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As the new academic year approaches, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the School of Mining and Petroleum Engineering are stepping into Fall 2025 with a clear commitment to innovation, collaboration and community.

Expanding learning: new graduate courses
One of the cornerstones of the department is its expansive graduate program, which offers around 70 courses per year across civil, environmental, mining and petroleum disciplines. In Fall 2025, a new lineup of graduate courses is being introduced, reflecting both professional relevance and emerging research needs.

Among the new offerings are:

• Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Career Development in the AEC Industry
• Sensing Techniques and Data Analytics for Engineering Systems
• Concrete Materials: Composition, Performance and Applications
• Construction Safety and Human Factors
• Smart Digital Systems and Processes in Construction Engineering

Looking ahead to Winter 2026, additional new courses will include Research Methods, GIS Applications in Renewable Resources and Mass Transfer in Environmental Engineering.

These additions represent a continued effort to prepare students for the evolving demands of industry and academia. The department is also developing an online Master of Engineering, with a launch date anticipated for Fall 2026, broadening access to engineering education for working professionals and international learners.

From Research Hubs to Real-World Impact
This department has a track record of tackling grand challenges, and 2025 is no exception. The newly launched has concluded its first call for proposals and will serve as a hub for interdisciplinary, community-engaged water research. Meanwhile, a trio of researchers — Tae Kwon, Karim El-Basyouny and Stephen Wong — are working to transform Edmonton’s transportation landscape through smarter, safer mobility.

Several stories were featured this year in the department’s newsletter, showcasing the breadth of innovation happening across its people, labs and initiatives. Highlights include Jeff Boisvert’s work on real-time drone monitoring for emergency response, as well as a feature by Vincent McFarlane and Jennifer Nafziger on autonomous river discharge and bathymetric surveying. Lynn Shehab explored smart wearable technology that supports cognitive safety on job sites, while Yaman Boluk traced hydraulic innovations from ancient Assyria to Archimedes. Ahmed Mowafy contributed a thoughtful piece on pedagogical leadership and teaching innovation.

Together, these faculty-written features reflect the department’s remarkable range — from historical technologies to futuristic systems, and from field research to educational renewal.

Building Knowledge and Community
Department members are actively contributing to key events in 2025, including the , the and the , offering students and researchers critical opportunities for exchange and exposure.

Support for future engineers also continues to grow thanks to the Jim Montgomery Endowment, established to honour a legacy of mentorship and technical excellence in environmental engineering.

A Culture of Connection
Beyond labs and classrooms, the department is doubling down on efforts to foster collegiality and inclusion. A new formal Mentorship Program is being launched to support early-career faculty and graduate students. Informal efforts are flourishing too.

This spring, the department organized The Bridge — a two-week pop-up café and gathering space in the Donadeo ICE mezzanine. Over coffee, puzzles, colouring pages, and lunchtime chats, people from across departmental units connected in meaningful ways.

Even the department’s book club is gaining momentum, offering a lively space to explore literature ranging from Lessons in Chemistry to One Hundred Years of Solitude.

As we look toward 2025–2026, the department’s priorities are clear: foster innovation in teaching and research, strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration and build a welcoming culture of belonging.