Welcome from the Chair

Welcome to the Summer 2025 Newsletter from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering! I’m delighted to share this latest update with you as we wrap up another remarkable academic year and look ahead to an exciting fall semester. It’s hard to believe, but this marks the end of my second year as department chair, and I’m just as thrilled today to be leading this wonderful community of students, faculty, alumni, and partners as I was on day one.

In this issue, we’re proud to spotlight the meaningful, hands-on work happening in our department. You’ll find a feature on Dr. Shen-En Chen’s inspiring partnership with Lansing’s Bridge to Recovery (LBTR). This initiative gives our students the chance to learn about bridge design while addressing real infrastructure needs in Western North Carolina communities still recovering from Hurricane Helene. It’s a powerful demonstration of how civil engineering can directly improve lives and strengthen communities.

We’re also bidding a fond farewell to Dr. Kimberly Warren, who is retiring at the end of June after 20 years of dedicated service to our department. While she served as Associate Chair during her final year here, her impact spanned teaching, mentoring, and leadership throughout her entire career at UNC Charlotte. We are grateful for her many contributions and wish her all the best in her well-earned retirement.

Another highlight comes from our ASCE student chapter, whose excellent performance at the Carolinas Symposium earned our concrete canoe team a coveted spot at the national competition in California later this month. Their creativity, teamwork, and dedication continue to make us proud.

This issue also celebrates and details the impressive accomplishments of our students and faculty and introduces “Bob” Kline, our new Research Operations Manager. Bob brings valuable experience to our department, and we’re excited to welcome him to the team.

As we look toward to next fall, we’re eagerly preparing to welcome four (possibly five!) new faculty members to our growing department. Until then, I wish you a restful, enjoyable summer. Thank you for being an important part of our CEE community.

Warm regards,
Glenn Moglen
Professor and Chair, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
UNC Charlotte