Current Graduate Research

CEE has a small but active group of students working on a Master of Science or PhD. The work is complex and focuses on different issues for modern civil engineering firms. Our graduates will become part of the work force on infrastructure both above and below the ground.

Marco Kaltofen

Current Degree Program: MS Environmental Engineering

Brief Academic/Personal Bio: For the past 20 years I have been a civil engineer in private practice, with a small 3 person professional firm. We specialize in investigating hazardous and radioactive material releases in the US and overseas. My undergraduate work in Engineering and Chemistry was at Boston University. I have a teen and a preteen daughter who will soon be looking for a college experience of their own.

Research in Progress: Facilitated transport of enriched uranium and plutonium bound to dust particles

Long Term Goals: Post degree I'd like to continue my research on airborne transport of radionuclides, and pass on my enthusiasm for engineering to those considering a career in the sciences.

Experience at WPI: Although only half-way through a Masters of Engineering program, I have been impressed with the supportive environment and ease of networking at WPI.

Christine Conron

I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Civil Engineering department. My research and publications are related to software development and use in highway safety and in transportation education. I earned my B.S and M.S. in Civil Engineering from WPI in 1997 and 2008 respectively. I have worked professionally within the Transportation and Traffic Engineering sub-disciplines of Civil Engineering for more than 10 years. My industry experience includes working for and with the Massachusetts Highway Department and for International transportation consulting firms. My expertise encompasses intersection reconstruction and signal timing projects, urban and rural highway design, planning and design of new high-speed interstate highway interchanges, and highway construction operations. Most recently, I have been actively involved in the education and inspiration of transportation engineers using state-of-the-art object-oriented design software.

Education:

Ph.D in Civil Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, Ongoing
Dissertation title: Developing a Risk-Based Highway Design Process: Incorporating Safety Considerations into Highway Design
Advisors: Professors Malcolm Ray, Guillermo Salazar, Roberto Pietroforte, and Joseph Petruccelli
MS in Civil Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, May 2008
BS in Civil Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, May 1997


Research Experience:

"In-Service Evaluation of Flexible Pavement in Maine"
1. To evaluate the pavement response of a test section of flexible pavement constructed in Gilford, ME, along Route 15;
2. To determine the effects of different traffic loads on flexible pavement; and
3. To determine the effects of temperature on flexible pavement under actual loading conditions.

"Pilot Study of Cable Barrier in Massachusetts: A Study of Policy, Cost, and Construction Specifications”
1. To identify and rank locations for installing test sections of high-tension cable barrier in Massachusetts, along District 3 highways;
2. To identify current policies and suggest policy for Massachusetts;
3. To identify current construction costs; and
4. To develop construction specifications.

"Evaluation of Tree Location and the Impact on Tree Crash Rate"
1. To determined which functional classification of roadway is most prone to tree crashes;
2. To understand the highway design factors that make some trees more harmful than others;
3. To develop design guidelines that allow for the selective removal of the most hazardous trees.

Work Experience: Co-Instructor: CE203x– Software Applications in Civil Engineering (A term 2008, WPI)
Co-Instructor: CE585– Computer Integrated Methodologies in Civil Engineering (Spring 2008, WPI)
Instructor: CE3050– Introduction to Transportation Engineering (A term 2007, WPI)
Undergraduate Project and Graduate Thesis Advising: Dept. of Civil Engineering, WPI, 2007 - Present
Roundabout safety, 2008-2009 Interactive Qualifying Project Intersection Design, 2008-2009 Major Qualifying Project Maine Pavement Analysis, 2008-2009 Major Qualifying Project "Evaluation of Pole Location and the Impact on Crash Rate," 2007-2008 Master's Thesis "Pavement Analysis and Design for Maine," 2007-2008 Major Qualifying Project
Teaching Assistant: Dept. of Civil Engineering, WPI, 2007-2008
Instructed students and conducted computer based labs in various disciplines of Civil Engineering to familiarize them with the different areas in Introduction to Civil Engineering: 03/2007-05/2007; Conducted help sessions, corrected homework and assisted students with basic Civil Engineering concepts in Analytical Mechanics: 10/07-12/07; Instructed students and conducted laboratory experiments with various construction materials to familiarize them with the material properties and equipment in Materials of Construction: 01/2008-03/2008;
Project Engineer: Vanasse, Hangen, Brustlin, Inc, March 2001 – January 2005 Civil Engineer: Massachusetts Highway Department, March 1998 – March 2001 Project Engineer: Earth Tech, Inc., January 1997 – February 1998

