Civil Engineering Professor Awarded NSF Early CAREER Grant for Novel Wind Research

Pedro Fernández-Cábán, an assistant professor in the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, recently received NSF’s prestigious CAREER Award, a grant given to promising up-and-coming researchers and future faculty leaders. The five-year, $548,702.00 grant funds his work focusing on the nature of extreme winds and the impact on the environment.

The Alabama Welcome Center is a rest stop located at the Tennessee-Alabama border in Limestone County. The building needed to be updated, and the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) was looking to renovate the site. 

Profile Photo
Team 229 L to R: Edgar Cruz, Anthony Feliciano, Makaila Jaramillo-Holmes, Andres Prieto, Markel Valmana

The Grand Ridge School is planning to increase its capacity. This construction includes renovating existing buildings and adding an elementary wing. With this capacity increase, the current cafeteria will not be able to accommodate the new amount of students. The school needs a new cafeteria to meet new capacity requirements.

Profile Photo
Team 228 L to R: Sebastien Abney, Shekinah Adaghe, Agustin Diaz, Anthony Washington

Bald Point State Park is 4,800 acres of wilderness located in Franklin County, Florida. More specifically, it is where the Ochlockonee Bay meets the Gulf of Mexico. The park features woodlands, tidal marshes and freshwater ponds. 

Park visitors can engage in activities such as nature walks, bird watching and beach walking. Chaires Creek runs through the site. Our projecct proposes a kayak launch in Chaires Creek so visitors can enjoy more of what the park has to offer. 

Profile Photo
Team 227 L to R: Austin Ashley, Omar Mejia, Miller Shelfer, James Thompson

This project addresses a pressing need on Rock Hill Road, which extends approximately 10.8 miles from US 331 (SR 83) to SR 81 in eastern-central Walton County, Florida. The project focuses on the full-depth pavement reclamation, milling, resurfacing and construction of a 5-ft. paved shoulder with a sodded shoulder for the entire project length. The proposed typical section for Rock Hill consists of two 11-ft. travel lanes with a 5-ft. paved shoulder and a 2.5-ft. sodded shoulder that will remain normally crowned to match the existing typical section. 

Profile Photo
Team 226 L to R: Jylon Bennett, Khair Hanif, Andre Harper, Charles Harper

Safe pedestrian passage is important, especially when located near a school zone. Leon County requested a safe route sidewalk to the Woodville K-8 school in the Canyon Creek Rd. neighborhood, located in Woodville, FL. 

We evaluated existing conditions and determined the various obstacles present at the site. We met with our project sponsor (H.W. Lochner, Inc.), performed a site visit and then gathered information based on the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) standards and regulations. 

Profile Photo
Team 225 L to R: Adam Kinnon, Iran Matias-Ramirez, Caroline Perry, Joshua Vincent