Category: Featured

The Simmons Research Lab is thrilled to announce that graduate student Elizabeth Volpe became Dr. Elizabeth Volpe on December 13, 2024! Pictured here with Dr. Simmons after the commencement ceremony, Dr. Volpe has played a pivotal role in our lab, leading multiple research projects and mentoring fellow students throughout her doctoral journey. Earlier this semester, Dr. Volpe successfully defended her […]

We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Simmons presented an innovative paper at the FIE 2024 Conference titled “Rethinking Work in the Age of Robots: Insights from the Construction Industry.” This research explores the transformative impact of Construction 4.0 technologies, especially robotics, on the professional work values of construction personnel. The findings shed light on […]

We are excited to share that members of the Simmons Research Lab (SRL) recently presented their paper at the European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI) 2024 Conference in Lausanne, Switzerland! The theme of this year’s conference, “Educating Responsible Engineers,” is incredibly relevant in today’s rapidly changing world.  Out of four award categories, our paper was […]

We are delighted to announce that Dr. Denise R. Simmons has been promoted to the position of Professor in the Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering at the University of Florida. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Simmons on this well-deserved accomplishment!

This fall Denise R Simmons and Elizabeth Volpe were officially inducted as a full member of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society, an international organization that honors excellence in science and engineering. It was an amazing opportunity to connect, learn, and network with fellow scholars in the UF scientific community. We look forward to […]

The Simmons Research Lab had a remarkable presence at the ASEE 2024 Conference, presenting several impactful papers and receiving prestigious awards. Mary Nwanua presented a paper titled “”Ima Nmadu”: Building Academic Success Through Relationships – A Black Civil Engineering Ph.D. Student’s Autoethnographic Insights”, offering insightful perspectives.   Elizabeth Volpe, our dedicated Ph.D. candidate, presented her […]

A recent SRL publication has been selected to be featured in the  Editor’s Choice section of the Journal of Civil Engineering Education page in the American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE) Library! This paper highlights the role of social capital (e.g., observation and conversation with industry mentors, peers, family, and faculty, and participation in out-of-class activities) […]

SRL celebrates this amazing achievement of Denise R Simmons in the engineering education community! The American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE)Board of Directors grants the status of Fellow Member to individuals who have been actively involved in the Society for a minimum of ten years, acknowledging their exceptional contributions to the field of engineering or […]

  Danielle Weisenfeld worked closely with SRL for the past 3 years. This weekend she graduated with her B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from UF! Danielle will continue on to work in transportation engineering consulting in Atlanta! Thank you Danielle for all your hard work! Elizabeth Volpe graduated with her M.S. degree in Civil Engineering […]

SRL met for a celebratory lunch to celebrate the end of the spring semester, achievements, and birthdays of lab members, and to say farewell to Dr. Hwangbo Bae. Dr. Bae was an integral part of SRL for many years. His research, mentorship, and teaching skills provided a great role model to new students in the […]