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Detailed Information

Programs of Study

Civil and environmental engineers are responsible for providing the world’s constructed facilities and the infrastructure on which modern civilization depends. To ensure the proper construction and care of these complex systems and environments, Rensselaer civil and environmental engineers develop a full range of skills in design, analysis, fabrication, communication, management, and teamwork. The growing panoply of sensors, instrumentation, intelligent facilities, and new materials is also highlighting the high-tech character of the discipline, creating new educational challenges and redefining the skill set that civil and environmental engineers need to succeed. Through a commitment to technological excellence and the integration of research and education, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering fulfills this mission: to educate the civil and environmental engineering leaders of tomorrow for technology-based careers. Using Rensselaer’s extensive resources, the Department’s civil and environmental engineers are encouraged to celebrate discovery and are trained in the responsible application of technology to create knowledge and global prosperity.

The Department offers M.S., M.Eng., D.Eng., and Ph.D. degrees in both civil and environmental engineering. The selection of a graduate program and degree is based on student interest, area of graduate concentration, and satisfaction of prerequisites. Areas of research and initiatives in civil engineering include earthquake engineering, structural engineering, geotechnical engineering, transportation engineering, and computational mechanics and, in environmental engineering, pollutant fate and transport, water treatment, waste treatment, site remediation and bioremediation, and environmental systems.

The M.S. degree program is open to students with undergraduate degrees in engineering or the physical or natural sciences. In addition to the satisfactory completion of an approved set of advanced courses, candidates for this degree must complete a 6-credit thesis. In the civil engineering discipline, the thesis must provide documentation of an independent research–related effort and be approved by the student’s faculty adviser. Environmental engineering candidates must also provide documentation of an independent research–related effort and are also required to give an oral presentation of the thesis work.

The M.Eng. is a 30-credit structured program of advanced professional study that prepares students for professional practice. Except for computational mechanics, candidates for this degree in the civil engineering discipline must have an accredited bachelor’s degree in engineering. In environmental engineering, a B.S. in the physical or natural sciences is also acceptable. There is no project or thesis requirement, but students may elect to do one, at either the 3- or 6-credit level, in consultation with their advisers.

The doctoral programs require advanced study and research conducted under the guidance of an adviser. Each doctoral candidate must have at least 72 credits beyond the bachelor’s degree. Environmental candidates are required to submit a draft of a journal article prior to graduation. The Ph.D. is a research-oriented degree focused on the development of new knowledge in the student’s chosen area of study. It includes the preparation of a dissertation that carefully documents the original contribution of the student’s research. The dissertation can represent up to 30 credits of the student’s approved plan of study. In addition to the examination processes required of all Rensselaer doctoral students, civil and environmental engineering students must pass a preliminary examination during their first year of doctoral study. Environmental engineering students must also take an oral candidacy examination within two semesters of passing the preliminary examination.

The D.Eng. is a specialized program aimed at advanced engineering problem solving. The degree includes the preparation of a dissertation that poses a significant engineering problem and develops a solution. The dissertation for this degree can represent up to 30 credits of the student’s approved plan of study. The examination requirements for both disciplines are the same as those for the Ph.D.

Research Facilities

Research is supported by state-of-the-art facilities and equipment including the Rensselaer Libraries, whose electronic information system provides access to collections, databases, and the Internet from campus and remote terminals; the Rensselaer Computing System, which permeates the campus with a coherent array of more than 7,000 nodes of distributed laptops, desktops, advanced workstations, and servers; a shared toolkit of applications for interactive learning and research and high-speed Internet connectivity; one of the country’s largest academically based, class 100 clean room facilities; high-performance campuswide computing facilities that allow for serial or parallel computation; and five core laboratories for molecular biology, proteomics, bio-imaging, and tissue engineering.

Rensselaer’s research capabilities have been enhanced with the addition of the Computational Center for Nanotechnology Innovations (CCNI). The result of a $100-million collaboration with IBM and New York State, the CCNI is the world’s most powerful university-based supercomputing center and a top ten supercomputing center of any kind in the world. The CCNI is made up of massively parallel Blue Gene supercomputers, POWER-based Linux clusters, and Opteron-based clusters, providing more than 100 teraflops of computational muscle and approximately a petabyte of shared online storage.

