connect for a day of hooks, slices, and laughs.
Alumnus Receives the 2009 Engineering Center Leadership Award | May 2009
Merrimack ’74 Alumnus Thomas J. Kinton Jr., Massport CEO and Executive Director, received the distinguished Engineering Center Leadership Award for 2009. The award was presented at an awards dinner on May 6 at the Park Plaza Hotel Boston. The Engineering Center Leadership Award is presented annually to leaders in the planning, designing, constructing, or maintaining of the built environment. A number of Merrimack Alumni, Students, Faculty and Administrators were in attendance.
Back row left to right: Joseph Kelley, Vice President of Mission and Advancement; Kristopher Surette ’10; Richard Matson ’11; honoree Thomas Kinton ‘74; Jim D’Angelo ’70; Aaron Bradshaw, Assistant Professor; Stephen Mallory ’07; Nick Scenna ’06. Front row left to right: Leanna Martin ‘09, Ale Kuncatis ’09; Gail daSilva ‘10
Student Steel Bridge Competition | April 2009
The ASCE student bridge team competed in the New England regional student steel bridge competition on April 4 at Wentworth Institute of Technology. The competition was co-sponsored by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The annual competition involves the design and fabrication of a 20-foot long steel bridge that is judged based on a combination of aesthetics, performance, and cost.
Students and Professor Participate in Research Project at Cornell | June 2008
Civil engineering students and Assistant Professor Aaron Bradshaw participated in a research project sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The objective of the research is to develop systems that can be used to monitor the “health” of buried concrete pipelines. The research involves burying and testing full-scale pipes in a specialized testing facility developed at Cornell University. The students assisted in the preparation of the pipeline tests, which took approximately one month to complete. The research is a four-year, multi-disciplinary project involving students and professors from the University of Michigan, Purdue University, Virginia Tech, and Merrimack College.
Professor to Study Longfellow Bridge | May 2008
Associate Professor Dr. David Westerling spent the past year studying the condition of the Longfellow Bridge in Boston. This well-known and historical landmark, spanning the Charles River, has received attention because of concerns regarding its structural condition. Dr. Westerling's work focuses on the engineering and cost issues associated with the maintenance and rehabilitation of bridges.
Civil Engineering Golf Tournament | May 2008
The ASCE Student Chapter and Civil Engineering Alumni Association hosted a Civil Engineering Golf Tournament to raise money for the Fitzgerald Fund. The fund was established in honor of Francis Fitzgerald to provide money for civil engineering student activities and projects. This was a great opportunity for students, alumni and friends of the civil engineering program to connect for a day of hooks, slices, and laughs.
Students Design Residential Housing for Dominican Republic | February 2008
Through funding provided by the Davis Grant, six civil engineering seniors: Moises Camilo, Joseph Fitzpatrick, Franklin Miguel, Dennis Rugg, Colin Temple, and Joseph Terranova are studying ways to design safe and economical housing for the poor communities of the Dominican Republic. Franklin Miguel, who is a native of Santo Domingo, identified the need for housing from the director of his community school. This region, which is particularly susceptible to hurricanes and earthquakes, will present difficult design challenges. It is hoped that the team will develop an innovative design model that uses sustainable building materials and construction methods. The directed study course, which was developed Dr. Aaron Bradshaw, included a research trip to Santo Domingo over spring break.
From left to right: Aaron Bradshaw, Assistant Professor; Joseph Fitzpatrick; Franklin Miguel; Colin Temple; Dennis Rugg; Joseph Terranova; Moises Camilo.
Professor and Colleagues Awarded NSF Grant | September 2007
Assistant Professor Aaron Bradshaw and four other professors from the University of Michigan and Purdue University have been awarded a $1.6 million dollar grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The team will spend the next fours years researching ways of determining damage to buried pipelines caused by an earthquake. Dr. Bradshaw will direct the laboratory program that will take place at a specialized testing facility at Cornell University (Ithaca, N.Y.). The laboratory program will be completed over the next four summers where Merrimack College civil engineering students will assist in the research at Cornell.