FAQs: CEE Faculty Advising Process [2023-2024]

• E-mail Notices on the Faculty Advising Process

Your official UCI email serves as the only communication path from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering regarding the mandatory Faculty Advising Process, as well as other program matters. You are solely responsible for regularly checking your UCI email and responding as appropriate. No other media options are currently used.

• Why Do We Have Faculty Advising for Undergraduates?

The advising process was implemented for several practical reasons. Our program requirements evolve so regular meetings with students are the best way to provide information on current programs and planned changes. In this regard, faculty advising complements but does not replace annual meetings with Samueli School of Engineering (HSSOE) counselors to develop a Plan of Study. The faculty advising process also provides an opportunity for students to discuss a broad range of issues with program faculty, whether involving degree issues, specialization choices, career opportunities, or even professional practice. It provides a good deal of potential opportunity at a very low cost.


• What Is the CEE Faculty Advising Process?

Many academic programs assign first year students to advisors, faculty who will remain in that capacity as the student proceeds through the program. This fixed reference point is a benefit to many students who have questions throughout the year. We have chosen to assign freshmen to a group of faculty advisors, providing a fixed group of advisors for the same group of students over the entire time that they are in the degree program. Each advising cohort has a faculty member from each research area (structures, transportation, and environmental or water). Your faculty advisors will continue to advise you as long as you are in our UG programs.

Note: For 2023-2024, Faculty Advising for continuing students may be either in-person or virtual. Advising slides and videos are available on Canvas. Individual faculty advisors can be contacted during their in person or Zoom Office Hours.

• When Is CEE Faculty Advising for Undergraduates?

The faculty advising process is mandatory for all undergraduate students in the Samueli School of Engineering's Department Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE). Faculty advising involves meeting with a faculty member in group and/or individual advising sessions. Faculty advising is in addition to the advising you receive from Samueli School of Engineering undergraduate counselors.

First-years and Transfers: Please note that the advising process for first-years and transfers begins in the Fall quarter. Please review the First-years FAQs. Transfer students who have completed their freshman year should also join the winter advising process corresponding to their year in their degree program.

The formal process for sophomores, juniors, and seniors usually begins in the Winter quarter, although students are encouraged to see a faculty advisor at any time. A schedule will be announced at the start of each academic year. Individual sessions, as an option to group sessions, must be individually scheduled directly with a faculty member from your advising cohort.

To avoid missing communications with the department regarding advising or other matters, always check your official UCI e-mail regularly. This is the best way for us to effectively communicate with our students.


• How Does the CEE Faculty Advising Process Work?

There are two components to the process: group advising and individual advising.

Group Advising provides students an overview of campus, school, department, and degree program policies, programs, and opportunities. In-person sessions will include a summary of the degree programs, an overview of the ABET accreditation process, and information on academic honesty, research and professional opportunities, graduate school, and achieving professional engineering registration. Group sessions are of particular importance for freshmen and transfers, or for students not following the typical plan of study or meeting annually with an HSSOE counselor.

Starting in Fall 2023, we have introduced a Canvas site for virtual Faculty Advising. In lieu of in-person group sessions, CEE students may access this site 24/7 to view short Faculty Advising videos or to download pdf copies of the advising slides. The Canvas site will include an advising quiz. If you wish to fulfill the Faculty Advising requirement virtually, then you will need to successfully complete a quiz based on the videos. The quiz details can be found on the Canvas site.

Individual Advising sessions provide each student the opportunity to meet with a CEE faculty member to discuss career paths, research opportunities, and a variety of other topics related to civil and environmental engineering. Individual sessions are often more useful than group sessions for sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Each student must be advised by a program faculty member at least once each year, in either a group in-person, virtual group, or individual session, otherwise, a hold may be placed on your registration for the next fall quarter (see below).

• When and How Are The Advising Sessions Scheduled?
  1. Group Advising: You may choose to complete either group advising or to schedule a session with an individual faculty advisor from your advising cohort. Alternately, you may complete the process virtually by viewing the Faculty Advising videos and completing a quiz, all available on Canvas. Continuing students in good academic standing may choose to opt-out of faculty advising but they need approval from an HSSOE UG Counselor or their UG Program Advisor.

    First-years and Transfers are strongly encouraged to complete the advising process in Week 1 of Fall Quarter. This may prevent you from making registration mistakes that could delay your progress toward graduation.

    Sophomores, Juniors, and Returning Seniors should start the advising process no later than the Winter Quarter. You can complete the virtual advising process or schedule an individual Faculty Advising session. Continuing students in good academic standing may choose to opt-out of faculty advising but they need approval from an HSSOE UG Counselor or their UG Program Advisor.

  2. Individual Advising: All students have the option of meeting with an individual faculty advisor (see cohort lists) instead of group or virtual advising. If you choose this option, then you must directly arrange to meet with a faculty advisor to schedule and complete, in-person or virtually, the advising requirement.

• Who Are Your 2023-2024 Faculty Advisors?

