Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics

Raimondo Betti

Professor of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics

Julius Chang

Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Construction Engineering and Management

The construction manager of the future will not compete with AI, they will manage with AI.
Ibrahim Odeh

How is AI currently being used in construction?

AI is already being deployed in predictive scheduling, risk forecasting, cost estimation, safety analytics, image recognition for site monitoring, and automated document review. We are seeing machine learning models analyze historical project data to predict delays and cost overruns before they occur.

But the real transformation is not automation; it is decision augmentation. AI is enhancing human judgment. Construction management is fundamentally about structured decision-making under uncertainty. AI will increasingly provide scenario modeling, risk simulations, and optimization tools that improve strategic choices.

The construction manager of the future will not compete with AI, they will manage with AI.

What type of skills will construction managers need in the next five years?

In five years, the most valuable skills will not be software-specific, they will be cognitive and strategic.

Construction managers will need:

Data fluency: ability to interpret analytics and AI outputs
Systems thinking: understanding infrastructure as interconnected networks
Financial sophistication: capital allocation, risk modeling, PPP frameworks
Climate resilience literacy
Executive communication and stakeholder alignment

The role is evolving from project supervisor to strategic infrastructure leader.

We know that sustainability plays a big role in construction management. How does climate risk relate to project planning?

Extreme weather is no longer a contingency scenario; it is a baseline planning assumption. Projects must now incorporate resilience modeling, adaptive design strategies, and long-term lifecycle risk assessments.

This shifts construction from a short-term delivery mindset to a lifecycle stewardship mindset. Planning must now integrate environmental forecasting, financing mechanisms tied to resilience performance, and regulatory adaptability.

This is where academia plays a critical role, preparing professionals who think in decades, not just project timelines.

More about Ibrahim Odeh

Beyond the classroom, Odeh serves as an advisor to global organizations, including his engagement as an industry expert member at the World Economic Forum, where he has actively contributed to the Future of Construction initiative. He collaborates with industry leaders across North America, Europe, and the Middle East on innovation, infrastructure strategy, and digital transformation.

His teaching and innovation have earned some of Columbia University’s highest honors, including the Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching and the Columbia Engineering Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award. In 2023, he received the McGraw Hill Pathfinder Award for redefining education at a global scale.

Highlights: Designing for Impact

Here’s a look at some of the capstone projects on display at Senior Design Expo 2026. Credit: Timothy Lee

Large group photo of students on a stage in front of a screen reading “Senior Design Expo ’26, Columbia Engineering.” — Biomedical Engineering students pose with Lecturer Lauren Heckleman (center).

A team in “Senior Design Expo ’26” shirts stands behind a table display for “DesiCool: Humidity-First Air Conditioning,” with prototypes and a monitor. — DesiCool (Mechanical Engineering) is a product that aims to mitigate the effects of humidity, enabling more energy-efficient dehumidification.

Four students pose beside a research poster — The Industrial Engineering and Operations Research team Advisor Assistant created an AI-enabled email advising system that can generate and draft email responses.

A student in a “Senior Design Expo ’26” shirt explains a safety harness worn on a mannequin to an older attendee. — Mechanical Engineering’s LumenFlex is a science-backed wearable device that limits harmful spinal motion contributing to multiple forms of back pain.

A presenter gestures toward a poster titled “TurmerID Wipe” while two attendees listen at a project display. — TumerRID Wipe (Chemical Engineering) is a specialized stain remover that uses an optimized solvent system to remove hard-to-clean stains.

Close-up of hands demonstrating a device with tubing connected to a mannequin head on a tabletop. — Biomedical Engineering’s O2-Matic is an automated, low-cost respiratory ventilation system that reduces the inconsistency of manual ventilators and improves patient outcomes.

A team presents medical-device prototypes and a project poster to an attendee at a crowded expo table. — GJ-Stay (Biomedical Engineering) aims to prevent Gastrojejunostomy tube flipping by providing a new design that anchors the tube in the small intestine.

Five students stand behind a table display for “NiNa,” showing prototypes, a laptop, and a monitor with the tagline “Secure, noninvasive comfort for all.” — NiNa, The Night-Time Nanny (Biomedical Engineering) is a real-time baby monitoring system that checks vital signs and sleep duration of newborn infants.

Two students sit at a table looking at a laptop, with a football in the foreground. — Electrical Engineering’s Smart Football provides measurements on the acceleration, spin RPM, and spirality for immediate feedback for quarterbacks to refine their throws.

