Consultation Period: Project descriptions will be posted on this page during winter quarter for projects staring in spring and during spring quarter for projects starting in fall quarter. Students have an opportunity to discuss projects with advisors during this period.
Preference Declaration Period: Students submit their first, second, and third choices for project via a SurveyMonkey. Submissions will include a brief description of the qualifications a student brings to each project, and information concerning the student's expected graduation date.
Assignment Period: Course coordinator assigns all students to projects based on the student preferences, advisor priority, and expected graduation dates. The goal is provide every student with one of the student's top three choice. If class demand exceeds supply, expected graduation date will be used in assignment process. Assignments will be posted to this website.
Registration Process: Registration for each section of CE 491/492/493 will be restricted to those students assigned to each particular project.
Click on project title for more infomration
Disciplines: transportation, structural, geotechnical & drainage engineering
Additional requisites: Students must have completed at least one of the following courses by the end of summer 2012 quarter CE 223, CE 326, CE 425.
Description: The increase flow of freight traffic into and out of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach has generated the need for improvements in rail lines leaving the ports and transiting the Inland Empire. Even with the economic downturn of the past four years, container traffic at the Ports has retraced its prior levels and now looks poised to continue to grow beyond the levels prior to the downturn. Where streets and railroad cross at grade, significant traffic delays and safety problems can exist. The projected increase in rail traffic over the next several decades will greatly exacerbate these problems. Government agencies have responded to address these problems by grade separating roads from rail lines, in some cases bridging the road with an overpass over the rail, or underpassing the railroad line by taking the road under a newly constructed railroad bridge. In very limited cases, the agencies have had to take the rail over the road, a flyover, although the railroad companies are reticent of approving this method except in very extreme cases where other alternatives are infeasible.
The City of Montclair has been steadily working for more than a decade to improve the at-grade crossing of Monte Vista Avenue with the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) between Holt Avenue and Mission Boulevard. The State Street Channel and State Street parallel the southern edge of the UPRR tracks right-of-way. The storm drain channel presents an additional significant constraint. The project also requires a connector between Monte Vista Avenue and State Street. Students will evaluate project alternatives and design a grade separation. The project is comprehensive and will require traffic analysis, horizontal and vertical alignment of street and/or railway, geotechnical analysis, drainage/storm water design, and structural design of a bridge, foundations, abutments and retaining structures.
For more information Email Advisor
Disciplines: environmental and hydraulic engineering
Additional requisites: CE 431 & CE 432 are desirable as corequisites but not required.
Description: A satellite, or scalping, water reclamation facility is a relatively small facility that diverts wastewater from a sewer pipeline and treats it to acceptable standards for subsequent reuse (e.g., irrigation). Solids and residuals generated in the reclamation facility are typically returned back to the sewer and transported to the regional wastewater treatment facility for processing. One of the main advantages of satellite facilities is that they are strategically located close to the end users of the recycled wastewater, which reduces capital and operating costs associated with distribution.
The objective of this project will be to develop a preliminary design and cost estimate for a satellite water reclamation facility that incorporates state of the art treatment technologies such as a membrane bioreactor and reverse osmosis membranes.
For more information Email Advisor
Disciplines: hydraulic, geospatial, and geotechnical engineering
Additional requisites: Students must have completed CE 134 and CE 327L by the end of summer quarter 2012.
Description: Renewable energy sources based on wind or solar produce energy only when the wind blows or the sun shines, which are not necessarily when the energy is needed. Thus, there is increasing interest in various methods of energy storage, which buffer the difference between energy production and energy demand. One such method is pumped storage, where excess electrical energy is used to pump water from a reservoir at a low elevation to another reservoir at a higher elevation, thus storing the energy as potential energy in the water. Then, when the electricity is needed, the water flow is reversed and passed through a turbine to generate electrical power.
This senior project consists developing a conceptual design of a pumped storage facility on the Cal Poly Pomona campus. It will include the design of two earth dams, a pipeline, pumps and turbines, a pump house, and other ancillary facilities. This project will primarily involve surveying and mapping, hydraulic analysis and design, geotechnical analysis and design, and performance/cost analyses. It is suitable for students from the general, environmental, and geospatial options. Some work during Summer 2012 will be required.
For more information Email Advisor
Disciplines: hydraulic, geotechnical, structural and transportation engineering
Additional requisites: Students must have completed CE 223 by the end of fall quarter 2012.
Description: This project will familiarize the students with procedures and required knowledge to complete a comprehensive Caltrans project which is shown as below.
In the city of Fresno, CA, three existing on-ramps to State Route 41 do not satisfy the current Caltrans highway design manual standards due to the small shoulder widths and relatively steep embankment sideslopes. In addition, the traffic study indicates that the existing one-lane in each ramp cannot serve the increased traffic projected over the next several decades. To address these issues, the projects propose to widen the three on-ramps and to install three Ramp Metering Systems allowing traffic to efficiently merge into the main line of State Route 41. Since the widening of ramps will affect lots of existing facilities and structures such as retention basins inside the ramps, retaining walls, traffic signals at local streets, curbs and gutters, cross culverts, etc., the project is comprehensive and will require drainage analysis, traffic analysis, and structural design of retaining structures. Specifically, project scope includes:
For more information Email Advisor
Disciplines: geospatial engineering (survey and GIS), water resources (hydrology/hydraulics), environmental engineering (biology, geology and water quality), and geotechnical engineering (slope stability and bank stability).
Additional requisites: Students must have completed CE 451 and CE 326 by the end of fall quarter 2012.
