New Faculty in Civil & Environmental Engineering
The Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering is excited to welcome ten new faculty members: Dr. Tom Sale, Dr. Kimberly Catton, Dr. Susan De Long, Dr. Jose Luis Chavez, Dr. Pinar Omur-Ozbek, Dr. Rebecca Atadero, Dr. Karan Venayagamoorthy, Dr. Domenico Bau, Dr. Sybil Sharvelle and Dr. Mazdak Arabi. Each brings with them a diverse set of expertise to our already strong team of professors and researchers. We expect great things from each of them and look forward to their many contributions in the years to come.
Dr. Tom Sale joined the Department this Fall as an Associate Professor and is continuing on in his role as the Director of the Center for Contaminant Hydrology in Civil and Environmental Engineering. His Research and consulting focus on innovative solutions for groundwater contaminants in source zones and plumes. Dr. Sale received his Ph.D. from Colorado State University, M.S. Degree from the University of Arizona, and B.A. degrees from Miami of Ohio.
Dr. Kimberly Catton is a research scientist/professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at CSU. Her area of expertise is in biological fluid mechanics. She earned a B.S. in Biological and Agricultural Engineering and a M.S. in Environmental Engineering. Her master’s research was on effectiveness of biofilters to remove low concentrations of nitric oxide from engine exhaust.
Dr. Susan De Long is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Her area of expertise is environmental biotechnology and she obtained a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley in Environmental Science. While at UC Berkeley, she discovered a fascination with molecular biology and she decided to pursue a second bachelors' degree in molecular and cell biology.
Dr. Jose Luis Chavez is an Assistant Professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. He earned his B.S. in Agricultural Engineering from the Universidade Federal da Paraiba (Paraiba Federal University) at Campina Grande, Brazil, in 1992. In 1999 Dr. Chavez received his M.S. degree in Irrigation Engineering from Utah State University. His Ph.D. was in Biological and Agricultural Engineering from Utah State University in 2005.
Dr. Pinar Omur-Ozbek is a Research Assistant Professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. She received her M.S. degree at Virginia Tech where she focused on taste-and-odor problems related to algal products in source waters and then received her Ph.D. for her interdisciplinary research to investigate the metallic flavor of drinking water caused by iron and copper.
Dr. Rebecca Atadero joined our faculty as an assistant professor in July 2008. Rebecca earned her bachelor's degree in civil engineering from CSU in 2002 and then went on to the University of California, San Diego to earn a M.S. and Ph.D. in structural engineering. Rebecca first returned to CSU in 2006 as a research scientist/instructor and taught Structural Analysis and Steel Design to undergraduate students. She and her husband Todd are excited to continue living in Fort Collins.
Dr. Karan Venayagamoorthy joined the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering as an assistant professor in January 2008. Karan received his B.S. in civil engineering and master's degree in civil engineering from the University of Kwazulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa in 2000 and 2002 respectively. Karan then received his Ph.D. in 2006 from Stanford University specializing in environmental fluid mechanics and hydrology.
Dr. Domenico Bau is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Dr. Bau received his degree in Civil Engineering at the School of Engineering of the University of Padova, where he also worked as a research scientist following graduation. His work experience on the impact of anthropogenic activities on the environment prompted him to enter the PhD program in Environmental Engineering at MTU, which he completed in 2006.
Dr. Sybil Sharvelle is an Assistant Professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and is a member of the Environmental Engineering focus area. Dr. Sharvelle attended the University of Colorado for her B.S. and M.S. degrees and received her doctoral degree from Purdue University, where she developed a biological processor for treatment of graywater for potable reuse during long duration space missions.
Dr. Mazdak Arabi is a Assistant Professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. He is teaching and actively conducting research in the water resources management and planning and environmental engineering areas. After receiving his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Tehran, Iran, Mazdak became a graduate research assistant and then a received his Ph.D. from Purdue University in 2005.