Two presenters stand at a “PaceMate” display about wearable EMI awareness for pacemaker safety, speaking with an attendee across the table. — PaceMate (Biomedical Engineering) sought to create a more reliable and convenient way to alert patients with pacemakers on the presence of high Electromagnetic Interference.

A student wearing a “Senior Design Expo ’26” sweatshirt stands next to a poster about a phone-screen crack-filling resin. — Chemical Engineering’s Samir Farraj created ScreenSavior - a solvent that can heal cracks on a phone or tablet screen.

Two students examine and adjust a clear scale model of a suspension bridge on a table at an indoor exhibit. — Civil Engineering’s Baltimore Blueway Bridge aims to redesign and construct the Francis Scott Key Bridge, a truss bridge that collapsed after a cargo ship collided with one of its piers.

A speaker at a podium addresses the crowd onstage, with a large screen behind reading “Senior Design Expo ’26, Columbia Engineering.” — Dean Shih-Fu Chang addresses attendees of the Senior Design Expo.

Five students in “Senior Design Expo ’26” shirts pose behind a table of laptops and electronics, with one holding up a sensor device on a cable.sor device on a cable. — The Electrical Engineering team at CLACS shows off their clip-on live-annotation system, which uses AI to recognize letters as they're written and transcribe them to a companion app.

Four students pose in front of project posters at the expo; one holds a wearable device strapped to their leg. — Mechanical Engineering’s GoPower created a wearable, energy-harvesting device that converts the motion of walking into usable mechanical energy, for long-distance hiking and off-grid travel.

At a demo table, a presenter points to a screen showing circuit-board designs while another student watches and an attendee leans in to look. — Anura (Mechanical Engineering) created noise-canceling headphones with live translation capabilities.

x/x

Many of the projects in this year’s expo integrated AI with custom hardware. The Clinical Handwashing Coach, which tracks handwashing sessions, is being tested at a hospital in Pasadena, California. The team of electrical engineering students designed an AI system to ensure that medical professionals comply with handwashing protocols. Other teams from the department used AI to create noise-canceling headphones with real-time language detection and translation (team ANURA) and a wearable device that inexpensively creates digital transcriptions (CLACS).

A couple of projects tackled wheelchair comfort and mobility autonomy. The Mechanical Engineering team STAR (Self-Transfer with Automated Reversing) Lift made moving in and out of a wheelchair easier for wheelchair users with upper-body mobility, allowing them to transfer themselves to a bed without assistance. Team Wheel-E created a specialized seat cushion for wheelchair users that helps alleviate the painful symptoms of prolonged sitting.

Urban green infrastructure was the main theme for many projects in the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics. The Morningside Park Rehabilitation Project reimagined the local neighborhood park by proposing two new community centers for public use and an upgraded drainage system that can handle heavier rainfall runoff.

From AI devices to reimagining a neighborhood park, the Class of 2026 proved that the best engineering goes beyond the classroom and makes an impact in the world.

Reunion Weekend 2026

A man in a suit speaks at a podium, gesturing with one hand, against a purple-lit backdrop during the 2026 Columbia Engineering alumni reunion. — Michael Pupin Medal recipient Martin Chalfie addresses alumni at the Dean’s Welcome Dinner. Credit: David Dini

A crowded indoor reception during the Columbia Engineering alumni reunion, with attendees mingling and talking beneath a large sculpture on a pedestal in a wood-paneled room. — Credit: David Dini

A large group of people pose on a stage in formal attire in front of tall gold curtains. — Credit: David Dini

Four people pose onstage at the Columbia Engineering 2026 alumni reunion while one holds an open presentation box with an award medal; framed citations are displayed behind them. — Raymond Daddazio is awarded the Thomas Egleston Medal For Distinguished Engineering Achievement. (L to Right: Dean Shih-Fu Chang, Egleston Committee Chair Ana Rodriguez BS’86, Raymond Daddazio, and CEAA President Reid Ellison BS’08) Credit: David Dini

A speaker at a Columbia University lectern addresses a seated audience onstage, with three panelists and framed award displays behind them. — Thomas Egleston Medal recipient Raymond Daddazio addresses alumni at the Dean’s Welcome Dinner. Credit: David Dini

Four men pose onstage at the Columbia Engineering alumni reunion; one holds an open award case with a medal while others stand beside him smiling. — Azmi T. Mikati BS'94 is awarded the Samuel Johnson Medal For Distinguished Achievement Beyond Engineering and Applied Science (L to Right: Dean Shih-Fu Chang, Johnson Committee chair, Rohit Sharma, Azmi T. Mikati BS'94, and Ellison). Credit: David Dini