Other facilities and research centers include the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies; the George M. Low Center for Industrial Innovation; research centers for integrated electronics, terahertz science, nanotechnology, fuel cell and hydrogen research, lighting research, and science and technology policy; and those described in the last section of this description. In addition, academic departments and faculty laboratories have extensive discipline-specific research capabilities and equipment.

From downloading data from instrumented facilities worldwide to using a 150 g-ton geotechnical centrifuge to being involved in the most advanced construction projects, including “The Big Dig,” to winning national competitions in steel bridge building, Rensselaer’s civil engineering students are involved in world-changing research on a daily basis. Recently the centrifuge facility was upgraded to a 150 g-ton overall capacity and enhanced with Web-based teleobservation and teleoperation wireless sensors as part of its integration into the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES), a national NSF-supported collaboratory. Two modern telecontrol and teleconference rooms located close to the centrifuge facilitate collaboration and real-time experiments with the rest of NEES through a high-speed Internet connection. The geotechnical centrifuge is currently a main part of the Center for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (CEES), a School of Engineering interdisciplinary research center. The Rensselaer 1-g seismic shaking table is utilized to evaluate the behavior of scale-model structures subjected to dynamic loading. The shaking table is driven by a servo-controlled hydraulic actuator and is capable of reproducing a variety of input motions, including random motion for system identification testing and historical earthquake records for seismic testing. A variety of dynamic measurement sensors are available in the laboratory, along with a spectrum analyzer and data acquisition system to process and record the measured signals.

The environmental engineering program has a variety of equipment and facilities available for use in research. These include various two-phase flow loops and associated instrumentation, laser Doppler and anemometer systems, optical void probes, probes to determine radiation damage in biological materials and semiconductors, state-of-the-art digitizing oscilloscopes, Departmental computers, and computer terminals linked to the campus and national networks. A major upgrade in lab equipment and space for environmental engineering research and teaching has occurred through the establishment of the Keck Water Quality Laboratory, the National Science Foundation Environmental Colloid and Particle Laboratory, and the refurbishment of the Environmental Engineering Teaching Laboratory suite. Analytical equipment in these labs provides the capability for analysis and investigation of a wide variety of industrial processes, treatment processes, and polluted environments. This equipment gives students experience and expertise in treatability and toxicity studies, design and operation of bench-scale treatment systems, and investigation of a wide range of environmental quality parameters. The fate of specific compounds in the environment and in treatment processes can be analyzed by UV-Vis spectrophotometry, high-pressure liquid chromatography, and gas-liquid and gas chromatography with a number of specific and sensitive detectors, including electron capture, flame ionization, thermal conductivity, and mass spectral. Metals analyses by atomic absorption spectrophotometry and elemental analyses are also available. A complete suite of water-quality monitoring equipment, field sampling systems, and geographical information system tools are available. Computational capabilities are widely accessible not only throughout the campus but in research laboratories, as well.

Financial Aid

Financial aid is available in the forms of teaching and research assistantships and fellowships, which include tuition scholarships and stipends. Rensselaer assistantships cover the academic year, with summer support available in many departments. University, corporate, or national fellowships fund many of Rensselaer’s full-time graduate students. Outstanding students may qualify for university-sponsored Rensselaer Graduate Fellowship Awards, which carry a minimum stipend of $22,000 and a full tuition and fees scholarship. All fellowship awards are calendar-year awards for full-time graduate students. Low-interest, deferred-repayment graduate loans are available to U.S. citizens with demonstrated need.

Cost of Study

Full-time graduate tuition for the 2008–09 academic year is $36,950. Other costs (estimated living expenses, insurance, etc.) are projected to be about $13,680. Therefore, the cost of attendance for full-time graduate study is approximately $50,630. Part-time study and cohort programs are priced differently. Students should contact Rensselaer for specific cost information related to the program they wish to study.

