Save the date! Join us for reception honoring the national ASCE Board of Directors at the Grand Gateway Hotel, 1721 N. Lacrosse Street in Rapid City on Saturday, July 30, 2011 from 5-7 pm. This reception will be sponsored by the ASCE Black Hills Branch, the SDSM&T CEE department and private donors.

Sign up for fall 2011 classes now. Many returning students have yet to sign up for fall classes. Please take a few minutes and sign up now, as classes with low enrollments will be cancelled before fall semester starts. Need help? Contact your advisor and/or Professor Lois Arneson-Meyer in CM 118: lois.arneson-meyer@sdsmt.edu.

Take to first step toward professional licensure - apply for the FE exam by July 1, 2011. Seniors who are within two semesters of graduating may apply for the FE examination, which is the national examination from the NCEES. The last day to register for the October 29, 2011 FE exam is July 1^st. You must register with SD Board of Technical Professions online at: https://apps.sd.gov/applications/ld17btp/Applications/secure/forms/BTPFEApplication.asp. The CEE department strongly encourages you take this exam this fall, as it is the first step toward professional licensure. Passing the FE exam is an important milestone that will increase your career opportunities. There will be general and civil engineering specific review sessions offered in this fall. To purchase a general review or civil engineering topics review manual, contact the ASCE student chapter: sdsmt_asce@hotmail.com. For more information about the FE exam, see http://www.ncees.org/Exams/FE_exam.php. Please note that the CEE department no longer requires that students take the FE exam to graduate, but don't limit your opportunities by neglecting to take this exam! It becomes significantly more difficult to pass after you graduate.

Math 447/547, Design of Experiments, is on the schedule for next spring semester for MWF, 11-11:50 am. Prerequisite: MATH 382 or MATH 441 or permission of instructor. Single and multifactor experiments, analysis of variance, factorial designs, the use of multiple regression, and response surface methodology. Topics may include nonparametric and permutation/randomization alternatives to the traditional parametic tests. Students enrolled in Math 557 will be held to a higher standard than those enrolled in Math 457.

KC Homiston of Highland Engineering and Surveying in Dickinson, ND is interested in hiring graduates from SDSMT/Civil Engineering. The phone number is 701-483-2444 and the company website is http://highlandseng.com/company/. 

PhD assistantships at LSUare available for students wishing to pursue a PhD in engineering beginning Fall 2011/Spring 2012. Preference, all else equal, will be given to external and underrepresented and underserved students. Additional details are attached. Contact Dr. Rusch at 225.578.8528 or krusch@lsu.edu with questions.

ELIGIBILITY

The minimum criteria for eligibility include:

1. GPA of 3.5 (for both the undergraduate and M.S. degrees) on a 4.0 scale

2. Acceptable verbal and quantitative scores on the GRE - use of a cutoff number for GRE is not recommended and not applied.

3. The applicant must have completed a M.S. degree program at the time of receiving a Ph.D. Fellowship.

The Ph.D. Fellowship is $30,000 from the Board of Regents and a $5,000 supplement from the student's home department for a total award of $35,000 per year for four years. The departmental supplement will not add additional duties/obligations beyond those of the Fellowship.

The award comes with a tuition waiver. In addition, the student will be eligible for the Graduate Assistant Insurance Benefit if they enroll on one of LSU's two student health plans. The insurance exemption is worth $350 per semester (fall and spring). Fellows will devote full-time effort to their graduate work for all three semesters of the year (fall, spring, summer). Attendance at national meetings is very important to the scholarly development of the Ph.D. student. The home department of each Fellow will provide, if available, up to $500 annually for the cost of travel to appropriate technical meetings.

The applicant must be a U.S. Citizen or permanent resident planning to enroll in one of the College's engineering programs. The requested Fellowships are focused in four overlapping areas that all relate to economic development: 1) energy (broad energy platform and environment, 2) coastal and ecological engineering, 3) materials science and engineering and 4) infrastructure (natural and built).

These awards are for entering graduate students only - not those currently enrolled. Those applying for the Ph.D. Fellowship must already hold a M.S. degree or will have received a M.S. degree before the start of the Fellowship.

Geotechnical engineering position available. Barr Engineering Co. provides engineering and environmental consulting and design services to clients across the nation. We were incorporated as an employee-owned firm in 1966 and trace our origins to the early 1900s. Today, our more than 500 engineers, scientists, technicians and support staff work with clients in the manufacturing, forest products, mining, power, and refining industries, as well as attorneys and municipal, state, and federal agencies.  We specialize in the areas of Environmental Assessment and Remediation, Environmental Management, Materials Handling, Process and Facilities Design, and Water Resources.

Position Summary: The person in this position will work on multi-discipline project teams providing geotechnical engineering support for research projects and practical applications dealing with the oil sand mining industry.  Work tasks will include managing and performing investigations, in-situ testing, laboratory studies, geotechnical computer modeling, and overseeing on-site and in-laboratory material testing. The position will also include performing common geotechnical analyses, such as those for slope stability, seepage, evaluation of bearing capacity, settlement, and deep foundations, as well as the preparation of plans and specifications (including CADD work), writing reports, and project cost estimating. Field work for the position will be comprised of activities including construction observation, subsurface investigations, in-situ testing, surveying, materials testing, and assisting in management of project scope, schedule, and budget compliance. The position will require interfacing and collaborating with Geotechnical Engineers in other Barr offices and with our clients. This position will require out-of-town work assignments, initially primarily consisting of travel between Canada and the US to support the project team.

Note: Applicants must be able to work in locations that feature rough terrain typical of construction sites and to enter and work within facilities that include limited accessibility, moving machinery, and other conditions typical of industrial facilities. Job assignments may occasionally involve work on waste disposal sites and sites requiring cleanup of hazardous materials. Participation in a medical surveillance program is required. Safety training will be provided before being assigned to work on these sites. Must be able to lift 50 lbs of weight. Position Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in civil engineering with a geotechnical emphasis.
• 0 - 3 years of relevant work experience with traditional geotechnical engineering.
• Willingness and flexibility to travel and work outside of the US and gain valuable experience during the first year of your career.
• Strong technical skills in a wide range of geotechnical analysis and design.
• Demonstrated flexibility and willingness to modify personal schedule as required to meet project deadlines and/or client needs.
• Computer skills including CADD, word processing, and spreadsheets.
• Good verbal and written communication skills.
• Geotechnical computer modeling capabilities.
• Successfully completed EIT exam and ability to obtain a PE after completing required engineering work experience.
• Acceptable driving record.

Preferred Qualifications

• Graduate degree in geotechnical engineering with a strong desire to continue on research projects.
• Proven capability to take research-level work and implement practical applications.
• Experience in the oil sands industry in Canada.
• Project or task management skills.
• Work experience with geotechnical analysis and geotechnical computer modeling or other related software (such as FLAC and/or Geo-Studio).
• Field experience with cone penetration testing and other in-situ methods.
• Laboratory experience including strength and compressibility testing of clay and silt-size materials using triaxial and/or ring shear apparatus.

Please apply online at http://www.barr.com and click on Careers.

Barr is an EEO/AA firm. We require proof of eligibility to work in the United States.