Civil & Environmental Engineering
 

Message from the Chair

Citizens of the Pacific Northwest regularly hear about issues that are having or could have a tremendous impact on our region. Occasional moderate earthquakes raise speculation about whether we are adequately prepared for the “Big One”. Global warming and declining mountain snowpacks foretell potential water shortages that will require us to make difficult decisions about resource priorities. Urban residents confront persistent traffic congestion and intense public debate about road construction and mass transit options.

Civil & Environmental Engineering (CEE) is in the thick of these and other issues – conducting research, designing solutions, and training the engineers who will tackle these problems. Through our programs at the university and our professional training, CEE looks to the future to develop innovative ways to safeguard our environment and enhance the safety of our citizens, and to share these advances nationally and globally.

Education: As scientific discovery expands exponentially, education must keep pace. Engineering must keep pace. Engineering students must master both the core fundamentals and gain exposure to exciting new horizons of research and technology. A constantly evolving curriculum must emphasize:

Well-trained graduates will contribute quickly in a highly competitive global economy. Investing in outstanding faculty and students ensures a dynamic program. Our over 7000 alumni and corporate sponsors continue to provide a crucial base of support that is vital in a challenging time for state government.

Research: CEE’s strategic plan concentrates research on three major areas that are critical to the Pacific Northwest and much of the nation:

Conducting innovative research with critical, real-world applications and training the next generation of engineers to tackle society’s problems is our vision and mission.

CEE is currently ranked by US News and World Report as having the 15th best graduate program and the 18th best undergraduate program. For a modest sized department (30 faculty), these rankings reflect the outstanding contributions of our faculty, staff and students, and the generous support our alumni have made over the years. We currently have 220 undergraduates at the junior and senior level, and 186 graduate students. Our students work closely with our faculty and staff in conducting approximately $6 million in research projects each year. Our research funding comes from a variety of sources, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US and Washington State Departments of Transportation (USDOT and WSDOT), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

We are proud of the accomplishments of our students, staff, faculty and alums and welcome comments and suggestions about our department and our web site.

Welcome to the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of Washington!

Tim Larson
Professor and Acting Chair