How to improve communication between people and smart buildings

USC researchers found people connect better with a computer-generated avatar that represents building management — and small talk helped, too

SAVE THE DATE: Distinguished Industry Leader Speaker Series, Feb 26

Hosted by USC's AEC Construction Alumni Group, the Distinguished Industry Leader Speaker Series will be held on February 26, 2019 and focus on "leadership from the front lines."

The Fleischer Prize in Green Technology

USC Viterbi Students encouraged to apply

Students investigate a microscopic community

Undergraduates in an environmental engineering microbiology course use brand-new lab space to study their own microbiomes

What Do Civil & Environmental Engineers Do?

Our standard of living depends on our civil infrastructure, a sophisticated system of buildings, bridges, dams, airports, transportation networks, water and power distribution systems, and environmental protection systems.

Civil and environmental engineers are responsible for designing, maintaining and enhancing our civil infrastructure. They help to sustain the living standards and quality of life of the population. Civil engineers are also master builders. They create structures that stand as timeless symbols of our civilization. Environmental engineers identify and design solutions for problems involving the environment. To do so, they have to be broadly educated and technically trained to address a wide spectrum of issues.

Civil & Environmental Engineering @SC

Fall 2018
Newsletter

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Research Labs
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Resources for
Current Students

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Featured Research Assistant

Ezgi Cinar

Ezgi Cinar is a first year Civil Engineering Ph.D. student advised by Prof. Patrick Lynett. Her research focuses on understanding the behavior of debris motion and its effects under extreme events like tsunamis and storm surges.

Ezgi was born and raised in Ankara, Turkey. She joined the Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in Fall 2018 upon receiving Annenberg PhD Fellowship and is expected to graduate in 2023. She received her B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Civil Engineering from Middle East Technical University, Turkey. Her M.S. focused on the comparison of 2D and 3D numerical wave tanks with various turbulence models in application to long wave motion and its interaction with structures. During her master’s studies, she visited Japan for two months to do further research on tsunamis.

In her free time, Ezgi likes hanging out with her friends, playing video games and listening classic rock.

Research Areas

Sustainable Development

Sustainability in the context of civil engineering targets long-term viability of natural resources and engineered civil systems.

Water Quality, Access, and Distribution

Providing an adequate supply of potable water, considering population growth and climate variability.

Disasters and Extreme Events

All aspects of an event, from a fundamental understanding of the physical processes controlling its evolution to the resulting environmental and social reaction.

Coupling of Complex Systems

Efforts aim to integrate research across the Sonny Astani Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, as well with all outside disciplines that interact with civil systems.

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Events

Announcements

Featured Research Assistant for January 2019: Ezgi Cinar

Ezgi Cinar is a first year Civil Engineering Ph.D. student advised by Prof. Patrick Lynett. Her research focuses on understanding the behavior of debris motion and its effects under extreme events like tsunamis and storm surges. Ezgi was born and raised in Ankara, Turkey. She joined the Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in Fall 2018 upon receiving … Read More

SAVE THE DATE: Distinguished Industry Leader Speaker Series, Feb 26

Hosted by USC’s AEC Construction Alumni Group, the Distinguished Industry Leader Speaker Series will be held on February 26, 2019. USC AEC Construction Alumni Group SAVE THE DATE Distinguished Industry Leader Speaker Series February 26, 2019 Leadership from the front lines Doug Mouton will share how his experiences during Hurricane Katrina and while serving in Afghanistan shaped his leadership style at Microsoft as General Manager … Read More

Dr. George Ban-Weiss Receives 2018 Global Environmental Change Early Career Award

Congratulations to Dr. George Ban- Weiss who will receive the Global Environmental Change Early Career Award at AGU’s Fall Meeting 2018, to be held 10–14 December in Washington, D. C. For more details on the award and a short commentary from Dr. Ban-Weiss, please click here.

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