Innovations for Aesthetic, Climate-Neutral, Resilient, And Sustainable Built Environment
LETTER FROM THE DEPARTMENT CHAIR
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering continues to thrive in fulfilling its educational and research mission of serving the community at the local, regional, and national levels. This year, I am delighted to report that CEE faculty and students have made significant contributions to developing innovative solutions in civil infrastructure, ensuring healthy water and clean air in our communities, and facilitating the transport of people, goods, and services in our neighborhoods, cities, and around the world.
In addressing challenges in structural engineering, our experts are developing and testing novel structural systems for damage-free earthquake resistance. The performance of an innovative shear wall system has been extensively tested and validated at the GW high-bay structural laboratory. This, along with comprehensive large-scale simulations, has provided strong validation of the new technology for earthquake-resistant design of tall buildings.
To ensure a cleaner and healthier environment, our environmental engineers are devising strategies to mitigate and manage contaminants, as well as designing sustainable methods for extracting vital resources. For instance, Prof. Xitong Liu is leading a team to develop chemical- free technology for extracting Lithium ions from wastewater produced by geothermal power plants. Additionally, two other CEE faculty collaboratively pioneered nanofiber fabrics for masks and air filters designed to capture and neutralize the COVID-19 virus.
In the realm of transportation engineering, our experts are constructing a smart city testbed in the Nation’s capital. They aim to collect mobility and safety data while educating future engineers on the impact of the latest developments in communication, automation, and artificial intelligence on surface transportation networks.
These efforts have garnered significant recognition within the community. The development and validation of a new full-depth precast prestressed deck panel system for highway bridges, which was experimentally validated using full-scale beam/slab assemblies at GW, have led to significant changes in the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications. In 2024, Prof. Danmeng Shuai and CEE Alumnus Dr. Mahmud Hasan were selected as the recipients of the 40 under 40 Award by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists.
Sincerely,
Majid T. Manzari, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
School of Engineering and Applied Science
The George Washington University
ALUMNUS RECOGNIZED FOR LEADING SUSTAINABLE WATER SOLUTIONS
GW Engineering alumni are leaders in their fields, regularly recognized for their innovation and leadership. Double alumnus of the CEE Department Mahmudul Hasan is no exception, as he was named a 2024 recipient of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists’ 40 under 40 Award. Serving as the Chief Technical Officer at the Baltimore City Department of Public Works, Hasan currently leads the city in developing sustainable solutions to contemporary water and wastewater treatment challenges.
Demonstrating his commitment to environmental engineering, Hasan volunteers for professional organizations such as the International Water Association, serves as an active committee member for prominent conferences, and contributes as a reviewer to water/wastewater and environmental engineering publications. Following his undergraduate education at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, he earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering from GW Engineering, which set the stage for his successful career.
To encourage high school and college students to follow his lead, Hasan regularly participates in outreach efforts, including serving as a course instructor in the CEE Department for five years. Hasan’s dedication to the field exemplifies the values instilled by GW Engineering, while his professional accomplishments reflect the departments deep commitment to contributing to environmental sustainability and fostering the next generation of engineers
SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS FOR RESOURCE RECOVERY
In a world where waste is too often overlooked, the CEE Department is proving that sustainability can begin with resource recovery, with Profs. Rumana Riffat and Xitong Liu spearheading innovative research efforts in this area.
The Chesapeake Bay suffers from harmful algal blooms caused by nutrient pollution from excess nitrogen, affecting the ecosystem, human health, and economy. Traditional nitrogen removal methods, like nitrification and denitrification, are resource-intensive. In collaboration with DC Water, the EPA, and the Water Research Foundation, Riffat’s team is developing a sustainable solution and efficient alternative called partial denitrification-anammox (PdNA). This method significantly reduces environmental costs by minimizing chemical and energy requirements for water resource recovery facilities.