Living and Housing Costs

Graduate students at Rensselaer may choose from a variety of housing options. On campus, students can select one of the many residence halls and immerse themselves in campus life or choose from a select number of apartments designed for graduate students only. There are abundant, affordable options off campus as well, many within easy walking distance.

Student Group

Of the 1,176 graduate students, 29 percent are women, and 92 percent are full-time, with 75 percent of full-time graduate students studying at the doctoral level.

Student Outcomes

Rensselaer’s graduate students are hired in a variety of industries and sectors of the economy and by private and public organizations, the government, and institutions of higher education. Their starting salaries average $74,807 for master’s degree recipients and $82,750 for Ph.D. recipients.

Location

Located just 10 miles northeast of Albany, New York State’s capital city, Rensselaer’s historic 275-acre campus sits on a hill overlooking the city of Troy, New York, and the Hudson River. The area offers a relaxed lifestyle with many cultural and recreational opportunities, with easy access to both the high-energy metropolitan centers of the Northeast–such as Boston, New York City, and Montreal, Canada–and the quiet beauty of the neighboring Adirondack Mountains.

The Institute

Recognized as a leader in interactive learning and interdisciplinary research, Rensselaer continues a tradition of excellence and technological innovation dating back to 1824. Rensselaer has five schools–Architecture, Engineering, Management, Science, and Humanities and Social Sciences–that offer more than 100 graduate programs in over forty-eight disciplines that attract top students, researchers, and professors. The discovery of new scientific concepts and technologies, especially in emerging interdisciplinary fields, is the lifeblood of Rensselaer’s culture and a core goal for the faculty, staff, and students. Fueled by significant support from government, industry, and private donors, Rensselaer provides a world-class education in an environment tailored to the individual.

Applying

The admission deadline for the fall semester is January 1. Basic admission requirements are the submission of a completed application form (available online), the required application fee ($75), a statement of background and goals, official transcripts, official scores on the GRE General Test, TOEFL or IELTS scores (if applicable), and two recommendations.

