Time out with Dr. Nick Jones: Recently, Dr. Jones, the head of our Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, was kind enough to take time out of his extremely busy schedule to sit in for an interview with me.  You can check out the full interview here, but for now, here are some highlights from the interview, (these responses are paraphrased):

1.  For many students who don’t know too much about you, what is your job like?  What kinds of daily problems do you deal with?  What kinds of daily decisions do you make? 

My schedule is very busy, with one meeting after another daily.  I meet with faculty, staff, students, fellow researchers. There are many things to take care of in this department and I value the opinions of all the great people in this department.  As far as the daily types of problems, there is a broad spectrum.  Currently, many are budget related. 

2.  How do you think the University of Illinois CEE Department’s reputation is viewed when in regards to hiring?  Absolutely terrific.  Even in a place like Baltimore, with a civil degree from the University of Illinois, they are going to look at you real hard, it is really a great ticket.  Ultimately, we have to perform up to the expectations; Illinois has a reputation for producing first-rate graduates.  Our students are lucky to have this opportunity. 

3.  What types of changes are occurring in the CEE department, what types of changes can students expect in the future?  Are there any specific areas in the department that you think need improvement?  There is possibility for change in the undergraduate program.  Dr. Hjelmstad does a wonderful job managing the undergrad program.  We want to ensure the best design experiences while at the same time giving the best exposure to the fundamentals.  One of the things that I think is an important opportunity that the department hasn’t taken advantage of, given our reputation, is international exploration and opportunities.  I would like to work towards developing a formal program for international opportunities and experience to both graduate and undergraduate students.

4.  You have done a lot of work involving wind engineering as an aerodynamic consultant on a number of long-span bridge projects around the world, how did this type of work interest you when you started? 

It is fun to work on long span bridges.  It is a particularly challenging problem and there is still a lot to learn.  We learn about areas that need work, and this then stimulates the next generation of research.

5.  You are very involved with ASCE, what is your position on ASCE’s promotion of Policy 465, the concept of the Master’s degree or Equivalent 30 additional credits as a prerequisite for licensure and the practice of civil engineering at a professional level? I support the motion in concept; I think it is good to encourage students to pursue a level of education that is associated with a Master’s Degree.  I do have reservations about how effective the motion will be in “raising the bar.”  I appreciate the hard work being done, but I think more work needs to be done in articulating a vision of the 21^st century Civil Engineer.

ASCE March Events

3/1  (Sat.)  Concrete Canoe Casting Day

3/4  (Tues.)  FE Review Session-Thermodynamics

3/5  (Wed.)  Second General Meeting

3/7  (Fri.)  Shadow an Engineer Application Deadline

3/11   (Tues.)  FE Review Session-Chemistry

3/14-3/15  (Fri.)  Engineering Open House

Don’t forget to check the web for more upcoming ASCE events

Its All In the Shadow….Not sure what your primary is? Ever wonder what engineers actually do? This is your chance to find out, and possibly even get a job while you're at it. The Shadow An Engineer program places you with a professional in the engineering field for a day or two during winter or spring break. You'll follow the engineer around at his or her firm and see what he or she does during the course of a day. You can fill out an online application now to shadow an engineer over your Spring Break.  The following is a testimonial of one student’s shadow experience with Manhard Consulting, a company that specializes in hydrology, environmental, and geotech projects.

Was this company a good match for your interests?

I was able to see what hydrological and environmental/geotechnical designers do when they are employed commercially.

What were some of the topics or ideas discussed?

How to read cite plans, how Manhard is organized and operates, the importance of legal issues in construction management, and how computers are used in presentation, analyses, and surveying.

Were there any special activities planned for you?

They took the time to show me around to almost all of the different engineering and surveying work done in the firm, and they also found some old plans that were closer to my own interests than some of the more current work.  They even took me out to a nice lunch.

Would you recommend this program to other students?

Definitely.  It really puts engineering classes into perspective.

Comments/Suggestions:

An interesting and exciting experience, especially if you’re home and not working over break.