Dear FAMU-FSU College of Engineering students,

Although classes at both main campuses will be suspended on their respective Homecoming Day (see dates below), classes at the College of Engineering will be held as usual.  

At Engineering Design Day in April, photographer Mark Wallheiser snapped an impromptu group photo of the 2018-19 Civil and Environmental Engineering senior design class. Later, the students placed a copy of that photo on a plaque they had made for their instructor, first-year Professor of Practice Sean Martin. The plaque read, “Thank you from your guinea pigs.”

Anwer Al-Kaimakchi, a graduate student at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering studying civil and environmental engineering earned $500 for the “People’s Choice” award at the annual Three Minute Thesis event on Tuesday, Nov. 27. His research focused on making bridges safer by studying the flexural performance of stainless steel precast prestressed concrete girders. Two other FAMU-FSU Engineering students competed in the renowned event as well.

FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Ph.D. student Olumide Abioye won first and second place, respectively, in the FAMU research poster and the 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) competitions earlier this week.

Abioye is a graduate student in the FAMU-FSU Engineering department of civil and environmental engineering. He received $850 in total prize money for these wins.

Dr. Jerry Wekezer joined the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering in 1994 as Department Chair, after serving as Head of the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Alaska Anchorage for four years. During his 10-year tenure as chair, the department launched the highly successfully B.S. program at FSU’s Panama City campus, and began the Ph.D. program at the FAMU-FSU campus in Tallahassee.

Senior Ariana Morales Rapallo has dealt with some difficult challenges during her college career, but she’s confronted and conquered them on her way to earning a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at Florida State University.

Rapallo grew up in Venezuela where political upheaval created an economic crisis and caused dramatic changes to the education system, which restricted access to universities.

Garit Poire, a civil engineering graduate student at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, was recently selected as one of four recipients of the 2018 Graduate Student Leadership Award. Awarded each year by FSU’s Graduate School and Congress of Graduate Students, according to the school’s website the Leadership Award “recognizes outstanding graduate student leaders who are making a positive difference in their scholarly/creative work, campus and wider communities.”

Lisa Spainhour, Ph.D., P.E., has been appointed Chair of the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE). Lisa has served as interim chair for the past two years. “Lisa demonstrated her excellent leadership skills as interim chair, and I am looking forward to working with her to grow the department’s impact in the coming years,” said J. Murray Gibson, dean of the college.

FAMU-FSU Engineering graduate Simeng Li recently accepted a position at the civil engineering department at California State Polytechnic University Pomona as an assistant professor. Li received his doctorate from the college through FSU and is involved in collaborative research at Cal Poly Pomona and FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. He credits his success to the support of the faculty at his alma mater and the experience he got teaching undergraduate courses while there.

The Seminole 100 list for 2020 was released yesterday and four FAMU-FSU Engineering alumni businesses are among the honorees. Three of the businesses are repeat awardees for the honor. The list recognizes the fastest-growing businesses owned or managed by Florida State University alumni, some of whom are responsible for some of the most innovative and profitable companies in America. The official ceremony will be held in February 2020 to honor graduates.