Lithium, crucial for rechargeable batteries,faces skyrocketing demand outpacing supply. To address this, Liu, along with co-founder Lingchen Kong, Ph.D. ‘24, established Ellexco, which received funding from the DOE’s first-ever American-Made Geothermal Lithium Extraction Prize. Their chemical-free technology uses intercalation electrodes to capture lithium ions from geothermal brine selectively. Liu hopes to conduct pilot testing of prototypes at California’s Salton Sea, which could potentially provide enough lithium to power over 50 million electric vehicles.
From pioneering nutrient removal strategies in water bodies to developing sustainable lithium extraction technologies, Riffat and Liu are transforming environmental challenges into opportunities for cultivating a cleaner and healthier environment.
Sustainable Mobility in Multi-Modal Urban Environments
Urban mobility is rapidly evolving, driven by advancements in passenger and freight transportation services. Through the Transportation Engineering Program, the CEE Department is at the forefront of researching these transformations. Prof. Zhengtian Xu, a leading figure in the GW Transportation Team, established the Sustainable Urban Mobility (SUM) Laboratory to tackle questions, challenges, and complexities associated with the development and management of urban mobility services and infrastructure.
In the realm of passenger transportation, the team conducted a series of economic, behavioral, and system analyses on ride-sourcing services, also known as transportation network companies. These services have revolutionized travel in cities by providing a convenient and flexible alternative to traditional taxis and public transit, but they also raise numerous controversies, ranging from competition with regulated taxi services to contentious surge pricing and debated worker classifications. In logistics, the surge in online shopping has led to a flood of package deliveries, which worsens already heightened congestion on urban roads and curbs, making it increasingly difficult for delivery vehicles to access neighborhoods for package drop-offs.
To tackle these challenges, Xu and his team take a systems approach to examine these services’ operations in urban environments, translating theoretical concepts into actionable solutions to mitigate the adverse effects of emerging urban mobility services. Their research spans from Smart and connected civil infrastructure in urban mobility systems. the microscopic fundamentals of individual behaviors to the macroscopic dynamics of system operations, aiming to prescribe strategies and policies that best leverage the strengths of new mobility technologies while minimizing their negative impacts on urban communities and daily life.
The GW Transportation Team is committed to serving all communities by pursuing innovative solutions to transportation challenges, with research covering human factors, traffic flow theory and safety, and network optimization and control, and findings disseminated through outreach and educational programs. From studying the impact of emerging transportation technologies to devising new pricing strategies for sustainable mobility services, they are paving the way for new generations of transportation engineers to shape sustainable cities where diverse communities enjoy an improved quality of life.
Equitable Transportation: Serving Communities in a Smart Capital City
GW’s Transportation Engineering Program is a leading force in Washington, D.C., leveraging science and technology to devise solutions that provide diverse communities with efficient, equitable, and safe transportation services. The program’s network of state-of-the-art research facilities, including the GW Driving Simulation Laboratory, Mobile Robotics Laboratory, Traffic Safety and Equity Laboratory, and Vehicle Instrumentation and Automation Laboratory, are utilized to translate models into products and tools that support disadvantaged populations, particularly vulnerable road users, such as those with health problems.
Equipped with the latest sensing devices, members of the CEE Department use these laboratories that develop warning mechanisms to detect anomalies when a person is driving, walking, cycling, or even sitting. With industry support, artificial intelligence (AI) techniques have been developed to translate videos and images into specific identifiers, and physics-inspired machine learning models were created to warn against health events experienced by human subjects across socio-economic characteristics. The resulting solutions ensure a healthier lifestyle in vehicles, offices, and homes for all users living in connected and dynamic cities.
To turn D.C. into a research facility, the GW Transportation Team is collaborating with public stakeholders, academic institutions, and industry partners. This initiative aims to turn GW’s campuses into smart testbeds that collect mobility and safety data while educating CEE students on the impact of the latest developments in communication, automation, and AI on surface transportation networks. They’ll feature advanced and connected detection devices that feed information into virtual platforms for analyzing and predicting traffic trends with the deployment of new technologies.