Computer & Laboratory Skills Operating System: Microsoft Windows Application: Microsoft Office, AutoCAD Civil 3D, Revit, PrimaveraTraffic Applications: Highway Capacity Software, Syncro, Simtraf


Honors and Activities
 Massachusetts Highway Department Pride in Performance (1996)
Massachusetts Academy of Mathematics and Science Graduate (1994)


Publications:
 Conron, C.E., Mallick, R.B., Attracting, Retaining and Educating Transportation Professionals with State of the Art Tools and Techniques, 88th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Pending
Ray, M.H., Silvestri, C., Conron, C.E., Mongiardini, M., Experience With Cable Median Barriers in United States: Design Standards, Policies and Performance, Journal of Transportation, American Society of Civil Engineers, Pending.
Ray, M.H., Silvestri, C., Conron, C.E., Albin, R.B., Assessment of Fatality Fisk in Collisions with Cable Median Barriers in the State of Washington, Risk Analysis VI: Simulation and Hazard Mitigation, WIT Press, 2008


Presentations:
 "Incorporating AutoCAD Civil 3D and Revit into Highway Education", AutoDesk University, Las Vegas, NV, December 2008.


Research Interests:
 My research interests include, but are not limited to:
Highway Safety
Computer applications in Civil Engineering
Communication of design intent


Teaching Interests:
 Highway Design
Highway Safety
Traffic Engineering
Object-oriented design software including AutoCAD Civil 3D and Revit
The Process of Design and Construction
Specifications
Estimates

 

Mario Mongiardini

Current Degree Program: Ph.D student in Civil Engineering

Brief Academic/Personal Bio:

Master degree in Mechanical Engineering from Politecnico di Milano (Italy) in 2003.

Research engineer in the Aerospace Engineering department of Politecnico di Milano (January 2004 – August 2006).  Involved in the Road Barrier Update of Standards project (ROBUST) as developer of Finite Element models of vehicles and barriers used to simulate full-scale crash tests.

At present, enrolled in a Ph.D program in Civil Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) since August 2006 (advisor Prof. Malcolm H. Ray).

Fields of interest: Computational Mechanics, Finite Element simulations, Roadside safety, Crashworthiness.

Research in progress: Development of procedures to verify and validate numerical models used to simulate partial and full-scale crash tests for Roadside Safety applications.  Research funded by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), Project 22-24 (May 2007 – Sept. 2009).

Previous research:

(2002-2003)  Development of a Finite Element model of a heavy-good vehicle (16-ton truck) complying with the specifications of the EN 1317 (standard in matter of testing roadside safety hardware). Master thesis for the degree in Mechanical engineering (advisor: Prof. Marco Anghileri).

(2004-2006)  Development of Finite Element models of vehicles and barriers used to simulate of the full-scale tests performed under the ROBUST project (http://www.irfnet.eu/en/irf-research-council/irf-research/robust/proceedings/).

(2007)  Retrofit analysis to adapt an existing bridge railing to the particular needings of the “Annisquam river bridge” located in Gloucester (MA) (http://civil-ws2.wpi.edu/Documents/Roadsafe/Annisquam website/).  Based on the results obtained from the Finite Element simulation, a letter of acceptance was issued by Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for the proposed modified bridge railing.

Long Term Goals: work as research engineer in the Roadside Safety field and in the area of computational mechanics.

Experience at WPI: Research Assistant (RA) for Prof. Malcolm H. Ray.

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Last modified: September 11, 2008 11:40:04