Lemos Watson chosen to receive ASC Regional Teaching Award

Nov. 4, 2022 - Emmeline Lemos Watson, assistant professor of practice in the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction, has been chosen to receive the 2022 American Schools of Construction (ASC) Regional Teaching Award for Region 4. The award will be presented in April 2023 at the International ASC Conference in Liverpool, England. Recipients of the Regional Teaching Award are eligible to be considered for the ASC International Excellence in Teaching Award.
Shen chosen to NSF CMMI Game Changer Academies for Advancing Research Innovation Program
Oct. 27, 2022 - Zhigang Shen, associate professor in the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction, has been chosen to the 2023 National Science Foundation (NSF) CMMI Game Changer Academies for Advancing Research Innovation Program. The program aims to improve group dynamics during panel discussions, increase awareness of bias and identity, and enhance understanding of high-risk, high-reward ideas. Once trained, "Panel Fellows" will bring enhanced skills and awareness when they participate in panel discussions during NSF merit review.
Four alums chosen to university's Young Alumni Academy
Oct. 27, 2022 - Four College of Engineering alumni are among the 39 University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduates selected to the 2022 class of the Young Alumni Academy. The Nebraska Engineering alums in the 2022-23 cohort are (with hometowns, year of graduation and major):
Satya Deshpande, Lincoln, 2022 mechanical engineering and applied mechanics
Mustafa Ridha, Lincoln, 2018 computer engineering
Tyler Sondag, Omaha, 2018 civil engineering and 2020 architectural engineering
Austin Wendt, Omaha, 2017 computer science
Research by nine Nebraska Engineering faculty supported by 2022-23 Layman Seed Program awards
July 12, 2022 - Nine faculty from the College of Engineering are leading research projects that are among the 24 being supported by the. University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Office of Research and Economic Development in 2022-23 through its Layman Awards program, which funds work that enhances a researcher's ability to obtain external funding to support prominent scholarship.
The program offers two tracks — the Layman Seed Program, which funds new projects by early-career faculty who are nontenured at the time of submission; and the New Directions Program, which funds tenured faculty who are branching into new research directions or need funding to support pilot or developmental work toward the next step in a funded research program. Awards of up to $10,000 per application for each program are made possible by support from the University of Nebraska Foundation.
The College of Engineering faculty being supported by Layman Seed Program awards in 2022-23 are:
2022 LAYMAN SEED PROGRAM AWARDS
- Mona Bavarian, chemical and biomolecular engineering; "Continuous manufacturing of microelectronics polymers via combination of data science and macroscopic modeling."
- Jason Hawkins, civil and environmental engineering, "Environmental-economic systems as dynamic networks-of-networks."
- Qiang Liu, School of Computing, "Automated offline simulator augmentation with real-to-sim learning in mobile networks."
- Nitesh Nama, mechanical and materials engineering, "Bubble based acoustic microswimmers."
- Arman Roohi, School of Computing, "Enabling robust quantized neural network acceleration in federated edge computing."
2022 LAYMAN NEW DIRECTIONS GRANTS
- Moe Alahmad, Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction, "Analysis and statistical prediction of variability in time-series data."
- Srivatsan Kidambi, chemical and biomolecular engineering, "Synthetic biomimetic environment (BEASTS) to investigate the role of stiffness in altered redox signaling and inflammation in placenta during HDP."
- Daniel Linzell, civil and environmental engineering, "Individual-level factors that and their impact on retention of women in the construction industry."
- Hongfeng Yu, School of Computing, "Hierarchical knowledge-driven visual analytics for oncologic diagnosis."
Thirty Nebraska Engineering students earn Milton E. Mohr fellowships, scholarships
Thirty students from the College of Engineering were selected to receive awards from the Milton E. Mohr Scholarship and Fellowship Awards Program for the 2022-23 academic year.
Each scholarship and fellowship provides $1,000 per year to the student and is renewable.
The Milton E. Mohr Scholarship and Fellowship Awards Program was established in 1989 for students in the College of Engineering or Biotechnology degree programs. The scholarships and fellowships are made possible through an endowment to the University Foundation.
To be eligible for the 2022-23 academic year, students must be a full-time junior, senior or graduate student or have full-time graduate status enrolled in as a primary major in engineering or biotechnology programs, maintain a minimum 3.5 grade-point average, and have a graduation date of no earlier than May 2023.
The 2022-23 recipients from the College of Engineering:
Graduate Fellowships (12)
Ivon Acosta Ramirez, Ph.D., Biological Engineering
Justin Brooks, Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics
Niaz Chowdhury, Ph.D., Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Ryan Haggerty, Ph.D., Civil Engineering
Fei San Lee, Ph.D., Biological Engineering
Jazmin Ley, Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics
Sussan Moussavi, Ph.D., Civil Engineering
Kshitij Nikhal, Ph.D., Electrical Engineering
Hafiz Oyediran, Ph.D., Engineering, Construction Engineering and Management
Sahand Serajian, Ph.D., Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Megan Stokey, Ph.D., Electrical Engineering
Nathan Taylor, Masters, Architectural Engineering
Undergraduate Scholarships (18)
Nicholas Abbott, Architectural Engineering
Caitlyn Allen, Biological Systems Engineering
Sarah Altman, Biological Systems Engineering
Benjamin Bashtovoi, Mechanical Engineering
Elena Butler, Biological Systems Engineering
Sophia Frappier, Biological Systems Engineering
Luke Freyhof, Biological Systems Engineering
Miah Hoppens, Chemical Engineering
Isabelle Koehler, Chemical Engineering
Josiah Kolar, Mechanical Engineering
Kimberly Law, Chemical Engineering
Ryan Orth, Software Engineering
Ryan Otte, Civil Engineering
Chase Pettit, Mechanical Engineering
Ken Pham, Computer Engineering
Keifer Smith, Civil Engineering
Rylie Steffen, Biological Systems Engineering
Simon Thengvall, Mechanical Engineering
Durham School team wins multiple awards at AEI International Student Design Competition
A team of architectural engineering students from the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction took home multiple honors at the recent Architectural Engineering Institute's International Student Design Competition held April 7 in Arlington, Texas.
Nebraska's Team Nexus finished second in Building Integration, the competition's top award, and won in Electrical. The team was also second in Mechanical and Structural competitions. Additionally, the team also was honored for Outstanding Achievement in Innovation for Building Performance Enhancement.
Advised by Clarence Waters, professor in the Durham School, the student team included:
- Isabel Anderson, Team Leader (Integration, Electrical)
- Izzy Brown (Integration, Electrical)
- Emily Ritzdorf (Integration, Electrical)
- Alec Eiseman (Integration, Electrical)
- Caleb Krouse (Integration, Structural)
- Jenna Reynard (Integration, Structural)
- Jackson Cordell (Integration, Mechanical)
- Grace Stirling (Integration, Mechanical)
- Josh Palakapilly (Integration, Mechanical)
George Morcous selected as PCI Fellow
George Morcous, professor in The Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction, has been honored by the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute as a PCI Fellow. The award was presented at the annual PCI Convention, held March 1-5 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Morcous was honored for his teaching and research, which focuses on ultra-high-performance concrete, precast concrete bridge systems and connections, and large-diameter prestressing strands.
The PCI Fellow award recognizes an individual who has embraced the values of the Institute and has provided continuous outstanding contributions to the precast concrete industry. Service to the industry may be considered in the areas of education, research, design, marketing, management, or operations. This individual will have also demonstrated exceptional service to PCI.
Durham School Career Fair draws 400+ students, 87 employers

The 2021 Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction Career Fair was a success. Split over two days - Oct. 4 and 5, 2021, at the Scott Conference Center - 87 employers participated in person with more than 240 students visiting the first day and more than 160 visiting on the second day. Another 20 employers participated in the virtual career fair on Oct. 26. The modified format allowed for a lower density of occupants, giving each exhibitor more space and less students waiting in line. Many thanks to the emoployers who exhibited this ear and a special shoutout to the College of Engineering's Engineering Student Services team - especially Emili Jones, Sarah Kavan, Jen Skidmore and Theresa Luensmann) for their work in coordinating and managing this fair.
Bankrate.com lists AE, Construction degrees among most valuable college majors
Recently bankrate.com rated the most valuable college majors in 2021 from reviewing 159 different degrees, and the two that topped that list are offered by the Durham School -Architectural Engineering, and Construction. For this study, Bankrate looked at the median incomes and unemployment rates of American workers based on the subject of their bachelor's degrees. The higher the income level and the lower the unemployment rate, the better.
Four Durham School faculty recognized at College's 2021 Excellence in Research reception

Four Durham School faculty - Josephine Lau, Marc Maguire, Zhigang Shen and David Yuill - were among the faculty who were recognized at the College of Engineering's 2021 Excellence in Research reception.