Colorado State University

Office of Naval Research selects Dr. Karan Venayagamoorthy as a 2012 Young Investigator

Dr. Karan Venayagamoorthy was selected as one of the 2012 Office of Naval Research Young Investigators. This is a three year award and amounts to approximately $500,000 over this period. This is a very prestigious award and combined with his CAREER award makes this a GREAT year for Karan.

To view the list of 2012 recipients click here.

For more about the ONR young investigator program click here.

Dr. Venayagamoorthy has been awarded the National Science Foundation CAREER Award

Dr. Karan Venayagamoorthy has recently been awarded the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award. As stated on NSF’s website, the CAREER Awards are NSF's most prestigious awards in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research.

Karan's primary research expertise is in the field of environmental fluid mechanics and hydraulics with an emphasis on applying numerical simulations of fluid flows to study fundamental problems in civil and environmental engineering. These fundamental problems such as pollution, floods, mixing etc., involve rivers, estuaries, lakes, coastal and open oceans and the atmosphere. The focus of Karan’s CAREER award research is toward basic understanding of turbulent mixing in geophysical flows with the clear objective of formulating and testing better parameterizations of these processes for applications in physical oceanography and engineering.

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Quantifying mixing in stably stratified turbulence has profound implications for geophysical flows. For instance, in the ocean, the mixing processes are parameterized through vertical eddy diffusivities in general ocean circulation models. It has been shown that the long term predictions of such models are highly sensitive to the eddy diffusivity parameterizations used. Hence improved parameterizations are necessary for such models to reliably predict the ocean’s role in global climate. Similarly, in the atmosphere, the dispersion models perform relatively poorly under stably stratified conditions. There has been a great deal of effort to develop simple and effective models for turbulent mixing in oceanic flows and other related flows. However, the fundamental role of small-scale turbulent mixing in stably stratified flows is not yet fully understood and has proved difficult to parameterize. The primary theme of Karan’s five year CAREER award is towards improved understanding and modeling of turbulence in oceanic flows that will lead to new generalized formulations for the turbulent fluxes of momentum and scalar. Specifically, through this CAREER award, Karan will perform research using state-of-the-art direct numerical simulations (DNS) and large eddy simulations (LES) with fluid particle tracking to study turbulence in oceanic flows. In particular, new diagnostic tools for the separation and quantification of irreversible momentum and scalar fluxes associated with the energetics of these flows will be developed. The research components of this work will be closely linked to a strong education and outreach program designed to improve understanding of turbulent mixing processes in geophysical flows and enhance the environmental fluid mechanics curriculum in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Colorado State University.

The broader impacts of this research come from the wide applicability of improved mixing parameterizations in oceanography, atmospheric science and engineering, especially concerning climate change, environmental sustainability, renewable energy and national security. Broader impact also comes from the strong integrated educational and outreach program. Karan is currently establishing an environmental fluid dynamics program at Colorado State University (CSU) with an emphasis on empowering students with skill sets required to solve complex geophysics and engineering related problems in multi-disciplinary settings. Research and education are integrated through two new graduate courses in environmental fluid mechanics, in addition to two other courses in that Karan has already developed.

Dr. Venayagamoorthy is an assistant professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Colorado State University. He received his BScEng (summa cum laude) and MScEng (cum laude) degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Kwazulu-Natal (formerly known as the University of Natal in Durban, South Africa and his PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Stanford University. More information, please see http://www.engr.colostate.edu/~vskaran/

Dr. Hussam Mahmoud received the NSF travel award

Dr. Hussam Mahmoud received the NSF travel award, which is actually jointly sponsored by the the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Huixin Earthquake Engineering Foundation, and the U.S.-China Earthquake Engineering Foundation.

The award will provide funding to attend the Second PRC-U.S. Earthquake Engineering Forum for Young Researchers (May 21-22, 2012) and the International Conference on Earthquake Engineering Research (ICEER 2012): Challenges in the 21st Century (May 18-21, 2012), as well as a technical tour of Beijing (May 22-24, 2012). Round trip excursion airfare between the U.S. hometown and Harbin, China, conference registration, and all accommodations, meals and local transportation while in China are included in the award.

