Bart Nijssen, Chair & Professor
Welcome to the spring 2025 edition of The Bridge. As I write this, we are navigating a time of significant uncertainty — both within the university and across the broader funding landscape that supports our work. Like many institutions, the University of Washington is facing budget constraints at the state and federal levels. In response, university leadership has enacted hiring freezes, reduced travel and limited events. Among the unfortunate outcomes of these cuts was the cancellation of Engineering Discovery Days, a long-standing tradition that introduces thousands of Washington students to the world of engineering.
These challenges are real and deeply felt across our community. But they have also reinforced the importance of connection to each other, to our students and to the external partners who help extend the reach and relevance of our work. Strengthening those relationships has been a growing focus for the department. We’re also proud to share that CEE was recently ranked No. 10 out of 152 civil engineering graduate programs in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 rankings — a recognition that reflects the excellence of our faculty, students and community. Our environmental engineering program remains ranked No. 18 out of 103, based on the 2025 rankings, which were not updated this year.
This issue features a story on how organizations can partner with CEE to drive innovation and opportunity. From industry-funded research to student club sponsorships, we’re proud of the many ways we engage with the world beyond campus. These collaborations shape the education our students receive and the research we conduct.
You’ll also find highlights of faculty research addressing timely engineering challenges — from Professor Mike Gomez’s work using bacteria to strengthen soil and reduce earthquake risk, to Professor Dawn Lehman’s structural testing in support of a national building safety investigation, to pilot projects from the Winkler Lab that are helping local wastewater treatment plants remove nitrogen without building new infrastructure.
The work featured in this issue, and the partnerships that support it, reflect how we’re meeting today’s challenges with purpose, collaboration and care.
As always, thank you for being part of our community.
Bart Nijssen
Chair & Professor
Originally published June 3, 2025