Tag Archives: John Kevern

UM FastTrack Grant Awarded to Professors Hart & Kevern

In early Spring 2014 a provisional patent was filed by UMKC based on civil engineering Associate Professor John Kevern and Assistant Professor Megan Hart’s research on using actively enhanced pervious concrete (AEPC) as a permeable reactive barrier (PRB) for polluted groundwater treatment. The University of Missouri FastTrack program has recently confirmed funding research by co-PIs Dr. John Kevern and Dr. Megan Hartto turn this research into a licensable technology. Groundwater is the water source for approximately 50% of the world’s population, and approximately 30% of groundwater is estimated to be contaminated, requiring an actionable technology for remediation.

The project, Enhanced Pervious Concrete as a Permeable Reactive Barrier Technology, is divided into five tasks which will be performed over the course of one year from June 1, 2014 to May 31, 2015. These tasks will provide the researchers the data and information needed to assemble a prospectus report suitable for dissemination to interested parties. This technology has the potential to replace or supplement the commercial applications of zero valent iron or comparable technology which treats on average 25-50% contaminated groundwater and it will be far less expensive than current techniques.

Our congratulations to Drs. Hart and Kevern! We look forward to learning more about the results of their research and the commercialization of this technology.

UMKC & SCE to host 2015 National Student Steel Bridge Competition

Save the Date! UMKC & SCE have the honor of hosting the 2015 National Student Steel Bridge Competition which will be held here in Kansas City on May 22-23, 2015. From an initial field expected to number over 200 teams, the top scoring teams at the regional competitions will then advance to the national competition in Kansas City.

Our UMKC ASCE Student Chapter for the School of Computing and Engineering has been very active with regard to competing in Steel Bridge. Since 2001, our Steel Bridge team has competed in the NSSBC a total of 7 times. Their best showing was at the 2008 national competition in Florida where UMKC placed first in the Stiffness category and in the top 10 overall. For the past two years, the ASCE Student chapter (advised by Drs. John Kevern, and Jerry Richardson) has received letters of commendation from ASCE. We look forward to showcasing Kansas City to our nation’s future civil engineers and their faculty advisors.

John Kevern and Mike Kelly are 2014 SCE Good Teaching Award Recipients

Mike Kelly, Teaching Professor in CSEE and John Kevern, Assistant Professor in CME, were recently presented with the 2014 SCE Good Teaching Awards. Annually, the UMKC SCE Good Teaching Award is given to two SCE faculty, one from our Civil and Mechanical Engineering (CME) department and one from our Computer Science Electrical Engineering (CSEE) department. Selected by a vote of the graduating SCE seniors, this award truly reflects SCE students’ appreciation and regard.

The awards were announced in front of their students and peers at the May 2, 2014 Spring Awards Ceremony and Reception held in Pierson Auditorium in the Atterbury Student Success Center. SCE gratefully acknowledges the SCE Alumni Association Board for their support of the Good Teaching Awards. The SCE AA Board established an endowed fund to support the Engineering Good Teaching award and works each year with the dean to review the SCE students’ nominations and ratify recipients.

Professors Chen and Kevern speak at MSPE WC meeting

SCE civil engineering professors, Drs. ZhiQiang Chen and John Kevern were invited speakers at the March 20, 2014 Missouri Society of Professional Engineers Western Chapter (MSPE WC) monthly meeting. Continue reading →

Four SCE Women Graduate Students Receive GAF Awards

Four talented UMKC SCE women graduate students have been selected to receive UMKC Women’s Council Graduate Assistant Fund (GAF) Awards. These competitive awards are based on the merits of their proposed projects and/or scholarly activities. Lean more about how their efforts will be making a difference.

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SCE Professors John Kevern and Jerry Richardson Funded for New Research Project

Dr. John Kevern, SCE Assistant Professor and Dr. Jerry Richardson, SCE Associate Professor, both in the Civil and Mechanical Engineering Department, recently had a new research project funded. Their proposal on the hydraulic design of permeable interlocking concrete pavers will be funded by the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI).

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Dr. John Kevern Discovers New Material for Internally Curing Concrete

Dr. John Kevern has received UM Fast Track II Initiative Funds for his project, Application of Drinking Water Treatment Waste As Internal Curing for Concrete. Dr. Kevern discovered that this locally and globally available waste material can be used to internally cure concrete. Since concrete needs moisture to gain strength, internal sponges made from drinking water treatment waste helps to improve important concrete properties including strength and durability. With the help of Ph.D. student Qiwei (Claire) Cao, the project will be completed in 2014. Qiwei (Claire) Cao’s dissertation will examine and evaluate the knowledge gained from this project. The goal is to fully evaluate the material and prove that it is the most effective internal curing agent for concrete.

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Quality of Limestone from Mine Located Under Worlds of Fun Being Assessed by Dr. John Kevern

If you like to ride the roller coasters at Worlds of Fun, you can add a new fun fact to tell your friends. Located 1400 feet under Worlds of Fun is a Hunt-Martin Materials mine to extract limestone that took 13 years to build. Limestone has traditionally been used as a building material because it was local and abundant. The deep mine was needed because the good, hard, durable limestone has been used up near the surface.

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ASCE President Elect Visits SCE

American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) President Elect Randall (Randy) Over, P.E., F.ASCE visited SCE on May 15, 2013. Annually, the ASCE President Elect travels to Kansas City to meet with and address the Greater Kansas City ASCE Section, and while in KC, often stops by UMKC’s School of Computing and Engineering to meet with faculty, students and the dean. According to the ASCE profile, ASCE is America’s oldest engineering society and represents more than 140,000 members of the civil engineering profession worldwide. Continue reading →

UMKC Steel Bridge Team Competes At Regionals

This year the Steel Bridge team competed at the Mid-Continent Conference Steel Bridge Regionals held at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (SIUE). The competition was held April 4, with a record number of teams, fourteen, attending from the Mid Continent Conference. This year our team, the SteelRoos, did remarkably well but fell short of the top three. Our SteelRoos build time was good and the bridge stiffness was very good, winning 3rd place. The one of a kind connections used for the bridge intrigued many participants. However, some key construction and dimensional penalties knocked our SteelRoos out of the running for the top honors. Co-Captains Taylor Christmas and Jessica Everhart and team members, Kevin Buck, Huy Dao, Mitchell Eutsler, Jon Lamanes, Paige Norris, Spencer Solon, Jade Rodell-Tipton, Megan Ryan conducted themselves in a professional manner and represented UMKC and SCE very well. Professors John Kevern and Jerry Richardson serve as faculty co-advisors for the team. Much was learned for next year and many of this year’s team members will be returning. We are all proud of them!