CO Governor recognizes RMRS/CSU research


Dr. Jorge Ramirez

Dr. Romano Foti

Dr. Tom Brown of the USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station and his team, Colorado State University Professor Dr. Jorge Ramirez and recent CSU graduate Dr. Romano Foti, received recognition by Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper as Designated Finalists in CO-LABS 2011 Governor’s Award for High Impact Research awards for their research, "Quantifying the Current and Future Vulnerability of the United States Water Supply System."

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Dr. Brown is the lead Water Resources Scientist for the U.S. Forest Service Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act (RPA) 2010 update. For the last 15 years, he has been researching, evaluating, and modeling water supply and demand. Dr. Ramirez and Dr. Foti were both key partners in this research. This research assesses the current and future vulnerability of our nation’s water supply system and models projected changes in vulnerability using three climate models with several emission scenarios. One key finding shows that future increases in the vulnerability of the U.S. water supply to shortage will depend more on changes in supply than on growth in water demand. This research maps out the demand for, and supply of, water in the contiguous U.S. today and into the future and will be a foundation for water management policy decisions. The publication of this study is anticipated in spring 2012.

"The research conducted by Dr. Brown and his team is exemplary of the Station's mission to develop and deliver knowledge and innovative technology to improve the health and use of the nation's forests and rangelands," said Dr. Sam Foster, Rocky Mountain Research Station Director.

Dr. Ramirez, a Colorado State professor of civil and environmental engineering, currently leads the I-WATER (Integrated Water, Atmosphere, Ecosystems Education and Research) program, a $2.75 million research and education program funded by the National Science Foundation to train the next generation of water scientists. He teaches courses in hydrologic science and engineering and does research on eco-hydrology, land surface atmosphere interactions, sustainability and integrated vulnerability analysis of water and environmental systems, regional evapotranspiration trends and climate change, and the impacts of climate variability on hydrologic processes.

News Release by The Rocky Mountain Research Station

Dr. Hussam Mahmoud Joins the Department

Dr. Hussam Mahmoud joins the department as an Assistant Professor in the structural engineering program. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from the University of Minnesota and his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC).

Hussam’s Ph.D. study focused on conducting system-level seismic assessment of steel frames with energy dissipative connections using hybrid simulation and nonlinear dynamic time-history analysis.


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Prior to starting his Ph.D., his involvement at UIUC with the Mutli-Axial Full-Scale Sub-Structured Testing and Simulation (MUST-SIM) facility as manager had been a great addition to his academic and research experience. Hussam’s work included conducting various small-scale and large-scale experimental testing and evaluating complex control algorithms and loading protocols used in the tests. Before arriving at UIUC, he worked as a research scientist at the ATLSS Research Center at Lehigh University. His work at Lehigh focused on fatigue and fracture evaluation of steel bridges. The work included material testing, fractographic analysis, field instrumentation and monitoring, weld simulation, and nonlinear finite element analysis. He proposed proto-type retrofits that have successfully been implemented on major bridges in the US.

Hussam is currently teaching Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering and will be teaching Design and Behavior of Steel Structures. He is also interested in developing new courses including Structural Stability and Fatigue and Fracture. He intends to align his teaching goals with that of the department and the college to further increase multidisciplinary studies. He will do so through enriching course material with relevant subjects from different engineering disciplines as well as disciplines in the area of architecture, human psychology and behavior, and economics with the latter two being essential components when covering hazard loss assessment in the Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering course he teaches.

Hussam has many publications ranging between journal, conference, and technical reports. He is a technical reviewer for various journals and is involved with many technical committees including ASCE on steel bridges and Eurocode Committee on Seismic Design-TC 13, among many others.

Energy-Water Consortium at Colorado State University

Dr. Ken Carlson in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Dr. Reagan Waskom, Director of the Colorado Water Institute are leading the Energy-Water Consortium at Colorado State University. The consortium is a public-private partnership between CSU and the oil and gas industry that is working to solve important issues related to water and the production of oil and gas in Colorado.

Colorado State University has long been involved with many aspects of oil and gas production including exploration, production, end use, environmental solutions, and policy/regulatory issues.   

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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.