As a partner university, the University of Oklahoma will involve both undergraduate and graduate students in research activities. OU students involved in ABC-UTC research projects or supported by the ABC-UTC will be listed on this page.
Current Students
Abdirahman Ahmed Haibe : Abdirahman Ahmed Haibe is a recently graduated structural engineer with a Master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma, where he also completed his Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering. Throughout his academic career, Mr. Haibe has demonstrated leadership and design skills, serving as the structural design lead for the Steel Bridge Competition for two consecutive years and leading the structural team for his senior capstone project. His interests are materials and methods for accelerated bridge construction and 3D printed composites.
Alexander smith : Alexander Smith is a second-year graduate student in the Construction Science division at the University of Oklahoma. His previous research work has focused on weather-resistant home construction and residential construction using insulating concrete forms (ICF). Other research interests include Lean Project Delivery in general and the challenges associated with the adoption of Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) in particular. Upon completion of his master’s degree, he plans to begin his career in the construction industry working for Hensel Phelps.
Ali Akbarpour (PhD, Student): Ali Akbarpour is a Ph.D. student in structural engineering at University of Oklahoma. During his master’s studies, Ali has published his research on cement modifications in regarded journal papers. Ali has three years of experience in various civil engineering projects. He specializes in mechanical and microstructural tests on various concretes. In addition, working in diverse environments has enlightened him about effective communication, teamwork, and thinking outside the box to tackle real-world problems. His interests include material modifications and characterization.
Jacob Choate (PhD, Student): Jacob is a PhD student in the school of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science at the University of Oklahoma. He is a first-generation college graduate and earned both of his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Oklahoma. His master’s research involved the repair and testing of a retired, prestressed concrete bridge girder using FR-SCC. Currently, his research includes advanced characterization of non-proprietary UHPC developed at OU.
Kade Snodgrass : Kade Snodgrass is a third-year undergraduate student in the Construction Science division at the University of Oklahoma. Born and raised in Norman, OK, Kade came into college with little to no knowledge of the construction industry. After getting his foot in the door with classes, he quickly got a grasp on the means of the industry. This is the first research project that he has taken part in while in college. Kade’s first internship was with Hill & Wilkinson General Contractor in Richardson, TX during the 2022 summer. Kade has plans to get his master’s in Construction Business at the University of Oklahoma once he has completed his undergraduate. As he is going into his last year as an undergraduate student, he plans to work at Hillwood Construction Services for his last internship in 2023 summer.
Stephen Roswurm (PhD, Student): Stephen is a Ph.D. student in the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science at the University of Oklahoma. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at OU and is one of five brothers all of which earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from OU. His master’s research focused on behavior of shrinkage compensating concrete placed under mechanical restraint and he is currently looking at creep and shrinkage of UHPC.
Syed Ashik Ali (PhD, Student): Syed Ashik Ali is currently pursuing his PhD at the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science of the University of Oklahoma (OU). He received his Master’s in Civil Engineering from the same university in 2016, while he completed his BS in Civil Engineering from Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Bangladesh. His academic accomplishments have been recognized with several awards and scholarships and he also has served as a lecturer at Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Bangladesh. At OU, he has worked on several funded research projects including development of guidelines for Multiple Stress Creep Recovery (MSCR) Method for Oklahoma Binders, Evaluation of Fatigue Performance of Different Asphalt Mixes Used in Oklahoma, and Development of Database for Surface Free Energy Components of Oklahoma Binders and Aggregates. The focus of his Ph.D. research is the characterization of moisture-induced damage of asphalt mixes using chemical, thermodynamic and mechanistic approaches. He is currently working on the ABC-UTC project “Development of Guidelines for Selection of Substructure for ABC Projects.”
Trevor Looney (PhD, Candidate): Trevor is a PhD candidate in the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science at the University of Oklahoma. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla Missouri. After working for Wallace Engineers in Tulsa, Oklahoma he enrolled at OU to pursue a Ph.D. in structural engineering with research focused on UHPC. When Trevor is not in the lab he can be found lifting weights or studying nutrition science.
Thandolwenkosi Mpofu (MS, Student): Thando is a master’s student in the school of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences at the University of Oklahoma. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma in May 2021 with a BS in Civil Engineering, and a minor in Economics. While pursuing his undergraduate degree, he was an active member and the Vice President of the Transportation Leadership Council (TLC) Chapter at the University of Oklahoma, which is an organization under the Southern Plains Transportation Center. As a member of TLC, in 2020 he was part of a team which won second place in the Texas Asphalt Pavement Associations competition. He also interned at Olsson as transportation engineer, where he worked on roadway design and traffic control. Thando is currently working on the ABC-UTC project, “Development of a framework for implementation of Project Management Plans in ABC projects.” Outside class, he loves to play basketball and invest in the stock market.