Prof. Samer Hamdar is deploying connected and automated vehicles in controlled and naturalistic testing environments to gather information on their interactions with surrounding bicyclists, drivers, pedestrians, and scooterists. By developing and validating new models rooted in AI, microeconomics, physics, and psychology, he aims to produce new automation and connectivity protocols that enhance roadway safety and efficiency. The integration of cutting-edge technology, interdisciplinary models, and a focus on real-world applications fosters a robust Transportation Engineering Program in the department, ensuring that the next generation of transportation systems is safer and more accessible for all.
Safeguarding Public Health Against Environmental Pathogens in Water and Air
Environmental engineering plays a crucial role in safeguarding ecosystems and public health as environmental pathogens increasingly impact both. Take Legionella pneumophilia, for example; this opportunistic pathogen (OP) causes around 6,000 reported cases of Legionnaire’s Disease each year in the U.S. At GW Engineering, CEE faculty at the helm of our effort to protect the public against harmful water and airborne pathogens are Profs. Yun Shen and Danmeng Shuai.
In drinking water systems, disinfectants like chlorine control naturally occurring OPs but can form harmful disinfection byproducts (DBPs) when reacting with organic matter, underscoring the need for Shen’s research on detecting pathogenic bacteria and viruses. She co-leads a multi-institutional project investigating OP prevalence, their vectors, and DBPs, while, in a second EPA-funded study, exploring enteric viruses in wastewater. This research aims to improve water treatment strategies to combat pathogens and minimize health risks. Meanwhile, Shuai’s USDA-supported research focuses on developing catalytic nanomaterials to eradicate waterborne pathogens like coronaviruses and foodborne pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7.
Extending their efforts from water to airborne pathogens, Shen and Shuai collaborated on an NSF Rapid Response Research grant utilizing novel materials and nanotechnologies to neutralize viral threats. Together, they pioneered electrospun nanofiber face masks capturing up to 99.9% of coronavirus aerosols, exceeding many commercial masks. They also produced photosensitized electrospun nanofibrous membranes that simultaneously capture and inactivate coronavirus aerosols and droplets. Using rose bengal, a readily available chemical dye, the team achieved over 97% inactivation of virus-laden droplets within 15 minutes under a regular desk lamp, resulting in several publications in leading environmental engineering journals and a patent.
As the COVID-19 pandemic heightened awareness of environmental pathogens, Shen and Shuai’s work on neutralizing them in our water and air has never been more crucial. They are not just hunters of environmental pathogens but guardians of public health. Through collaboration and innovative research, the CEE Department is setting new standards for cleaner, healthier communities and a resilient future.
Innovative Solutions in Structural Engineering
A grand challenge of structural engineering is developing systems capable of withstanding extreme hazards such as hurricanes or earthquakes. To achieve this, these systems must perform damage- free during extreme events, minimize economic losses, and allow for immediate use of infrastructure following the event. In the CEE Department, faculty and students have pioneered several such systems over the last three years, testing their resilience in GW Engineering’s in-house high bay structural engineering core research facility.
The traditional process of closing a building to assess its integrity following an earthquake can take months or even years, temporarily leaving millions of people without lodging or access to buildings. A vital innovation recently developed by the department’s structural engineering community is a system designed to withstand successive earthquakes and aftershocks without damage. To investigate its response, they utilized the high bay’s state-of-the-art non-contact optical equipment to produce critical data by measuring highly accurate deformation profiles on the surface of these systems. Prof. Pedro Silva and his team have designed a new shear wall system that has been shown to achieve a damage-free response under severe earthquake loadings.
For bridges, the structural engineering group develops advanced design and construction methodologies to improve responses to heavy traffic loads, such as a new full-depth precast, prestressed deck panel system for highway bridges. Sponsored by the U.S. Transportation Research Board, these deck systems utilize Ultra High-Performance Concrete and were validated experimentally and tested in the high bay. In another key facility of GW Engineering, the GW High- Performance Computing Cluster, the experimental work for these systems was complemented by sophisticated computer simulations. The outcomes of this work have led to significant changes in the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications.
The proactive engagement of the CEE community in addressing structural engineering’s grand challenges through innovative solutions has cultivated a dynamic research environment, enriching the department’s instructional programs. By merging cutting-edge research and education, the department equips students to meet future challenges in this field with advanced, practical solutions.