Chairperson’s Message

Mission

The CEE department shares the view of many institutions that recognize Civil Engineering as a noble discipline that combines the rigor of science, pragmatism of business, as well as respect to our environment. In line with the University spirit and Faculty vision and directives, the CEE department mission statement has brilliantly evolved over time following thorough considerations of its potentials, aspirations, geographical location, industry and professional requirements, and ambitions of its faculty members. In order to best fulfill its mission and achieve its program learning outcomes, the department has recognized that it needs to:

• • Create an environment that promotes the mastery, development and dissemination of discipline knowledge and methods.


• • Provide students with the preparation, skills and orientation that make them attractive to employers for entry level positions and to enable them to compete and attain distinction as professional civil engineers.


• • Provide students with knowledge, methods and orientation to succeed in discipline-related graduate programs, including the PhD level.


• • Provide students with the professional and civic disposition that reflect responsible freedom, Eastern values and integrity and that best serve their profession, communities, nation, region and the world.

Undergraduate Programs

Graduate Programs

Program Educational Objectives
PEO.1 - The graduates of the program will, by selecting an option, acquire a more focused knowledge in at least one specialized field of civil engineering, in addition to a comprehensive knowledge in other fields of this discipline.

PEO.2 - The graduates of the program will acquire the desire for research and innovation in at least one specialized field of civil engineering that will enable them to succeed as professional civil engineers with proper team-work and ethical attitudes, and to pursue doctoral education.

PEO.3 - The graduates of the program will maintain the desire for engagement in lifelong learning in response to emerging technologies, social developments, and contemporary issues - environmental, economic, health, and energy issues.

Student Outcomes

1. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.


2. an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.


3. an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.


4. an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.


5. an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.


6. an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.


7. an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Graduates may apply for advanced study leading to a Master of Science (MS) degree in Civil Engineering or Environmental Engineering, after obtaining the required average in the undergraduate program of studies, either immediately following the BS degree or after completing the BE degree. The Faculty Admissions Committee makes the final decision on acceptance to the MS program. The following tracks are offered in the program:

1-MATERIALS TRACK:
The infrastructure for testing and evaluation of materials (including cement, concrete, and asphalt) is well advanced at the CEE department, with particular emphasis on both mechanical properties and field performance. Our faculty members and students innovate and advance the state-of-the-art while searching for new, sustainable, and high-quality materials. We examine concrete and asphalt materials on multiple scales, ranging from chemical and microstructural examinations to full-scale field testing.

2-STRUCTURAL TRACK:
Structural engineers analyze and design civil engineering structures that must endure stresses and pressure resulting from human use and environmental conditions. This track particularly emphasizes designing buildings, towers, bridges, dams, and foundations to resist earthquake and wind loads. Graduated engineers become apt to choosing the appropriate building material, inspecting the construction work, and ensuring structural soundness of built structures.

3-EARTHQUAKE TRACK:
The earthquake program focuses on the principles of the dynamic behavior of structures. It concentrates on the seismic design of reinforced concrete buildings. Students are actively engaged in earthquake-related research. At the Earthquake Engineering laboratories, state-of-art facilities are available for experimental research, and the latest software packages are available for analytical research.

4-TRANSPORTATION TRACK:
The Transportation Systems Engineering track in the Civil Engineering MS program reflects the comprehensive nature of the field, which encompasses the design, construction, and enhancement of the transportation infrastructure of society. The program’s course work focuses on transportation planning and operations, traffic engineering, pavement design, and construction engineering. Students are engaged in transportation-related research, where the latest software packages are available for analysis and design purposes.

5-GEOTECHNICAL TRACK:
All infrastructure and civil engineering works require the intervention of geotechnical engineers. This track focuses on the highest practices and standards for site investigations, soil testing and analysis, geological mapping, rail and road pavement assessments, monitoring and instrumentation, groundwater, and hydrogeological assessment. Students participate in Geotechnical related research where state-of-the-art laboratory facilities and latest software packages are available.

