Email from UCI Samueli School of Engineering

Spring 2026

Chair's Message

Welcome to CEE@UCI!

This newsletter offers a window into how our department advances knowledge and prepares the next generation of engineers. Inside, you’ll find stories from faculty, students, staff, alumni, and industry affiliates – the people who shape the life of CEE at UCI. From research breakthroughs to student initiatives, and from professional collaborations to alumni engagement, these updates show that our strength lies in working together to take on today’s challenges and build a better future.

Keep up with us on other platforms as well, such as:

Facebook @ UC Irvine Civil & Environmental Engineering

LinkedIn @ UC Irvine Civil and Environmental Engineering

Bluesky @ucicee.bsky.social

Instagram @ceeatuci

Sincerely,

Mo Li

Professor and Chair

Beauty Matters: Artists-in-Residence at Fuscoe Engineering

At Fuscoe Engineering in Irvine, California, the words “full-circle thinking” painted on a blue-green wall, adjacent to a bed of natural plants, welcomes you when first stepping into the office. Founder Pat Fuscoe believes that “beauty matters” and an eco-adaptive approach is key to civil engineering.

Blazing a Trail in Climate Extreme Research with UCI Alumnus Moji Sadegh

As climate issues continue to intensify and grow in severity, the need for scientists, engineers and policymakers to collaborate across the aisle has never been more pertinent.

At the Intersection of Engineering and Anthropology: Elisa Borowski’s Social Perspective on Transportation Perspective on Trans

To Professor Elisa Borowski, civil engineering requires more than math and physics. As a civil & environmental engineering (CEE) assistant professor at UC Irvine and a frontrunner in transportation research,

Hydrological Modeling for Disease Prevention

UC Irvine Postdoctoral Scholar Ai-Ling Jiang is bridging the gap between infectious disease control and civil engineering at the Center for Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing (CHRS) through interdisciplinary collaborations that combine the fields of water resources and malaria modeling in Africa.

Designing Nature's Filter: UCI Environmental Design Team Secures Historic Win

When most people envision water treatment, they may picture massive wastewater facilities, capable of treating millions of gallons of water every day. Southern Californians may think of Hyperion, a sprawling 144-acre plant in Los Angeles that sanitizes an average of 275 million gallons of water daily.

Behind the Scenes of Success: How Gina Cho Supports UCI's Next Generation of Engineers/

Beyond professors and students, a network of professionals works behind the scenes of every academic department at UCI to keep programs running smoothly. They coordinate schedules, manage paperwork, and guide students through the administrative processes that keep academic programs functioning.

ITE Breaks Attendance Record for 2026 Student Leadership Summit

UC Irvine’s Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) chapter hosted the 13th Annual Student Leadership Summit (SLS) of ITE’s Western District, bringing together transportation enthusiasts and professionals from all over the western United States.

From UCI to the Netherlands: UCI Graduate Elisa Ragno Leads International Conference on Climate Extremes

The 7th International Conference on Advances in Extreme Value Analysis and Application to Natural Hazards (EVAN2026) will take place from July 21 to 23 at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. Leading the conference’s planning is Elisa Ragno, a Ph.D. graduate from who is now an assistant professor at Delft University of Technology.

Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering | (949) 824-5333 | cee@uci.edu | Website