The UConn Women’s Lacrosse team recently recognized outstanding faculty and staff members during their annual Faculty & Staff MVP Game at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium. This special event highlights the invaluable contributions of faculty and staff who have made a lasting impact on student-athletes' academic and personal journeys.

Dr. Shinae Jang, a faculty member in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was nominated by Sofia Oximana, an engineering student and lacrosse team member, for her dedication and support. Dr. Jang was honored during halftime, with her name displayed on the stadium’s videoboard, followed by an on-field recognition ceremony alongside other Faculty MVPs.

“It was a wonderful experience, and I truly appreciate the recognition,” said Dr. Jang. “It’s rewarding to know that students feel supported both in the classroom and in their athletic endeavors.”

After the game, MVPs had the opportunity to take photos with the team, emphasizing the strong bond between UConn faculty, staff, and student-athletes. The event is a testament to the university’s commitment to fostering a supportive academic and athletic environment.

The UConn Women’s Lacrosse team continues to excel both on and off the field, with student-athletes like Sofia acknowledging the profound influence of faculty members in their success.

Congratulations to all Faculty & Staff MVPs for their dedication to UConn’s students!

Dr. Nicholas Lownes, Associate Professor, Associate Director of Transportation & Urban Engineering, and Associate Director of Construction Management, has co-authored a new book, Transportation Network Analysis: Volume I: Static and Dynamic Traffic Assignment.

Co-written with Dr. Stephen D. Boyles and Dr. Avinash Unnikrishnan, this book provides a comprehensive examination of traffic assignment models, a crucial component in transportation planning and network analysis. It presents both classical and contemporary methodologies, offering a valuable resource for those seeking to understand advancements in the field.

About the Book:

Traffic assignment models serve as the foundation of transportation network analysis, playing a key role in transportation planning. This book offers insights into:

• Static and dynamic traffic assignment methodologies
• Classical and modern solution techniques used in contemporary planning software
• Mathematical and optimization foundations, with additional resources for those new to the field

The primary audience includes graduate students, transportation practitioners, and researchers. Additional materials, including slides and updates, will be available online.

• Check it out on Amazon: https://a.co/d/cZIeuxY

Volume II, currently in development, will expand on the topics covered in this volume by addressing transit, freight, and logistics models.

For more information about Dr. Lownes’ research and contributions to transportation engineering, visit his page on the SoCEE site.

The University of Connecticut’s Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) team has been selected to participate in the prestigious 2025 Undergraduate Seismic Design Competition (SDC) at the University of California, Berkeley, taking place from March 31 – April 3, 2025. This annual competition brings together over 30 university teams from across the U.S. and around the world to design, construct, and test a scale-model high-rise building capable of withstanding simulated earthquake forces.

About the Competition

The Undergraduate Seismic Design Competition, organized by EERI’s Student Leadership Council (SLC), is a premier event designed to promote the study and application of earthquake engineering among undergraduate students. Participants are challenged to apply their technical knowledge, teamwork, and innovation as they create a cost-effective and seismically resilient balsa wood structure that will be tested on a shaking table to simulate real earthquake conditions.

This year, students are designing a structure with a pedestrian skybridge to integrate into the skyline of Kobe, Japan. The structure must be architecturally compelling while meeting the rigorous seismic requirements needed to withstand the region’s historical earthquakes.

Teams are judged based on multiple factors, including:

• Oral Design Presentation – Demonstrating engineering rationale, innovation, and feasibility
• Architectural and Structural Design – Balancing aesthetics with seismic resilience
• Analytical Prediction of Performance – Using structural analysis tools to forecast the model’s behavior under seismic loading
• Model Performance During Testing – Evaluating how well the structure withstands simulated earthquake forces

The competition serves as a real-world learning opportunity, helping students develop critical skills in earthquake-resistant design, structural dynamics, and resilience planning, while also fostering leadership, collaboration, and problem-solving within the field of civil engineering.

As part of its mission, the UConn EERI chapter is dedicated to providing students with knowledge and hands-on experience in earthquake engineering and related fields. The seismic design team, supported by the Innovation Shop at UConn, is working hard to bring their innovative design to life and represent UConn on the national stage.

We are incredibly proud of our UConn EERI team and their dedication to advancing earthquake engineering innovation. Please join us in congratulating them and wishing them the best of luck as they prepare for the competition.

Follow them on Instagram (@eeri.uconn) and LinkedIn (UConn EERI) to stay updated on their progress!