6-CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT TRACK:
Construction managers are qualified by combined education and experience to determine the best possible sequence of construction operations as well as to develop detailed schedules, budget, and safety procedures. Students in this track will learn the principles of construction processes, scheduling, simulation of operations, cost/risk analysis, and contracts/equipment management. Graduates will be able to apply research, analysis, and best practices to an ever-growing field in construction business and management.

7-WATER RESOURCES TRACK:
Society is facing increased demand for renewing the infrastructure for distributing potable water as well as collecting municipal wastewater and runoff water from rain and melting snow. This program focuses on water resources modeling, hydraulics, and hydrology. Water and wastewater engineering aims to manage the main challenges and strategies in critical areas for analyzing and evaluating potential water solutions based on a comprehensive understanding of the urban cycle.

8-ENVIRONMENTAL TRACK:
This MS track is established to satisfy the growing environmental concerns including the need for qualified engineers to undertake professional responsibilities regarding sustainability and preservation of natural resources. The program concentrates on the quality of water, treatment of water and wastewater, disposal of solid and hazardous waste, air pollution, and land resources that help engineers better envisaging the environmental problems of the planet we live in. This track aims to equip engineers with the tools and knowledge necessary to better envisage the environmental problems of our planet.

Facilities

CIEL (i.e., CIvil Engineering Laboratory) located in Shikhani building is the main laboratory used by the Civil and Environmental Engineering students. This lab is ISO 9001:2015 certified since 2016, with two primary functions including “Student development through teaching, testing and research activities” and “R&D and testing services for internal and external parties”. The most recent ISO 2001:2015 certification is shown below.



CIEL comprises 10 state-of-the-art laboratories (or, divisions), including:  

1-Materials Laboratory. This lab is fully equipped to characterize steel reinforcement, aggregates, cement, and concrete materials. Relevant equipment used for teaching and research can be found such as 20-L grinding mill for clinker communition, Los Angeles machine, large- to small-scale mixers (i.e., from 100- to 5-liters), Retsch shredders for plastics and waste materials, Anton Paar rheometer, Pull-off adhesion tester, Heat of hydration for cement, ovens, Microscopes, Ultrasonic pulse velocity Pundit tester, Rapid chloride permeameter, concrete sawing machines, 3000-kN Compression Machine, 15- and 250-kN Flexural/Compression machines, 600-kN Tensile Strength (Tinius-Olsen) machine, and many others.   

2-Soil Mechanics Laboratory. This lab helps undergraduate and graduate students performing experiments to enhance their soil knowledge and soil-structure interactions. The fundamental experiments such as the grain size distribution analysis, Triaxial testing, unconfined compression, direct shear, vane shear, modified Proctor, in-situ hydraulic conductivity, and California bearing ratio can be performed. Computerized systems are provided throughout to support testing.

3-Structures Laboratory, mainly embracing a Universal Testing Machine having 1000-kN load capacity with 500-mm testing stroke that can be used for testing under shear and flexural configurations real-size reinforced concrete beams measuring up to 6-m span length. The machine is adapted for assessing the performance of large-scale reinforced concrete columns and tubes. The lab also includes a 600-kN capacity with open-front crosshead to determine the bond strength of concrete to embedded steel reinforcing bars. The machine has a closed loop feedback control of load and strain positions and is operated via a computer. A wide range of devices such as Buckling tester, Shearing force, and Bending Moment apparatus and many others are available to bridge the gap between the abstract theory and the real application.

4-Earthquake Engineering Laboratory. It mainly contains a real-size strong steel-concrete reaction frame (Rexroth Bosch 500-kN) for testing and analyzing the seismic lateral forces and earthquakes on concrete structures, panels, and column-beam connections. The actuator features both compression and tensile forces at different speeds and frequencies , coupled with a data acquisition system consisting of 32 strain and voltage channels, loads, strains, and displacements that can be mounted at various locations on the tested members. The lab is also equipped with Seismometers for measuring the direction, intensity, and duration of earthquakes as well as UtilityScan devise to locate water lines, detect voids, and underground utilities.   

