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CE Home > About Us
Welcome From Department Head Ballarini
Roberto Ballarini, James L. Record
Professor and Head. Credit: C. PlainWelcome and thank you for your interest in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Minnesota. Because the current and emerging needs of society are becoming ever-increasingly complex, there has never been a more exciting time to pursue a degree in civil engineering. Our department is recognized internationally for preparing graduates to meet these challenges through its outstanding and unique facilities, and a vigorous, diverse education and research program in several disciplines of civil and geological engineering.
The department currently has 37 full-time and part-time faculty members and 17 research staff in five specialty areas: environmental, water resources, structures-mechanics-materials, transportation and geomechanics. The student population is comprised of 389 undergraduates and 180 graduate students. Research takes place at three main buildings: the Civil Engineering Building on the University's East Bank, the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory a half-mile upstream on the mighty Mississippi River, and the MAST Laboratory on the edge of the Minneapolis campus.
Civil Engineering is home to two major NSF-funded research centers. In 2002, the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, one of the world's premier hydraulics research facilities, received a $19.3 million science and technology center grant from the National Science Foundation to launch the National Center for Earth-Surface Dynamics. This center brings together scientists from across many disciplines to study how erosion, sediment movement and other forces shape the planet's surface, and has placed the department on the forefront of the developing field of surface-process science.
A second NSF-funded project, the Multi-Axial Subassemblage Testing (MAST) system, opened in September 2004 on the northeast corner of the Minneapolis campus. The $11.2 million MAST Lab houses a unique structural testing machine that allows our faculty and others from around the country to test the effects of earthquakes, high winds, and other extreme forces on buildings and other structures.
Most recently, the transportation group opened the doors of the first-of-its-kind Minnesota Traffic Observatory, a traffic management system offering superior technology for analyzing traffic on the busy Twin Cities freeway system.
We've made several changes to our academic programs in recent years, including the addition of a construction engineering emphasis in our undergraduate program, a capstone design course for seniors, and an M.S. program in infrastructure systems engineering. We are also participating in the NSF-funded Center for the Advancement of Engineering Education.
The Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Minnesota can provide you with an excellent preparation for a career in industry or in an academic or research institution. We invite you to call or visit the department to learn more about our program and specific areas of study. In the meantime, read the following pages to learn more about the programs and the faculty associated with our department.
Dr. Roberto Ballarini,
James L. Record Professor & Head,
Department of Civil Engineering
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