September 2025 - Cee-grad-students

[Cee-grad-students] Graduation Reminder
by CEE Department 30 Sep '25

30 Sep '25

Hello CEE Graduate Students! *Are you planning to graduate in Fall 2025? * - The deadline to apply for graduation for Fall 2025 is this Friday, October 3rd - You will be able to register for commencement <https://www.pdx.edu/commencement/> when you apply to graduate - Defense deadlines (for MS/PhD) are listed on the graduate school website <https://www.pdx.edu/gradschool/graduate-candidate-deadlines> *How do I apply?* - Through myPSU! Here are the instructions <https://www.pdx.edu/gradschool/applying-for-graduation>. *Am I ready to graduate this Fall?* - MS/MEng: Check that you've met the core courses for your specialization in the Program of Study Guide <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tLffIj2DwmiJ8b3SPjzqhRZdt7DlT_Aa/edit> - Review the CEE Graduate Handbook <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hSDUsSb6yEeIGnfphcW34uQf_nYZ_sUs3uZMXT3…> for additional requirements for: - MS project presentation - MS thesis defense - PhD dissertation defense Best, Kiley -- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Portland State University Phone 503.725.4282 ceedept(a)pdx.edu www.pdx.edu/cee

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[Cee-grad-students] News for New and Returning MCECS student computer users in Fall 2025
by Janaka Jayawardena 29 Sep '25