Your cohort of faculty advisors is determined by your year in our academic programs. There are different faculty cohorts for First Year ("Frosh"), Second Year ("Sophomores"), Third Year ("Juniors", and Fourth Year ("Seniors"). Please note that CE and EnE UG Program Advisors do not serve as individual faculty advisors).

  1. First Years include students taking typical first year classes, primarily first year math & science courses and CEE81A, regardless of the total number of UCI credit hours completed to date. Freshmen are planning to take sophomore courses in the next academic year. If you are a freshman, please see FAQs.

  2. Second Years include students taking typical sophomore classes, including second year math courses as well as courses such as CEE30, 20, 11, 81B, and 21, regardless of the total number of UCI credit hours completed. Sophomores are planning to take junior courses in the next academic year. You will be part of the winter quarter advising process and will attend a group session designated for "Sophomores".

  3. Third Years include CE students taking courses such as CEE121, 150, 170, 130, 151A, 171, and 110, and EnE students taking courses such as 150, 170, 130, 110, 160, and 162. You are planning to take senior courses in the next academic year. You will be part of the winter quarter advising process and must attend a group session designated for "Juniors".

  4. Fourth Years include students who are taking the CEE181 Senior Design course sequence as well as specialization and engineering electives. Seniors who are graduating at the end of the current academic year are not required to complete the formal advising process. However, if you are planning to take any courses to fulfill degree requirements in the next academic year, then you must complete the advising process this year.

It is recommended that transfer students (from outside of UCI or from other UCI degree programs) attend a freshmen group session in the fall quarter of their first year in the program and then complete the appropriate Sophomore, Junior, or Senior requirements in the winter and in subsequent years.

• 2023-24 First Year Faculty Advisors [Class of 2027]
Professor Stephen Ritchie
Area: Transportation Systems Engineering
Office: AIRB 4014 / Tel: 949-824-4214
<sritchie@uci.edu>
Professor Sunny Jiang
Area: Environmental
Office: 844E / Tel: 949-824-5527
<sjiang@uci.edu>
Professor Russ Detwiler
Area: Water Resources & Environmental Engrng
Office: ET 844C / Tel: 949-824-7152
<detwiler@uci.edu>
Professor Matt Dean
Area: Transportation Engineering
Office: AIRB 4072 / Tel: 949-824-6287
<deanmd@uci.edu>
Professor Farzin Zareian
Area: Structural Engineering
Office: EG 4141 / Tel: 949-824-9866
<zareian@uci.edu>
Professor Ayman Mosallam
Area: Structural Engineering
Office: EG 4149 / Tel: 949-824-3369
<mosallam@uci.edu>

• 2023-24 Second Year Faculty Advisors [Class of 2026]
Professor Lizhi Sun
Area: Structural Engineering
Office: EG 4137 / Tel: 949-824-8670
<lsun@uci.edu>
Professor Michael Hyland
Area: Transportation Systems Engineering
Office: AIRB 4022 / Tel: 949-824-5084
<hylandm@uci.edu>
Professor Amir Aghakouchak
Area: Water Resources & Environmental Engnrng
Office: EH 5404 / Tel: 949-824-9350
<amir.a@uci.edu>
Professor Kuolin Hsu
Area: Water Resources & Environmental Engrng
Office: EH 5320 / Tel: 949-824-8826
<kuolinh@uci.edu>
Professor Mo Li
Area: Structural Engineering
Office: EG 4145 / Tel: 949-824-5333
<mo.li@uci.edu>
Professor Shakira Hobbs [on-leave Fall 2023]
Area: Environmental Engrng
Office: ET 516E / Tel: 949-824-5333
<shakira.hobbs@uci.edu>

• 2023-24 Third Year Faculty Advisors [Class of 2025]
Professor Anne Lemnitzer
Area: Structural and Geotechnical Engineering
Office: EG 4149 / Tel: 949-824-8133
<alemnitz@uci.edu>
Professor Jayakrishnan
Area: Transportation Systems Engineering
Office: AIRB 4055 / Tel: 949-824-2172
<rjayakri@uci.edu>
Professor Brett Sanders
Area: Environmental Engnrng & Water Resources
Office: ISEB 3080 / Tel: 949-824-4327
<bsanders@uci.edu>
Professor Chris Olivares Martinez
Area: Environmental Engnrng & Water Resources
Office: EH 516B / Tel: 949-824-xxxx
<chris.olivares@uci.edu>
Professor MJ Qomi
Area: Structural Engineering
Office: ET 516D / Tel: 949-824-0612
<mjaq@uci.edu>
Professor Soroosh Sorooshian
Area: Water Resources & Environmental Engrng
Office: EH 5308 / Tel: 949-824-8825
<soroosh@uci.edu>

