Professor and Chair

Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering

 

B.S.E., Civil and Urban Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, 1980

M.S., Environmental Engineering, Duke University, 1989

Ph.D., Environmental Engineering, Duke University, 1993

 

Contact Information

214-768-1991

lauras@engr.smu.edu

 

 

 

 

    Research Concentrations

 

Natural and Technological Disasters

Urban Infrastructure and Sustainability

Water quality modeling

Environmental impact assessment

Environmental statistics

Diffusion of Technological Innovation

 

    Research Accomplishments and Activities

 

Faculty Scholar: Critical Infrastructure Protection Group, Science and Technology Division, Department of Homeland Security, 2005-2006

Member: Science Advisory Board (Drinking Water Committee), US Environmental Protection Agency, 2002-2008

Member: Infrastructure and Environmental Subcommittee, Urban Planning Committee, Bring New Orleans Back Committee, 2005

Associate Editor: American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Natural Hazards Review, 2005- present

Editorial Board: The Berkeley Electronic Press, Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, 2003 – present

Numerous published articles and research grants

 

    Research Philosophy

 

The goal of environmental and civil engineering education is to create engineers who are technologically proficient, think deeply about the way people live, and design projects that benefit the communities in which they are built. In doing so, it is important for engineers to consider how people will interact with these projects and to be sensitive to the local culture and environment.

 

    Recent Publications

 

Steinberg, Laura J., “Making Good Project Design Choices: Critical Decisions Contributing to the Failure of the New Orleans Levees,” Loyola University Law Review (invited), Vol. 52, Winter 2006.

 

G.B. Arhonditsis, C.A. Stow, L.J. Steinberg, M.A. Kenney, S.J. McBride, K.H. Reckhow, “Exploring Ecological patterns with Structural Equation Modeling and Bayesian Analysis,” Ecological Modeling, Vol. 192, No. 3-4, Feb. 2006.

 

Cruz, Ana Maria, Laura J. Steinberg, and Ana Lisa Vetere Arellano “Emerging Issues in Natech Disaster Risk Management in Europe,” Journal of Risk Research, Vol. 9, No.5, July 2006.

 

Piringer, Gerhard and Laura J. Steinberg, “Re-Evaluation of Energy Use in Average Wheat Production in the U.S,” Journal of Industrial Ecology, Winter 2006, Vol. 10, No. 1-2.

 

Cruz, Ana M. and Laura J. Steinberg, “Industry Preparedness for Hazardous Materials Accidents During the Kocaeli Earthquake,” Earthquake Spectra, May 2005, Vol. 21, No. 2.

 

Steinberg, Laura J, Victoria Basolo, Raymond Burby, Joyce Levine, and Ana M. Cruz, “Earthquake-Induced Technological Disasters: A Case Study of Possible Effects and Emergency Response in the Urban Environment,” Natural Hazards Review, November 2004 Vol. 5, No. 4, pp.159-169.