29 Sep '25

The CAT has been busy throughout the Summer, making some substantial changes to our computer infrastructure. These changes may affect both onsite and remote users. Here are some highlights: - Use of Autodesk products (Autocad, Autocad Electrical, Civil 3D, etc) now needs a special Autodesk account. - Multifactor Authentication (MFA) is now available to protect your MCECS computer account. - Access to Microsoft software via Azure Devtools for Education has changed. - For people who access Linux systems graphically, the default desktop has changed (to Xfce). - The default behavior of our addpkg system for Linux users has changed. - Two new servers (phobos/deimos) running Rocky 9 Linux are being tested for ECE classwork. The old Centos7 ECE servers (mo/auto) are still there but have been blocked from accessing the Internet. - Standalone Adobe Acrobat Pro is gone from MCECS computer labs. Keep reading for details. This message is long and can also be found on the CAT website front page news section for later perusal: - https://cat.pdx.edu/2025/09/28/news-for-new-and-returning-mcecs-students-fa… Are you a new MCECS student user? The front page of the CAT website includes a “Back to Campus Toolkit” section where you will find links to the following guides and more: - How to activate your MCECS account or reset your password if you’ve forgotten it - https://cat.pdx.edu/users/computer-accounts/using-cram/ - How to get 24x7 card access to FAB/EB and many popular computer labs in MCECS - https://cat.pdx.edu/users/getting-help/card-access-and-lockers/ - How to rent a locker in MCECS - https://cat.pdx.edu/users/facilities/locker-rentals/ - Locker management is now handled by the CAT - Information about printing in MCECS computer labs - https://cat.pdx.edu/services/printing/ - Personal laptop users can use a system called Mobility Print that provides an easy way to set up printing to a curated list of popular printers - https://cat.pdx.edu/services/printing/mobility-print/ - How to set up a VPN to access various internal resources - https://cat.pdx.edu/services/network/vpn-services/ - How to remotely run graphical programs from Linux systems - Using RDP - https://cat.pdx.edu/platforms/linux/remote-access/rdp-to-linux-xrdp/ - Using VNC - https://cat.pdx.edu/platforms/linux/remote-access/vnc-in-mcecs/ - Using X forwarding - https://cat.pdx.edu/platforms/linux/remote-access/remote-x/ - Watch out for email scams - https://cat.pdx.edu/2025/09/28/beware-of-phishing-spam/ Multifactor Authentication now available MCECS accounts can now be protected with multifactor authentication (MFA). Our system uses Time-Based One Time Passcodes (TOTP) which can be set up in many commonly used authenticator apps. For details, read this announcement and follow through to the detailed instructions link: https://cat.pdx.edu/2025/09/28/protect-your-mcecs-account-with-multifactor-… Computer Labs (onsite) - For a list of onsite computer labs, see: - https://cat.pdx.edu/users/facilities/computer-labs/ - You can look at the current computer lab reservation schedules at: - https://cat.pdx.edu/users/facilities/lab-reservation-calendars/ - Note the lab rules for Food and Drink in MCECS general computer labs - store food on designated tables, only sealed drink containers are allowed at workstations. - https://cat.pdx.edu/users/guidelines/lab-rules/ - Departmental labs may have more restrictive policies. Computer Labs (remote access) The Windows Remote Lab: - Available to all MCECS users. - Computer count slightly reduced to reflect the drop in remote lab usage with more onsite classes and increased onsite lab use. - Remote lab computers have all the software available in the general lab Windows systems. The MME MCAE lab still supports some remotely accessible Windows systems. Use of this lab is restricted to MME students. Access the remote labs using the Intranet remote lab page: - https://intranet.cecs.pdx.edu/remote_lab/ Instructions on how to use a Remote Desktop program (client) to graphically connect to remote Windows (or Linux) Systems: - https://cat.pdx.edu/platforms/windows/remote-access/using-remote-desktop-at… Software - Use of Autodesk software (such as Autocad and Civil 3D) now requires an Autodesk account and access permission - https://cat.pdx.edu/services/software/use-details/autodesk-login/ - Software in Windows Labs - https://cat.pdx.edu/services/software/windows-labs/ - Windows labs (including the remote lab) are running Windows 11 Enterprise 24H2 - Currently known Windows 11 caveats in our environment: - The sign out button is now harder to find - Moving the centered start menu to the left won’t stick after logging out - Getting to the software list requires clicking on the “all apps” selection in the start menu - Access to the Microsoft Azure Devtools for Education resources has changed - https://cat.pdx.edu/2025/08/27/microsoft-azure-devtools-has-changed/ - Software in Linux Labs - https://cat.pdx.edu/services/software/linux-labs/ - Ubuntu systems are running the latest LTS release - 24.04 (Noble) - Python 2 has been completely deprecated - We have set up Plasma (KDE) as the default desktop for sit-down workstation users. Gnome Shell can still be selected if needed - Xrdp services have been installed on all primary end-user Ubuntu, Centos 7, and Rocky 9 systems - providing an easier path to getting a remote graphical desktop. - https://cat.pdx.edu/platforms/linux/remote-access/rdp-to-linux-xrdp/ - The default remote access desktop for VNC and Xrdp users has changed to Xfce - https://cat.pdx.edu/2025/09/27/xfce-default-linux-graphical-desktop-changed… - ECE Linux systems are moving to a new Linux version - Rocky 9. There are two new servers (phobos and deimos). The old Centos based servers (mo and auto) are still around until we get all the third party vendor tools successfully migrated to Rocky 9. - Mo and auto have been blocked from accessing the Internet - https://cat.pdx.edu/2025/09/03/mo-and-auto-lose-access-to-internet/ - The default behavior of the addpkg system used for selecting non-standard Linux software installs has changed - https://cat.pdx.edu/2025/09/05/how-addpkg-works-on-linux-is-changing/ - Standalone Adobe Acrobat Pro is gone from MCECS computer labs. - https://cat.pdx.edu/2025/09/27/standalone-acrobat-pro-gone-from-mcecs-compu… - Software for users to install on personal systems - https://cat.pdx.edu/services/software/users/ Networking - For information on connecting your computer to campus Wi-Fi - https://www.pdx.edu/technology/wireless-network - For adding a computer to the wired MCECS network - https://cat.pdx.edu/services/network/adding-computer/ Student workers and volunteers of the CAT were instrumental in the preparation of these systems for the Fall 2025 rollout and generated much of the documentation you are reading. If you are interested in joining the CAT, visit our Braindump Website: https://braindump.cat.pdx.edu/ If you have any questions, please contact the CAT at: - Email - support(a)cat.pdx.edu - Chat - https://support.cat.pdx.edu/ - In Person - FAB 82 - Phone - 503-725-5420 -- Janaka Jayawardena IT Director - MCECS _______________________________________________ Allofthem mailing list -- allofthem(a)lists.cecs.pdx.edu To unsubscribe send an email to allofthem-leave(a)lists.cecs.pdx.edu

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[Cee-grad-students] Departure of Evan Kristof
by CEE Department 19 Sep '25