5-Asphalt Laboratory, is a vital resource for teaching and research activities related to asphalt and pavement materials. The lab is fully equipped for characterizing binders using the SuperPAVE methodologies, investigating modified binders, and exploring rejuvenating technologies for aged binders. The complete set-up for Marshall extraction and testing is available along with key testing equipment such as the Cleveland Open Cup Flash Point, Furnaces, High Shear mixers, Rolling Thin Film Oven, Brookfield Rotational Viscometer, Dynamic Shear Rheometer, Bending Beam Rheometer, and Pressure Aging Vessel apparatus.   

6-Fluid and Hydraulics Laboratory, is mainly utilized by undergraduate students enrolled in Fluid Mechanics Laboratory course CIVE243. The lab includes Rainfall Hydrograph, Osborn Reynolds’ Demonstration, Series/Parallel Pumps and Bernoulli Theorem demonstration to communicate basic experiments in fluid mechanics. A Multipurpose Teaching Flume 5-m length illustrates the physical concepts of fluid flows. The laboratory develops the technical information and offers the potential to work in teamwork. The students can conduct, interpret, and communicate experiments in fluid mechanics; they can also illustrate the physical concepts of fluid behavior developed in the fluid mechanics course.   

7-Surveying Laboratory . The Surveying courses (CIVE208 and CIVE214) necessitate that the students practice their ability in mapping and measuring land. With this in mind, this lab is equipped with various survey equipment to support students in being familiar with the practical surveying techniques in the construction field. These include automatic levels, optical theodolites, tripods, planimeter, and electronic total stations.  

8-Geographic Information System Center (GISC) was established in 1999 within the Faculty of Engineering to serve faculty, students, and staff by coordinating the acquisition, deployment, and development of Geographic Information Technologies on the campus. The GISC provides assistance and consultancy to external clients and outside community, and works closely with both local and international agencies and organizations to develop their GIS services. Our motto is “GIS: from Lab to Society". The center is equipped with 15 powerful computers and latest technologies that enable accurate and fast acquisition of data from the field. GISC maintains a full Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) Educational Site License for the UOB community. This license includes the full ArcGIS for Desktop Advanced suite, ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Enterprise, ESRI Developer Network products, City Engine, and Field Apps. Benefits of this license include access to unlimited resources, training materials, and complimentary registrations for the ESRI User and Education User Conferences.

9-Transportation Engineering Laboratory, was inaugurated in 2022 following a 2-years grant funded by the Erasmus+ program. The lab contains more than 20 PCs with relevant Transportation softwares such as Civil3D and Synchro Trafficware. The lab’s main mission is to provide students with the opportunity to analyze real-world transportation scenarios, understand traffic behavior, and design efficient transportation systems. In terms of research, the lab focuses on areas such as traffic signal optimization, traffic flow modeling, congestion management strategies, intelligent transportation systems (ITS), and sustainable transportation solutions. The lab conducts research studies using collected traffic data, simulation models, and statistical analysis techniques to address various transportation challenges and propose innovative solutions.  

10-Environmental Engineering Laboratory . This is a state-of-the-art facility is located in the Chemical Engineering Building, and is part of the ISO 2001:2015 certification. It is equipped with cutting-edge instruments and equipment including but not limited to Spectrophotometers for water quality analysis, Ion chromatograph, Gas chromatograph and inductively coupled plasma with Mass spectrometers for identifying and quantifying water and air contaminants, Environmental monitoring devices such as data loggers and sensors for collecting field data, Microscopes for studying microorganisms and environmental samples. The lab works in harmony with the other UOB facilities available in the Chemistry, Biology, and Environmental Sciences laboratories for Atomic adsorption, Granulometer, Elemental analyzer, Flame photometer, HPLC, and mobile station for monitoring particulate matters. It is staffed by a team of experienced scientists and technicians who are dedicated to conducting high-quality research while adhering to strict quality control and assurance protocols to ensure reliability of data and research outcomes.