Driving progress through collaboration with the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and the School of Mining & Petroleum Engineering

Celebrating departmental excellence

Simaan Abourizk, Aminah Robinson Fayek, Hassan Dehghanpour and Wenming William Zhang earned recognition at the ASTech Awards, underscoring the department’s research excellence. Additionally, Karim El-Basyouny was awarded the 2024–25 Killam Annual Professorship and Mohamed Gamal El-Din received the Killam Award for Excellence in Mentoring. Alireza Nouri's leadership of the Awards and Nomination Committee was integral to these achievements.

Connecting through key events

Collaboration is a key driver of the department’s success. This philosophy was exemplified by initiatives like the Masonry Symposium in November and the Construction Innovation Centre Forum in June. While the Masonry Symposium brought together experts from diverse engineering sectors to inspire innovative solutions, the Construction Innovation Centre Forums served as a platform for advancing industry-academic partnerships.

Research Centres drive innovation

The Nasseri School of Building Science and Engineering and centres like the Construction Innovation Centre, Masonry Centre and new Water Research Centre continued to bring researchers from diverse fields together to address complex challenges that advance industry and society.

Leading-edge teaching methods

This year also saw significant strides in educational innovation. For example,  assistant lecturer Ahmed Mowafy Saad introduced new teaching methods in large-scale engineering courses like ENGG 130 and CIVE 270, with initiatives like the “Fantasy Mechanics League”. The league gamifies learning by awarding points for participation and problem-solving to encourage active student involvement, help simplify complex concepts, make learning more accessible and promote deeper engagement.

Year-round community building  

Jomana Haymour, administrative assistant to the chair and recipient of the 2023 Support Staff Recognition Award, and Bonnie Hamilton, administrative assistant to the department, led initiatives like coffee breaks, potlucks, a book club and puzzles in the mailroom to create a welcoming atmosphere throughout the year.