19 Sep '25

CEE students and Maseeh College community, We’re writing to share that Evan Kristof has recently stepped down from his role in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He will be returning to practice as a structural engineer in the private sector, where he began his professional journey before joining our Department 13 years ago. To say Evan has been a valued member of our community is a vast understatement. Since he started at Portland State in 2012, he has consistently been lauded by students and colleagues alike for his well-organized courses and empathetic approach to teaching; but Evan's service to the university transcends his work as a professor. For over ten years, Evan also served as the CEE Department Upper Division Advisor, where he helped students navigate academic challenges and build their path to graduation with seemingly endless patience and compassion. And if that wasn't enough, Evan was also the advisor of PSU's chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers, where for the better part of a decade, he nurtured students' confidence to become leaders in their communities and profession. In addition to his many official titles, listing all that Evan did behind the scenes - from serving on committees that redesigned engineering education, to physically building out labs - would fill a textbook. But among his most important accomplishments was this: every spring, our Department surveys the senior Capstone class to ask which CEE faculty member had the greatest impact on their engineering journey. And each year, nearly every graduating student writes Evan's name. Evan's presence will be greatly missed at PSU; but if he cannot be shaping the minds of the next generation of civil and environmental engineers, we are grateful that he will be lending his considerable talents to shaping the future of Portland's infrastructure instead. Notes of gratitude, memories, and well-wishes can be sent directly to Evan at ekristof(a)pdx.edu. Please join us in wishing him the very best in this next chapter! CEE Department *--* Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Engineering Building (EB), Suite 200 503.725.4282 ceedept(a)pdx.edu www.pdx.edu/cee

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[Cee-grad-students] NETWORK DOWNTIME - 9/24/2025 - 7pm - Firewall Updates
by Janaka Jayawardena 19 Sep '25

19 Sep '25

We will be installing some software updates to our network firewalls at 7pm on Wednesday, September 24. The work could last up to an hour (worst case) but we may get done sooner. During this outage, connectivity between wired MCECS computers in different networks may see periods of disruption. It’s a good idea to avoid using your wired MCECS in MCECS networks (Windows, Linux, or Mac) during this downtime. The work will also affect remote access to services in MCECS.) Let us know if you have any questions. -- Janaka Jayawardena IT Director - MCECS _______________________________________________ Allofthem mailing list -- allofthem(a)lists.cecs.pdx.edu To unsubscribe send an email to allofthem-leave(a)lists.cecs.pdx.edu

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[Cee-grad-students] [CEE] Engineering Events - week of 9/15
by CEE Department 15 Sep '25