The Faculty and Their Research

• Tarek Abdoun, Associate Professor and Associate Director, NEES-NSF Geotechnical Centrifuge Research Center; Ph.D. (geotechnical engineering), Rensselaer. Centrifuge modeling, soil-structure interaction, soil remediation, advanced field sensing, data visualization. (abdout@rpi.edu)
• Jeff X. Ban, Assistant Professor; Ph.D. (transportation engineering). Traffic simulation and network modeling, ITS data analysis and evaluation, optimal traffic sensor deployment.
• Gianluca Cusatis, Assistant Professor; Ph.D. (structural engineering), Politecnico di Milano (Italy). Mechanics of materials and structures: analysis of the mechanical behavior of quasi-brittle materials, computational mechanics, linear and nonlinear fracture mechanics, nonlinear constitutive modeling, concrete creep, rate effect on material strength, moisture and heat transfer, concrete-steel interface behavior, reinforced concrete structures. (cusatg@rpi.edu)
• Ricardo Dobry, Professor and Director, NEES-NSF Geotechnical Centrifuge Research Center; Sc.D. (civil engineering), MIT. Soil mechanics, geotechnical earthquake engineering, geotechnical dynamic centrifuge testing. (dobryr@rpi.edu)
• George J. Dvorak, Professor Emeritus; Ph.D., Brown. Theoretical and experimental aspects of micromechanical response of composite materials, heterogeneous media, and composite structures; development of new modeling techniques, with applications that include use of optimized fiber prestress for damage control in laminated plates and shells, transformation field analysis of damage nucleation and evolution in composite systems, and novel adhesive joining methods. (dvorak@rpi.edu)
• Jacob Fish, Professor; Ph.D. (theoretical and applied mechanics), Northwestern. Simulation, computational mechanics, mathematical optimization, micro-electro-mechanical systems, advanced materials, structural integrity, high-performance computing. (fishj@rpi.edu)
• Jose Holguin-Veras, Professor and Acting Department Head; Ph.D. (transportation), Texas at Austin. Integration of state-of-the-art economic principles into transportation modeling so a complete picture could be developed on the broader impacts of transportation activity on the economy and the environment, behavior of the participating agents to support sustainable policies. (jhv@rpi.edu)
• James (Chip) Kilduff, Associate Professor; Ph.D. (environmental engineering), Michigan. Using ultrafiltration and nanofiltration membrane separation processes to control natural organic matter, including disinfection by-product precursors and ionic pollutants; effects of macromolecule size and sorbent chemical characteristics on the uptake of natural organic matter by activated carbon; effects of background natural organic matter on the removal of trichloroethylene by activated carbon; effects of activated carbon surface properties on the uptake of priority pollutants and the solvent regeneration of phenol. (kilduff@rpi.edu)
• Marianne Nyman, Associate Professor; Ph.D. (environmental engineering), Purdue. Fate (and transport) of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) in natural and engineered systems, aquatic chemistry, method development for HOCs, sorption/desorption processes, abiotic degradation of HOCs, modeling and mass spectrometry. (nymanm@rpi.edu)
• Michael J. O’Rourke, Professor; Ph.D. (civil engineering), Northwestern. Lifeline earthquake engineering: wave propagation effects on buried pipe, permanent ground deformation effects on buried pipe, centrifuge testing of buried pipe, fragility relations for above-ground tanks; snow loading on roofs: ground snow loads, drift loads on stepped roofs, drift loads on gable roofs, eave icing. (orourm@rpi.edu)
• Mark S. Shephard, Professor and Director of the Scientific Computation Research Center; Ph.D., Cornell. Development of techniques to reliably automate the finite-element modeling process: adaptive analysis techniques, parallel finite-element procedures, and automated finite-element model generation and the techniques’ application to areas that include manufacturing simulations, structural systems, thermomechanical modeling of electronic packaging, computational fluid dynamics, modeling of high-performance composite materials, and modeling of biomechanical systems. (shephard@scorec.rpi.edu)
• Michael D. Symans, Associate Professor; Ph.D. (civil engineering), SUNY at Buffalo. Structural dynamics, earthquake engineering, seismic isolation and energy dissipation systems, smart structures, structural vibration control, constitutive modeling, system identification. (symans@rpi.edu)
• Satish V. Ukkusur, Assistant Professor; Ph.D. (transportation systems, civil engineering), Texas at Austin. Modeling uncertainty in transportation networks, simulations of large-scale robust transportation networks, online network equilibrium problems, information and sensor technologies for transportation applications, intermodal system operations, infrastructure security and network evacuation. (ukkuss@rpi.edu)
• William A. Wallace, Professor; Ph.D., Rensselaer. Analytical approaches to emergency management: development of models for disaster management, including transportation of hazardous materials, and development of decision logic for crisis management; process of modeling: acquiring of an expert’s judgment and experience and its subsequent codification in a form amenable to representation by a complex model–designing an automated means of support for this process, the use of visual, both 2-D and 3-D, and studying ways and acquiring knowledge about the usual or exceptional occurrence. (wallaw@rpi.edu)
• Mourad Zeghal, Associate Professor; Ph.D. (civil engineering), Princeton. Computational soil micromechanics, geotechnical-system identification, seismic response monitoring, and information technology applications in geomechanics, with a focus on multiscale modeling of geosystems, model validation and calibration, and development of improved optimal design tools. (zeghal@rpi.edu)
• Thomas F. Zimmie, Professor; Ph.D. (civil engineering), Connecticut. Landfill siting and design, groundwater hydrology, groundwater contamination, centrifuge modeling of geo-environmental problems, physical-chemical phenomena in soils, subsurface drainage, geosynthetics, experimental soil dynamics, solid and hazardous waste disposal, sediment transport in rivers, problems on the geotechnical environmental interface. (zimmit@rpi.edu)
