U of T ENGINEERING

Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering

Recent News

John Starkey and Julia Maloney

Alumni Giving back to Skule™ – John Starkey and Julia Maloney

By Dept. of Civil + Mineral Engineering | August 29, 2016

IWI

Profile: The Institute for Water Innovation

By Dept. of Civil + Mineral Engineering | August 29, 2016

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Learning Water Systems at CAMP

By Dept. of Civil + Mineral Engineering | August 29, 2016

Students travel to Honduras, install solar powered water pump for remote community

By Dept. of Civil + Mineral Engineering | August 29, 2016

Finding balance between mineral engineering and Indigenous studies

By Dept. of Civil + Mineral Engineering | August 29, 2016

olympic-modern-pentath DVakalis

Going for Gold: Donna Vakalis races for Gold in the Modern Pentathlon

By Dept. of Civil + Mineral Engineering | August 12, 2016

The Sandford Fleming Building is just one of the U of T Engineering facilities that received funding through a major investment from the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund. (Image: Neil Ta)

U of T Engineering receives $31.6M investment for lab infrastructure

By Dept. of Civil + Mineral Engineering | August 4, 2016

Two new faculty members join Civil and, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Collaboration is the key to success and the driving factor behind the hiring of two new professors that are cross-appointed with the Departments of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, and Civil Engineering. Professors Marianne Touchie (CivE, MIE) and Fae Azhari (MIE, CivE) joined the Faculty at the beginning of July. Professor Touchie completed a BASc and PhD in Civil Engineering at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on improving the energy performance and indoor environmental quality of existing buildings to make them more comfortable, healthy and sustainable through comprehensive retrofits. Professor Azhari holds degrees in Civil Engineering from Isfahan University of Technology and University of British Columbia, Industrial Engineering from UC Berkeley, and Structural Engineering and Mechanics from UC Davis. She specializes in structural health monitoring (SHM) of engineering systems. U of T Engineering spoke with the new professors to find out more about their research and what they’re looking forward to at U of T: Fae Azhari Could you explain the focus of your research? My work focuses on SHM of engineering systems. Similar to the way a doctor would point out when an organ is malfunctioning in a patient’s body during regular check-ups, SHM is able to diagnose and locate any anomalies in an engineering system. Since this diagnosis happens at a very early stage, the remedial procedure will usually be timely and cost effective. My goal is to address some of the gaps in the succession of tasks from sensor development to implementation and decision making. Why did you choose U of T? Long before pursuing academia, I visited Toronto and the campus here. The historical feel and the intellectual vibe stayed in my mind. I’m so happy to be working here now. My research field is multidisciplinary, and having access to the many great resources, facilities, colleagues and mentors at U of T will be extremely valuable in advancing my research and career. What are you most looking forward to in your new position? I like the sense of collegiality at U of T and look forward to effective collaborations with other researchers. As a new professor, what one piece of advice would you give to new students? At university you are often your own teacher so expect to be treated that way. Try to be proactive and do not be afraid to ask questions. What do you hope to accomplish in your new position/during your time at U of T Engineering? I hope to one day truly ‘profess’ my subject.; to understand the old and new bodies of knowledge in such a way that I can properly judge their significance and place in the grand scheme of things. Marianne Touchie Could you explain the focus of your research? My research focuses on the question of how do we improve the quality of our indoor environment as we strive for greater energy efficiency? Making buildings more comfortable and healthy often come at an energy cost. Why did you choose U of T? U of T is my alma mater so I am well aware of the significance and impact of the research done here and I am looking forward to collaborating with so many talented colleagues and students in both the lab and the classroom. What are you most looking forward to in your new position? With a cross appointment between Civil Engineering and Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, I’m excited to bring together students from across disciplines. As a new professor, what one piece of advice would you give to new students? Allow yourself to wrestle with a problem before asking for help. It is effortless to use Google or message someone to find an answer. But this process doesn’t improve your own ability to problem solve, think critically or take your own position on an issue. During your time at U of T you will gain plenty of technical knowledge but transferable skills like problem solving will be of the most valuable after graduation. What do you hope to accomplish in your new position/during your time at U of T Engineering? Within Civil Engineering, I would like to continue growing the Canadian Centre for Building Excellence (CCBE) with Professors Kim Pressnail and Jeffrey Siegel into a world-renowned research centre for healthy, energy efficient buildings. I would also like to create stronger links through multidisciplinary design courses which will give students an opportunity to tackle today’s important problems with colleagues from a variety of technical backgrounds.

Two new faculty are cross appointed with CivE and MIE

By Dept. of Civil + Mineral Engineering | July 21, 2016

Pile of Civilian Magazines

What Happened to the Civilian?

By Dept. of Civil + Mineral Engineering | July 18, 2016

Professor Robert C Andrews (left) with Profs. Ron Hofmann and Susan Andrews in the Drinking Water Environmental Labs

Robert C Andrews: high-tech solutions for cleaner, safer drinking water

By Dept. of Civil + Mineral Engineering | June 16, 2016

Professor Giovanni Grasselli, left, with FCMG President Duke Anderson in October 2015. (Courtesy: FCMG)

University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering announces establishment of the Foundation CMG Research Chair in Fundamental Petroleum Rock Physics and Rock Mechanics

By Dept. of Civil + Mineral Engineering | June 16, 2016

Grads to watch: Ernesto Diaz Lozano Patino, Gege Wen and Bishnu Gautam

CivMin’s Grads to Watch

By Dept. of Civil + Mineral Engineering | June 8, 2016