Description: This project will involve developing a preliminary solution to drainage and soil stability problems within Crystal Lake Campgroup located in the Angeles Forest. Students selected to work on this project will need to participate in a one week project meeting and data collection field trip during the summer.
During the project students will learn how to identify the engineering problems and challenges within the campground; and work directly with both the Angeles office of the US Forest Service and a local consulting company to develop a practical solution. This project is intended to provide the US Forest Services with a proactive solution to drainage and slope stability problems. The project will include but is not limited to:
For more information Email Advisor
Disciplines: Transportation
Additional requisites: Students must have completed CE223 by summer 2011.
Description: A real-life feasibility study will be conducted for interchange improvements. The study will include: site investigation, needs assessment, traffic and environmental analyses, alternative identification and analysis, preparation of geometric approval drawings, construction phasing plan, advanced planning study, and cost estimates. Students are required to make presentations to Caltrans, ITE Southern California and ITE San Bernardino and ITE Riverside.
For more information Email Advisor
Disciplines: Hydrology, hydraulic, and geotechnical engineering
Additional requisites: none.
Description: This project will require the design of a groundwater infiltration Gallery for the Foothill Municipal Water District (FMWD) and the system that will deliver the water to the infiltration site. The project objective is to take transport wastewater from an existing treatment facility and deposit it into an underground infiltration system to boost the amount of groundwater available to FMWD. The project will be installed beneath an athletic field, making it a multi-use, low impact development for the community
For more information Email Advisor
Disciplines: structural engineering
Additional requisites: Student must have completed CE 433/L by the end of summer 2012
Description: The design of wood buildings has been traditionally limited to light frame wood construction. Recently, heavy timber structural systems using cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels and timber moment frames were tested in Japan and New Zealand. The wood as a structural material offers very competitive solutions for high seismicity areas and addresses sustainability concerns. In this project the students will explore innovative wood structural systems, such as, CLT panels, structural insulated panels, heavy timber moment frames and braced wood frames. The students will develop several structural systems that would applicable for mid-rise construction and will demonstrate their use.
For more information Email Advisor
Disciplines: Structural, engineering
Additional requisites: Students must have completed CE 406 by fall 2012.
Description: Design of a low-rise structural steel building in accordance with the 2013 California Building Code (CBC) and it’s referenced specifications and standards, including; 2012 International Building Code (IBC), ASCE 7-10, Minimum Design Loads For Buildings And Other Structures, AISC 360-10, Specification For Structural Steel Buildings, AISC 341-10, Seismic Provisions For Structural Steel Buildings, AISC 358-10, Prequalified Connections For Special And intermediate Steel Moment Frames For Seismic Applications, and ACI 318-11, Building Code Requirements For Structural Concrete.
For more information Email Advisor
Disciplines: geotechnical, geospatial, and structural engineering
Additional requisites: Students must have completed CE 326 by summer 2012.
Description: The students in this senior project will complete the preliminary design of a tunnel. The project scope will include the following:
For more information Email Advisor
Disciplines: structural engineering and geotechnical engineering
Additional requisites: Complete CE 406 and/or 433 by end of fall quarter 2012.
Description: This project entails the design of a high-end three-story wood (timber)/steel mixed use structure which includes a hotel, retail stores and restaurants at street level, on site exterior parking, and lush landscaping consisting of retaining walls, an adjacent large grotto and a large swimming pool.
For more information Email Advisor
Disciplines: structural, traffic/transportation and geotechnical engineering
Additional requisites: none.
Description: This project will examine the range of alternatives, prepare technical assessments and environmental and engineering studies, and perform preliminary engineering on a feasible alternative for a tunnel and/or surface route to close the gap between the I-10/I-710 Interchange and the I 210 Freeway in the west San Gabriel Valley. Specifically, the gap is a 4.5 mile segment between Valley Blvd. in Alhambra and Del Mar Blvd. in Pasadena, and it is the last portion of I-710 that needs to be constructed. Structural, geotechnical, and traffic/transportation disciplines are involved with the project.
For more information Email Advisor
Disciplines: structural and geotechnical engineering.
Additional requisites: One or more of the following courses should be completed by fall 2012: CE 406, CE 421, CE 424.
Description: This project involves the design of a new school building in Southern California. The project has a strong emphasis on structural design of gravity, wind, and seismic load resisting elements and their connections using codes such as AISC, ACI, and ASCE 7. Geotechnical considerations will also be incorporated and will be used for the design of structural foundations and basement walls.
For more information Email Advisor
Disciplines: Structural, geotechnical, and civil engineering
Additional requisites: Students must have completed at least one of one of CE 406, 421, 433 and 424 by end of fall 2012
Description: This project involves the design of a mid-rise building California. The current economic environment will place significant financial constraints on the project. Students will be required to develop several alternatives to reach the budget constraints, select the best alternative and then complete the design. Students will be meeting with the architect, mechanical/electrical/plumbing designer, and construction contractor to determine design requirements and review design alternatives.
For more information Email Advisor
Disciplines: geotechnical engineering
Additional requisites: Student must have completed CE 326 by the end of summer 2012
Description: This project involves investigating and preparing geotechnical recommendations and Plan, Specification and Estimate study reports for the new grade separation in City of Ontario. Geotechnical reports for this project will consist of Foundation Report, Geotechnical Design Report, and Materials Report. The project scope will depend on the interest and experience of the students but will include some or all of the following:
For more information Email Advisor
Click here to download entire project list.
The preference survey is closed. Assignments will posted below when they are complete.
List sorted by assigned project.
List sorted by last name.