Paul Cancino Arevalo (MS, Student): Paul Cancino is currently pursuing his master’s degree in the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science at the University of Oklahoma (OU). He received his BS in Civil Engineering from Pontificia Universidad Catolica of Peru in 2014. Prior joining Ou, he was working in Peru managing the remediation of three environmental mining passives, as a base leader in charge of operations in the assigned region. Also, has participated in the design of structures primarily for industry and the oil and gas sector in Peru. He is currently working on the ABC-UTC project Risk and Resilience of Bridges: Toward Development of Hazard-Based Assessment Framework, Research Needs, and Benefits of Accelerated Construction.
Prasuna Mitikiri (MSc student): Prasuna is a master’s student in the Data Science and Analytics program at the University of Oklahoma. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering in India. She has four years of work experience in the marketing industry. She is passionate about programming, and machine learning.
Zachary Tiry (MS, Student): Zachary is currently pursuing his MS in the school of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science at the University of Oklahoma. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Architectural Engineering from OU in Spring 2021. His current research involves using UHPC connections to establish live load continuity in precast concrete girders.
Ashlynn Robbins (BA, Student): Ashlynn is an undergraduate student in Human Relations at The University of Oklahoma. She is a member of Alpha Gamma Delta Fraternity and served as vice president for event planning. She is also a member of the Student Society of Human Relations. In Fall 2017 and Spring 2019, she was included in the Dean’s List. Ashlynn’s work is jointly supported by Southern Plains Transportation Center and ABC-UTC.
Jacob Starks (BS, Student): Jacob is a junior undergraduate civil engineering student at the University of Oklahoma. He has participated in undergraduate research is several different disciplines including electrical engineering, structural engineering, concrete materials, and water resources.
Former Students
Clay Reed (MS, 2022): Clay Reed was an accelerated master’s student in the school of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences at the University of Oklahoma. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Architectural Engineering from OU in Spring 2020. His current research focuses on utilizing non-proprietary UHPC for link slabs. In his spare time, Clay enjoys reading and playing video, board, and card games.
Cole Walker (BS, 2022): Cole Walker was a BS student at the University of Oklahoma studying Civil and Architectural Engineering. He is working with the OU Honors College doing research on compressive strength and shrinkage of non-proprietary UHPC with different steel fiber contents. Cole is member of the Cherokee Nation and has goals to earn a Ph.D. and work to improve housing options for indigenous peoples in North America. When Cole is not in class or at the Lab he can be found at the gym or studying in the library.
Dip Banik (MS, 2022) Dip Banik is currently pursuing his Ph.D. at the Lyles School of Civil Engineering of the Purdue University. He completed his MS from University of Oklahoma and BS in Civil Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Bangladesh. His research interest lies in the area of concrete materials, structural design, and structural health monitoring. During his master’s, he worked on one of the ABC-UTC-funded projects, “Service Life Design Guidance for UHPC Link Slabs.” Besides working on research project or studying, he devotes his time listening to music or playing video games.
Richard Campos (MS, 2021): Richard was a master’s student in the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science at the University of Oklahoma. He completed his bachelor’s degree in Architectural Engineering in Spring 2019. His work was split between an internship project with ROCA Engineering and as a traditional research assistant at Fears Structural Engineering Lab. His work at ROCA is focused on developing relationships between concrete compressive, tensile, and flexural strengths and his master’s research is focused on tensile strength of UHPC. Richard examined the direct tension strength of the ABC-UTC Non-Proprietary UHPC mix with varying steel fiber content and is developing correlations between direct tension, splitting tensile, and flexural strengths. Richard plays music and paints in his spare time.
Sumangali Sivakumaran (MS, 2021): Sumangali was a MS student in the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science at the University of Oklahoma. She received her BS in Civil Engineering from University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka in 2016. Prior to joining OU in January 2018, she was a Geotechnical Instrumentation Engineer at Geomotion Pte Ltd for a ground improvement project at the Changi Airport in Singapore. She also served as an instructor for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Design classes at the Department of Civil Engineering at University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Her Master’s research focused on developing a nonlinear macro element for dynamic soil-structure interaction analyses of pile foundations in improved soils. She worked on the ABC-UTC project “Rapid Retrofitting Techniques For Induced Earthquakes.” In this project, Sumangali’s research activities included developing a decision-making framework that would characterize the cumulative seismic damage on bridges due to induced earthquakes.
Yana Dyachkova (MS, 2020): Yana was an accelerated master’s student in the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science at the University of Oklahoma. She finished her bachelor’s degree in Architectural Engineering in May 2019 and finished her master’s degree in Spring 2020. Her master’s research focused on material property characterization of non-proprietary UHPC with different fiber contents. When Yana is not studying engineering or testing concrete she can be found somewhere in the outdoors hiking or rock climbing.