Department of Civil Engineering

Auburn basketball teammates Dylan Cardwell (left) and Joah Shay (right) recreate an iconic photo of former NBA stars Manute Bol and Spudd Webb.

#GINNing Podcast: Joah's Arc

Jeremy D Henderson | 04/25/25

Noah's Ark? How about Joah's arc? Because if you feed freshman civil engineering and Final Four'ing Auburn basketballer Joah Shay the rock behind that 3-point line, he's going to straight up make it rain.

A young man uses a drill on stacked wood

Cool tool expands mass timber research capabilities

04/21/25

With the addition of a CLT press, the interdisciplinary faculty of the Auburn Mass Timber Collaborative can manufacture and test mass timber products without leaving campus.

#GINNing Podcast: The Juggler

Jeremy D Henderson | 04/11/25

She'll be honest — growing up in Denver, Shelby Balding had never heard of Auburn. Now, the civil engineering junior and cross-country crusader can't stop talking about it.

Graduate Engineering Research Showcase winner Tori Phillips, left, with Maria Auad, the college's associate dean for graduate studies and faculty development.

Chemical engineering student wins Graduate Engineering Research Showcase with study on hydraulic redistribution

Joe McAdory | 04/08/25

More than 150 students participated in the 12th Graduate Engineering Research Showcase, held April 3 in the Brown-Kopel Center.

Auburn Engineering’s graduate programs were ranked No. 6 overall in the Southeastern Conference and, once again, No. 1 in the state.

Auburn Engineering graduate programs earn high marks in recent U.S. News and World Report rankings

Joe McAdory | 04/08/25

U.S. News and World Report, which ranks graduate programs nationally each spring, designated Auburn Engineering No. 33 among public institutions when its annual list was released Tuesday, April 8.

Shiqiang (Nick) Zou, assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering (center), holds a reactor used in electrochemical reduction, a process that uses electrical energy to break down per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) while keeping granular activated carbon intact for potential reuse. Graduate assistant Jason Zhao (right) and postdoctoral fellow David Ricardo Martinez Vargas (left) are working with Zou on the project.

Civil and Environmental Engineering assistant professor receives grant to remove hazardous chemicals using electricity

Dustin Duncan | 04/07/25

Shiqiang (Nick) Zou, assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, earns $250K grant to test electricity-based method for breaking down toxic PFAS chemicals in water more safely, cheaply and sustainably.

Ten representatives from Auburn’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) — including students, faculty and researchers — attended this year’s International Erosion Control Association (IECA) annual conference, walking away with four awards.

Auburn civil and environmental engineering students sweep the International Erosion Control Association Conference

Olivia Ballard | 04/01/25

Ten representatives from Auburn’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) — including students, faculty and researchers — attended this year’s International Erosion Control Association (IECA) annual conference, walking away with four awards.

Auburn researchers are part of an $887,985 study to address engineering challenges associated with energy efficiency of zero emission bus materials.

Researchers part of $887K FTA project to optimize efficiency on zero emission bus materials

Joe McAdory | 03/21/25

Auburn Engineering researchers on the project are Bryan Beckingham (principal investigator) and co-PIs Cassandra Porter, Michael Howard, Lauren Beckingham, Mark Hoffman and Christian Brodbeck.

Civil and environmental engineering assistant professor aims to predict how sea ice reacts to stress and strain

Dustin Duncan | 02/20/25

Ali Khosravi, an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is studying how sea ice moves and reacts to stress, especially during interactions with structures and vessels.

New Engineering Global Programs opportunity takes students to New Zealand

Dustin Duncan | 02/17/25

A new study abroad program through Engineering Global Programs will take Auburn Engineering students to the South Pacific, immersing them in the environmental landscapes of New Zealand.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey address attendees at the 68th annual Alabama Transportation Conference on Feb. 11-12 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex hosted by the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering.

Auburn hosts 68th annual Alabama Transportation Conference

Dustin Duncan | 02/14/25

The Auburn University Samuel Ginn College of Engineering hosted the 68th annual Alabama Transportation Conference on Feb. 11-12 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.

Engineering Without Borders students on location in Westpoint, Tennessee, include (from left), Eli Williams, Virginia Keith, Morgan Bell (resident engineer in charge), Emma Tolbert, Sam Mariano, Joel Young, Park White and Gerald John, advisor and civil and environmental engineering research associate.

Auburn Engineering students solving water issues domestically and abroad

Joe McAdory | 02/06/25

Auburn's Engineering Without Borders chapter helping residents in rural Tennessee, Guatemala and Bolivia.

Laurence Rilett, AUTRI director and Ginn Distinguished Professor, presided over the governor’s luncheon at the 67th annual Alabama Transportation Conference in Birmingham.

