CEE History: The Path Before Us

Beginning of day classes and full-time teaching. Establishment of the faculty of Arts and Science, which included classes in engineering.

Establishment of Carleton’s School of Engineering, with a four-year program replacing a two-year certificate. Carleton College renamed as Carleton University.

Civil Engineering was offered as a field of study in the 4th year of study.

First degrees in engineering awarded

Four-year Bachelor’s degree offered in the day program only and Civil Engineering was offered as a field of study in the 4th year (along with Electrical, Mechanical, and Engineering Physics). Until 1974, there were “divisions” within the Faculty of Engineering. Students could focus on it in their 4th year of engineering study, although Civil Engineering did not constitute a separate division in the Faculty of Engineering.

In the summer of 1964, the Faculty of Engineering moved from its quarters in the Tory Building for Science into the new C.J. Mackenzie Building for Engineering.

Mackenzie Building serves as the main hub for many Civil & Environmental Engineering students, classes, and labs to this day.

1965 marks Engineers Canada’s creation of CEAB to accredit undergraduate engineering programs in all Canadian provinces.

The Civil Engineering program was the first to be accredited in our department in the same year of 1965.

Faculty of Engineering is organized into departments, including Civil Engineering, which was first listed in the 1973-1974 Academic Calendar. The first Department Chair in Civil Engineering was D.A. Kasianchuk.

At this point, the program was still a four-year B.Eng degree with specialization offered in the fourth year of study.

The Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Civil Engineering (OCICE) was established in 1984 by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carleton University and the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Ottawa, both located in the city of Ottawa. The OCICE was established to combine the research strengths of the two departments and to give students access to the professors, courses and facilities at both universities. 

Minto Centre for Advanced Studies in Engineering (CASE) was initiated as a project in 1989 and completed in 1992. The Minto Centre houses many Civil Engineering laboratories, featuring some of the most advanced structural testing and geotechnical equipment available to undergraduate and graduate students.

Environmental Engineering program was launched, officially changing the Department’s name to Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Listen to a previous Department Chair, Dr. Jagmohan Humar, as he tells the story of the inception of the Environmental Engineering program:

A designation of the Faculty of Engineering and the Schools of Architecture and Industrial Design to the Faculty of Engineering and Design was officially made.

The Faculty of Engineering and Design includes four departments and three schools: the Departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electronics, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Systems and Computer Engineering as well as the Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism, School of Industrial Design, and School of Information Technology.

The Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Environmental Engineering (OCIENE) was established in 2000 by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carleton University, the Department of Civil Engineering and the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Ottawa. The Institute was established to combine the research strengths of the three departments and to give students access to the professors, courses and facilities at both universities.

The Bachelor of Engineering in Architectural Conservation and Sustainability Engineering program is officially offered in the 2011-2012 academic calendar.

Our first John Adjeleian Lecture was held this year in honour of the late Professor John Adjeleian, Emeritus Professor of Engineering at Carleton University, for his outstanding contributions to the University and to the profession of Civil Engineering. Lectures in the series highlight the outstanding achievements in professional practice, education and research that have advanced the field of civil engineering.

The lecture titled “Reflections on 40 Years of Bridge Engineering” was delivered by Dr. Roger A. Dorton. It has since become an annual tradition in our department.

CEE becomes the first department in FED to introduce a Departmental Advisory Committee consisting of industry practitioners and alumni with years to decades of experience. Feb 12, 2013, marked the committee’s first meeting.

The Student Experience Initiative begins, allowing a variety of beyond-the-classroom learning opportunities that enhance our students’ overall experience at Carleton.

Dr. Paul Van Geel, former Department Chair, was responsible for spearheading such unique initiatives during his time in departmental leadership. Listen to his story:

In Summer 2017, our special first-year summer internship became available for students with a Canadian high school diploma based on their entry average and performance in the first year. Eligible students are given the opportunity to be placed in a university research lab or industry. 

The first intern placement was for an Environmental Engineering student in Summer 2018 and the program has continued to offer undergraduate students an opportunity for work experience in their field(s).

Building Engineering Graduate Program was launched, offering MASc., M.Eng. & PhD programs.

Dr. Liam O’Brien, Professor in Building Engineering, shares with us how the Building Engineering graduate programs were officially launched: