CEM Program Area Highlight

VCEMP had an active year in research, education and service. The program launched a search for a new professor of practice in heavy construction, supported by the Beavers, the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Virginia Transportation Construction Alliance. Charlie Kilpatrick will deliver the 24th Vecellio Distinguished Lecture on the evolution of project delivery and collaborative contracting.

The 2025–26 Vecellio Scholars are Garrett Beggs, Catherine Caputo and Abby DeCosta. Fellows are Nada Aboelmagd, Paula Jaramillo, Rory Oden, Meghraj Parab and Susan West. Major facilities projects led by Mike Biscotte improved departmental labs and classrooms. Dave Ford’s team advanced flood mitigation modeling for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Mike Garvin reported on lump-sum contracting and the role of artificial intelligence in engineering services. Farrokh Jazizadeh advanced AI-driven intelligent environments. Frederick Paige led national infrastructure education efforts and launched innovative research focused on learning and ADHD.

Tripp Shealy, serving as the dean’s fellow, expanded work in off-site construction and disaster recovery, with his research featured by NPR. Hongrui Yu advanced human-robot collaboration and construction automation, earning leadership roles in ASCE conferences. Faculty members including Biscotte, Ford, Garvin and Shealy were recognized on the College of Engineering’s Dean’s List.