Michael C. Constantinou
Professor and Chairman

Civil Engineering is a diverse and exciting field with many disciplines. Our Department offers Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, Master of Engineering and Ph.D. degrees with concentrations in nearly all disciplines within the field of Civil Engineering. As you shall see in our web site, the Department offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Civil Engineering and in Environmental Engineering. Our graduate program offers Master of Science, Master of Engineering and Ph.D. degrees with concentrations in Computational Engineering Mechanics, Construction Engineering and Management, Environmental Engineering, Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, and Structural and Earthquake Engineering. Moreover, the Department jointly offers, with the School of Management, combined MS/MBA degrees, and with the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, combined BS degrees in Civil Engineering and Computer Science.

Our Department is the only Department of Civil Engineering within the State University of New York system.  With 23 faculty members, our Department has yearly research expenditures in the range of $5 to $10 million, and is the home of three research centers:

• Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (MCEER) - A national center for research in and application of advanced and merging technologies to reduce earthquake damage and losses through improved engineering, pre-earthquake planning, and post-earthquake recovery strategies.
• Center for Integrated Waste Management (CIWM), which contains the NYS Center for Hazardous Waste Management (NYSCHWM) - A public-benefit research and development organization dedicated to the discovery of better environmental technologies and waste-management strategies.
• Great Lakes Program (GLP) - Provides research, education, and outreach activities related to the Great Lakes ecosystem.

Moreover, our Department houses the Structural Engineering and Earthquake Simulation Laboratory, one of the premier laboratories in earthquake engineering research. The laboratory underwent a $20 million expansion funded by the George E. Brown Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation program of the National Science Foundation and the Construction Fund of the State University of New York, to become in 2004 the most versatile seismic testing facility in the United States, featuring on-line tele-observation and tele-operation capabilities, two movable large-capacity earthquake simulators, strong reaction walls and large power capacity to conduct high-speed, high-load dynamic testing.

The strength of our Department relies on the quality of our faculty and students. We are most proud of our alumni, who have been involved with major civil engineering projects and our Ph.D. graduates who went on to successful faculty positions at universities such as the University of California-Berkeley, Texas A & M, Cornell, Rice, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Southern Florida, Central Florida, University of California-Davis, Rutgers, University of Missouri-Rolla, University of Maryland, and others. Five of our recent Ph.D. graduates who are in faculty positions received the prestigious NSF Career Award.

Our Vision

Our vision is to be recognized as a prominent department in Civil Engineering in the United States and a premier department in Civil Engineering among public universities in the northeastern United States. Our vision is guided by principles of stability and flexibility. We will maintain our strength in the traditional areas of Civil Engineering, but we will be flexible and we will face the new challenges in our professional environment. We foresee the need for a continual reassessment and change of our teaching and research focus as we respond to the following trends: (a) advancements in technology, (b) multidisciplinary approach, (c) responsibility to society, and (d) accountability and efficiency.

Mission Statement

Civil, structural and environmental engineers contribute to the health, safety, and quality of life of society through the design, construction, and operation of public and private infrastructure. The mission of the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering is to:

• educate students in fundamental concepts, critical thinking, technical skills and ethical principles as applied to engineering analysis and design,
• serve the engineering profession and society through scholarship and innovative research,
• provide the local, national, and international communities with continuing educational opportunities, technical assistance, and intellectual resources.