Auburn prepares to host 68th Annual Alabama Transportation Conference

Dustin Duncan | 01/31/25

Auburn University Transportation Research Institute (AUTRI) is once again shaping Alabama’s transportation future by hosting the 68th Annual Alabama Transportation Conference (ATC).

The newly established Auburn chapter of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association gathers for a photo during the 104th Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in January in Washington, D.C.

The American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association introduces Auburn student chapter

Olivia Ballard | 01/29/25

The American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) student chapter at Auburn University becomes the first AREMA student chapter in Alabama and the 26th nationwide.

Two AUTRI graduate research assistants, Corey McDaniels (right) and Christopher Gerber (left), received the 2024 Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship from the Federal Highway Administration. The pair represented AUTRI during a recognition session at the TRB meeting.

Auburn researchers shine at national transportation conference

Dustin Duncan | 01/29/25

AUTRI faculty, staff and students participated in 19 lectern sessions, 21 poster sessions and several workshops at the 104th Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, held Jan. 5-9 in Washington, D.C.

Jonathan Pettus has been named executive director of the Auburn University Applied Research Institute. [Credit: UAH]

Pettus named executive director of Auburn University Applied Research Institute in Huntsville

Jeremy D Henderson | 01/28/25

Auburn University’s Office of the Senior Vice President for Research and Economic Development has hired Jonathan Pettus as executive director of the Auburn University Applied Research Institute (AUARI) in Huntsville, effective February 1.

#GINNing Podcast: The Right Material

Jeremy D Henderson | 01/24/25

From the woods of Columbiana to the Costa da Caparica, junior Anna Carter is living the dream, Birdsonging her away around this great material world of ours one extra engineering mile at a time.

The new rankings mark five consecutive years in the Top 20 and nine consecutive years in the Top 25.

Auburn Engineering ranks No. 20 in U.S. News online graduate program rankings, online computer science program moves up 10 spots

Karen Hunley | 01/21/25

The new rankings mark five consecutive years in the Top 20 and nine consecutive years in the Top 25.

Dr. Gregg Carr, ’85 civil engineering, was a first-team All-American linebacker in 1984 and recorded 453 tackles during his Auburn career, ranking second in team history. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1985 and played four NFL seasons before leaving football to pursue a career in medicine.

Civil engineering alumnus elected to college football hall of fame

Dustin Duncan | 01/17/25

Dr. Gregg Carr, ’85 civil engineering was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025.

Avry Prewitt will serve as the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering’s graduation marshal at Auburn’s fall commencement on Saturday, Dec. 14.

Civil and environmental engineering senior named Auburn graduation marshal

Dustin Duncan | 12/06/24

As a child, Avry Prewitt’s world was filled with construction — Lego towers, pillow forts and elaborate Minecraft creations. That early passion for building grew into a purpose, leading her to pursue a bachelor’s degree in civil and environmental engineering at Auburn University. This December, Prewitt will cap off her college journey by serving as the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering’s graduation marshal at Auburn’s fall commencement on Saturday, Dec. 14.

Ruha Tacey, a 2012 Auburn chemical engineering graduate who has gone viral on social media as a STEM advocating influencer, served as the keynote speaker for this year's MADE@AU event.

Auburn MADE event prepares students for an engineering experience

Austin Phillips | 12/06/24

Auburn MADE event prepares students for an engineering experience

Pictured is the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma on U.S. 80. The Alabama Transportation Assistance Program (ATAP), part of the Auburn University Transportation Research Institute (AUTRI), is partnering with the city of Selma to address safety concerns across the city, with a particular focus along the Highland Avenue corridor.

Auburn University Transportation Research Institute partners with Selma to address traffic concerns

Dustin Duncan | 12/03/24

The Alabama Transportation Assistance Program (ATAP), part of the Auburn University Transportation Research Institute (AUTRI), is partnering with the city of Selma to address safety concerns across the city, with a particular focus along the Highland Avenue corridor.

Two people use instruments to monitor water levels geographically isolated wetlands. Frances O’Donnell, associate professor in civil and environmental engineering, is partnering with NASA to study such wetlands and their environmental impact.

Associate professor in civil and environmental engineering awarded federal grant to research geographically isolated wetlands

Olivia Ballard | 12/03/24

Frances O’Donnell, associate professor in civil and environmental engineering, is partnering with NASA to study geographically isolated wetlands (GIWs) and their environmental impact.

Corey McDaniels, a master’s student in the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering (CSSE), has been awarded the 2024 Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship by the Federal Highway Administration.

Computer Science and Software Engineering graduate student wins Eisenhower Fellowship from Federal Highway Administration

Kat Bader | 11/14/24

Corey McDaniels, a master’s student in the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering (CSSE), has been awarded the 2024 Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship by the Federal Highway Administration.