Wide view of a formal dinner in a grand hall lit in purple and gold, with Columbia crown projections on the walls and a stage program at the far end. — Samuel Johnson Medal recipient Azmi T. Mikati addresses alumni at the Dean’s Welcome Dinner. Credit: David Dini

Two Columbia Engineering alumni sit close together at a cocktail table, smiling at the camera, with wine glasses and candles on the table and a bar set up behind them. — Credit: David Dini

Group photo of Columbia Engineering alumni and Dean Shih-Fu Chang in front of a “Columbia Engineering” step-and-repeat backdrop, holding reunion-themed props including “Columbia Reunion” and “I ♥ CU” signs. — MS & PhD Reception. Credit: Michael DiVito

Four people pose in front of a small stage between tall lion banners, with two holding lion-shaped awards at a Columbia Engineering reunion event. — Harry West (center right) receives the Great Teacher Award alongside Caterina Pizzigoni (center left) at the Great Teacher Award Reception (L to Right: Dean Josef Sorett, Pizzigoni, and Dean Chang). Credit: Brandon Vallejo

Harry West stands behind a podium in a bright room with large windows, speaking between two tall banners featuring carved lion figures during a Columbia Engineering alumni reunion program. — Harry West addresses attendees at the Great Teacher Award Reception. Credit: Brandon Vallejo

Four Columbia Engineering alums pose outdoors in front of large silver “REUNION” balloon letters on Columbia’s campus, framed by blue-and-white balloons. — Reunion Lawn Party. Credit: Sirin Samman

Five alumni smile for a group photo under an event tent, seated and standing close together at a gathering for 2026 Columbia Engineering reunion. — Credit: Sirin Samman

A guide points to a large piece of scientific equipment during a lab tour while several alumni watch in the background. — Reunion tour of the Plasma Physics Lab. Credit: Sirin Samman

In a workshop lab, a seated student gestures while explaining a 3D model on a computer monitor to an alumnus standing beside them. — Reunion tour of the Plasma Physics Lab. Credit: Sirin Samman

Alumni sit at round tables listening to a speaker at a podium during a reunion luncheon; a presentation slide is projected at the front of the room. — Dean’s Welcome Breakfast. Credit: Brandon Vallejo

A man in a suit speaks into a handheld microphone and gestures with his free hand during an indoor reunion event. — Alumni Neil Daswani BS’96 poses a question for Dean Chang. Credit: Brandon Vallejo

Close-up of an attendee holding a small vintage photo over a café-style table with sunglasses and a phone nearby. — An alum shows an old photo of campus. Credit: Sirin Samman

x/x

Dean Shih-Fu Chang recognized Raymond P. Daddazio BS'75, MS'76, EngScD'82 with the Thomas Egleston Medal for Distinguished Engineering Achievement. Daddazio is chairman of the Thornton Tomasetti Foundation and former president of Thornton Tomasetti. Dean Chang also recognized Azmi T. Mikati BS'94, the CEO of M1 Group, with the Samuel Johnson Medal for Distinguished Achievement Beyond Engineering and Applied Science.

Over the weekend, alumni and guests attended lectures from Columbia Engineering faculty, including a talk on AI and neural intelligence with Richard Zemel, Trianthe Dakolias Professor of Engineering and Applied Science and professor of computer science; as well as a presentation on energy, transition, and mining with Dan Steingart, Stanley-Thompson Professor of Chemical Metallurgy, professor of chemical engineering, and chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering.

On Friday, attendees toured the Plasma Physics Lab and the Robotics and Rehabilitation (RoAR) Lab. They also mingled at a general All Class Reception and recognized classes celebrating their 50- and 25-year anniversaries. Members of the Class of 1976 received Golden Lions pins, while the Class of 2001 members received Silver Lions pins to commemorate the milestone and their entry into the Golden and Silver Lions Societies. The day ended with a Reunion Lawn Party for alumni of Columbia Engineering, Columbia College, and the School of General Studies.

Dean Chang gave attendees an overview of Columbia Engineering news highlights and research updates on Saturday at the Dean’s Breakfast. The Engineering School also hosted a special reception for alumni of its master’s and doctoral programs. The Society of Columbia Graduates sponsored the Great Teacher Awards reception to recognize the 2026 honorees. Harry West, professor of professional practice in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, received the Great Teacher Award for the Engineering School. Caterina Pizzigoni, associate professor of history, was the Columbia College recipient. The day closed with receptions and dinners for the classes and a Starlight Celebration on Low Plaza featuring a live band, dessert, and champagne.