• 2023-24 Fourth Year Faculty Advisors [Class of 2023]
Professor Joel Lanning [on-leave 2023-2024]
Area: Structural Engineering
Office: EG 4167 / Tel: 949-824-3765
<joel.lanning@uci.edu>
Professor Wenlong Jin
Area: Transportation Systems Engineering
Office: AIRB 4038 / Tel: 949-824-1672
<wjin@uci.edu>
Professor Jasper Vrugt
Area: Water Resources & Environmental Engrng
Office: ET 516G / Tel: 949-824-4515
<jasper@uci.edu>
Professor Kristen Davis
Area: Environmental Engrng & Water Resources
Office: ET 516B / Tel: 949-824-4498
<kadavis@uci.edu>
Professor Tirtha Banerjee
Area: Water Resources & Environmental Engrng
Office: ET 844D / Tel: 949-824-9230
<tirthab@uci.edu>
Professor Elisa Borowski
Area: Transportation, Equity
Office: AIRB 4036 / Tel: 949-824-7564
<borowski@uci.edu>

• Is This Process Mandatory?

Yes. You are required to complete this process each and every year since it provides a communication channel with program faculty. It complements, not replaces, advising from counselors in the HSSOE undergrad office (with whom you should also meet annually).

As long as you will be continuing with courses at UCI in the next fall quarter, you must fulfill the advising requirement. If you are planning on transferring to a different major but have not yet completed the transfer, then you still must attend the CEE advising process or a hold may be placed on your registration. If you are planning on transferring into CEE, you are encouraged to participate.

Continuing students in good academic standing may choose to opt-out of faculty advising but they need approval from an HSSOE UG Counselor or their UG Program Advisor.

• Do I Need to See the Same Faculty Advisor Each Time?

No. You are free to follow any of the options or to see any of the faculty members in your advising cohort. You can choose virtual or in-person advising and change your choice each year. For in-person advising, you may continue to see the same advisor or you may change at any time. If you wish to be advised by a faculty member not in your faculty cohort, please check with the CE or the EnE UG Program Advisor.

• What If I Miss an Advising Session?

If you miss scheduled in-person group sessions, then you must complete the process either virtually or via an individual session. If you miss an individual session, then you must contact that faculty member ASAP. If you are not advised each year, a hold may be placed on your registration for the follwoing fall quarter.

• What If I Don't Pass the Virtual Advising Quiz?

You can re-take the quiz as often as needed to pass but until you do successfully complete the quiz, you will not have fulfilled the requirement. The quiz is based on the advising videos (also available as pdfs). If you fail the quiz, review the videos and re-take the quiz. The only alternative is to make an appointment for an individual advising session.

• What If I've Already Met with an HSSOE Counselor?

You should meet with an HSSOE UG Counselor every year, but this does not replace the requirement to complete the faculty advising process. If your degree program Plan of Study (developed with and filed in the HSSOE UG Office) is not up to date, then you should arrange to meet with a counselor prior to participating in the faculty advising process.

• What Is The Penalty for Not Attending?

If you do not complete the annual Faculty Advising process, then a hold may be placed on your registration for the following fall quarter. Any courses in which you are registered will be dropped if you do not satisfy this requirement. One to two hours in an in-person or virtual session, or 15 minutes in an individual session, will be well worth the investment.

• Where Can I View the Group Advising Slides?

The CEE Faculty Advising Canvas site provides pdf copies of FAQ pages and the advising slides. All program requirements are available in the UCI General Catalogue.

• Other Questions Regarding Advising?

Each undergraduate program has a designated UG Program Advisor who can be consulted on any issues but in general do not serve as individual faculty advisors. There is also a CEE Student Affairs Coordinator. For the 2023-2024 Academic Year, these contacts are:

Professor M.G.McNally
CE Undergraduate Program Advisor
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Office: AIRB4048 / 949-824-8462
<mmcnally@uci.edu>
Professor Diego Rosso
EnE Undergraduate Program Advisor
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Office: ET 844F / Tel: 949-824-8661
<bidui@uci.edu>
Jennifer Miller
Student Affairs
Civil and Environmental Engineering
949-824-5333
<jmiller8@uci.edu>
Professor Jean-Daniel Saphores
Department Chair
Civil and Environmental Engineering
949-824-5333
<saphores@uci.edu>

• Who/what/where are the HSSOE UG Counselors?

The Undergraduate Student Affairs Office offers academic advising by both academic counselors and peer advisors in the School's Student Affairs Office, 305 Rockwell Engineering Center. Counselors are full time HSSOE staff whose role is to advise students on program rquirements and to develop a Plan of Study that serves as a roadmap for completing your degree. Meetings with counselors can be scheduled as 30 minute appointments. Peer Academic Advisors are generally available for walk-ins at some point each day. Their office hours are Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The office closes between noon and 1 p.m. for lunch. Feel free to contact them at (949) 824-4334 or via email (ugengr@uci.edu).

• What Is My Plan of Study?

A Plan of Study is simply a four year schedule of planned courses that will facilitate your completion of your degree program on time. You should meet with an HSSOE UG Counselor once per year to develop you Plan of Study for at least the current and following year. This Plan will include all program required courses as well as General Education options.

FAQs: CEE Faculty Advising [2023-2024] [ back to top ]

[ © mgm | last revised 1 November 2023 ]