• AFFILIATED AND RELATED INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH CENTERS
• Center for Infrastructure and Transportation Studies (CITS): CITS was established in 1993 to create a collaborative environment for multidisciplinary research focused on the systems that make societal activity possible within the built environment. Such systems are the backbone of civilization, and, to keep pace with the information age in a sustainable world, they must evolve rapidly in all aspects of their planning, design, operation, maintenance, and metamorphosis. Pushing this frontier within CITS are faculty members and students from many different disciplines. Their interests range from civil engineering to management and include decision sciences; electrical, chemical, mechanical, and materials engineering; information technology; architecture; cognitive science; computer science; and economics. Current research is focused on advanced materials and their application; intelligent transportation systems; the use of simulation for system analysis, design, and operations planning; and the development of new decision-making paradigms and decision-support systems. Both real and virtual laboratories make possible this scientific advancement. Of particular note are the real-world testbeds made accessible by partnerships with the U.S. Department of Transportation, the New York State Department of Transportation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the cities of White Plains and Troy, New York. Other major research partners include the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Sandia National Laboratories, and the New York State Thruway Authority.
• Darrin Fresh Water Institute (DFWI): For more than thirty-five years, the Darrin Fresh Water Institute has been conducting research that has helped increase public awareness of environmental issues and has contributed to answers for tough questions concerning the protection of land, water, and air. The DFWI is well known for its all-encompassing study of fresh water systems and ecological processes. This institute provides Rensselaer students and faculty members as well as visiting scientists the opportunity to study a number of ecosystems and to conduct research on important environmental problems. There are facilities on the RPI campus, at the lakeside Adirondack field station, and at a remote monitoring station.
• Geotechnical Centrifuge Center: The Geotechnical Centrifuge Center is part of the George E. Brown Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES), a nationwide academic research consortium. This 150 g-ton geotechnical centrifuge NEES facility is located in the basement of the Jonsson Engineering Center. In it, researchers are able to conduct scale-model simulations. Rensselaer’s state-of-the-art centrifuge has a mechanical arm that can swing model structures around at 250 miles per hour, exerting forces real buildings would face only at catastrophic moments. A number of research and testing projects have been initiated by the RPI researchers on reinforced earth, dynamic response of pile-cap foundation systems, and liquefaction and lateral spreading of saturated sand. These projects cover both static and earthquake response and employ as needed the adjacent cyclic soils laboratory and computers for small sample soil characterization and for analysis of the centrifuge model tests.
• Inverse Problems Center (IPRPI): IPRPI has drawn together an interdisciplinary group of researchers with a common interest in dealing with critical issues by using inverse theory. The field of inverse problems is a vast scientific area in which Rensselaer has a significant, high-quality, well-established scientific base. IPRPI comprises distinguished researchers in such varied fields as mathematics, geosciences, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, and electrical engineering. A broad range of application areas are being addressed by IPRPI, including geophysics, medical imaging, synthetic aperture radar, and ocean acoustics. The impact of IPRPI also reaches far through members’ development of specialized software and publications that are shared with the international inverse problems community.
• W. M. Keck Foundation Water Quality Laboratory: Some of the most important and modern tools for water and watershed analysis are available through the new W. M. Keck Foundation Water Quality Laboratory at Rensselaer. This state-of-the-art facility, made possible by a major gift from the W. M. Keck Foundation, has quickly become a vital resource in Rensselaer’s water-quality research. In one location, researchers can quickly determine the exact chemical composition of soil and water samples and examine microscopic organisms. These scientific instruments are important tools for exploring the natural world, protecting freshwater and groundwater sources, engineering solutions to critical problems, and guiding public policy.
• Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC): The NSEC is focused on discovering and developing the means to assemble nanoscale building blocks with unique properties into functional structures under well-controlled, intentionally directed conditions. In September 2001, the National Science Foundation selected Rensselaer as one of the six original sites for a new Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC). As part of the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative, the program is housed within the Rensselaer Nanotechnology Center and forms a partnership between Rensselaer, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Los Alamos National Laboratory. The mission of Rensselaer’s Center for Directed Assembly of Nanostructures is to integrate research, education, and technology dissemination and to serve as a national resource for fundamental knowledge in directed assembly of nanostructures.

Correspondence and Information

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Marcia Hartnett, Administrative Assistant
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Jonsson Engineering Center
110 8th Street
Troy, New York 12180
Telephone: 518-276-6941
Email: hartnm2@rpi.edu