15 Sep '25

Hello students, Fall term is right around the corner - we hope you had a great summer, and are excited for the new academic year! Each Monday morning, you'll get a brief overview of upcoming events that pertain to Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) students. You can always peruse the PSU Events <https://www.pdx.edu/calendar/month> and the Maseeh College Events <https://www.pdx.edu/engineering/maseeh-events> calendars directly - but we'll try to shine a spotlight on the ones we think are particularly beneficial to CEE students! Attending events is an easy way to get the most out of your time at PSU: learn about paid student research positions at faculty seminars and lab open houses, make job connections at career fairs and networking mixers, strengthen your professional skills through academic coaching and resume workshops, and get hands-on experience and travel opportunities by joining a student club. Please see below for details on some of the first events of the year: *THIS WEEK* 9/15 - 9/21 Tuesday 9/16 - Wednesday 9/17 - EWRG Sustainable Stormwater Symposium - OMSI <https://maps.app.goo.gl/5iWY2mHLuevXbcST6> [Google Maps link] - Join us at the *EWRG Sustainable Stormwater Symposium <https://www.oregonewrg.org/ewrg-symposium?> *which brings together engineers, researchers, students, and professionals working in stormwater and sustainability. It’s a unique opportunity to network with civil engineers, connect with ASCE members, and learn about the latest innovations in stormwater management! But beyond that, it's also an opportunity to support PSU’s *Arely Corro Sanchez* at the research poster showcase. She’ll be presenting her summer research on stormwater, and the audience gets to vote on posters to determine scholarship winners. Your support can help Arely win! Arrive before 5pm on the 17th to vote. More info here <https://www.oregonewrg.org/_files/ugd/48e88f_bb4648313d9746d5a9ef16b46e4b87…> [PDF]. - Applying to Graduate School: Virtual Workshop - Virtual on Zoom - 12pm - 1:30pm - Whether you're just starting to explore options or have a clear direction in mind, this workshop will guide you through essential steps in the process of applying to graduate school. We’ll cover such topics as creating a timeline, requesting letters of recommendation, and staying organized to help you move forward with a strong application. Register on Zoom <https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fpdx.zoom.us%2Fj%2F81536869637%3F…> *NEXT WEEK* 9/22 and beyond Monday 9/22 - Graduate Student Mixer & Luncheon - Vernier Science Center <https://www.pdx.edu/buildings/campus-building/vernier-science-center>, Rm 105 [Google Map - 12:30pm - 2pm - In collaboration with CLAS and MCECS, PSU's Sloan Center for Systemic Change (PSU-SCSC) is hosting a social luncheon to welcome incoming graduate students! The event is free and open to all graduate students – any year, any program. New graduate students are strongly encouraged to attend! Please RSVP here <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfm63NVAF3i-N-saxioxd1U31YF-FXZhp3…> for lunch to be planned accordingly. Wednesday 9/24 - Maseeh College Student Welcome - Engineering Building <https://www.pdx.edu/buildings/campus-building/engineering-building> (EB) and Fourth Avenue Building <https://www.pdx.edu/buildings/campus-building/fourth-avenue-building> (FAB) - 10am - 2pm - Join us for an engaging and informative day where you can meet our dedicated faculty, staff, and fellow students! Connect with student groups, discover various clubs and organizations, and learn about the numerous opportunities and resources available to support you throughout the academic year. Refreshments and lunch will be served; register here <http://bit.ly/maseehnswelcome> to guarantee lunch! *flier attached* - PSU Graduate School Welcome - Academic and Student Recreation Center <https://www.pdx.edu/buildings/campus-building/academic-and-student-recreati…> (ASRC) 5th Floor Terrace - 5pm - 7pm - Join the PSU Graduate School for a fall welcome to all newly admitted graduate students! Mingle with graduate peers in a welcome ceremony and receive information to help guide you on your graduate student journey. Families and significant others are welcome to join! RSVP here. <https://www.pdx.edu/events/graduate-school-welcome-0> Thursday 9/25 - MSURE Poster Symposium and Ice Cream Social - Engineering Building <https://www.pdx.edu/buildings/campus-building/engineering-building> (EB) Atrium - 10am - 2pm - Join us for the annual end-of-summer Maseeh Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (MSURE) Poster Symposium! Student researchers from this summer's cohort will show off their work, followed by an opportunity for networking and celebration with ice cream sundaes. This event will also include presentations from the Frank and Ken undergraduate research program <https://www.pdx.edu/engineering/frank-and-ken-summer-undergraduate-research…>, EAGLES <https://sites.google.com/pdx.edu/eagles/home> Scholarship, and the MCECS Undergraduate Research and Mentoring Program <https://www.pdx.edu/engineering/undergraduate-research-and-mentoring-progra…> (URMP). This is an excellent opportunity for undergraduate students to learn about opportunities to perform research in the Maseeh College! *SPECIAL MENTION* - Viking Days - Thursday 9/25 - Saturday 10/4 - Varied Times/Locations - Viking Days is a series of events and activities welcoming you to Portland State University's urban campus in fall 2025. Whether you're a brand new student discovering the PSU campus for the very first time or a returning student kicking off the new academic year, there are a number of events available to help you celebrate your start, all of which are free! Click here for full schedule of events <https://www.pdx.edu/viking-days>. If you have a relevant event to share, please send it to ceedept(a)pdx.edu so we can include it in future emails! -- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Engineering Building (EB), Suite 200 503.725.4282 ceedept(a)pdx.edu www.pdx.edu/cee

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[Cee-grad-students] Large Language Models (LLMs) CE Elective Offered Fall 2025: CE 563
by CEE Department 15 Sep '25

15 Sep '25

Hello CE Seniors and Graduate Students, CE 563: Transportation and Logistics Optimization and Modeling is a 4-credit course offered this fall that will explore the fundamentals of mathematical modeling and optimization using Python, with a forward-looking focus on integrating Large Language Models (LLMs). You'll learn to translate real-world problems into mathematical formulations and apply a variety of optimization techniques—including linear, nonlinear, and integer programming—to find effective solutions, not only in transportation but in any field of study. *Undergraduate CE students:* the prerequisite to CE 563 is CE 316: Applied Probability and Statistics for Civil & Environmental Engineering. If you have completed CE 316 and would like to register, respond to this email. CE 563 will count as a CE elective. *Graduate CE students *should confirm with their faculty advisor before registering. More details about this course: *Integrating LLMs for Enhanced Problem Solving*Beyond traditional modeling, this course emphasizes the strategic use of LLMs to support code generation, interpretation, and validation. While LLMs are powerful tools, it's crucial to understand their limitations. You'll learn to integrate human expertise for critical validation steps and sensitivity analysis, ensuring the reliability of your models. A central theme is learning to solve the right problem, not just producing elegant solutions. You'll confront the real-world challenge of properly framing questions and understanding the modeling outputs. This develops critical thinking and domain awareness, ensuring that AI tools generate meaningful outcomes rather than optimizing irrelevant or poorly scoped problems. *Hands-on Learning and Prerequisites*Throughout the course, you'll gain hands-on experience using Python libraries for mathematical modeling while also learning effective prompt engineering for LLMs. NOTE: Laptops are required, as is a background in calculus and linear algebra. While familiarity with Python (or any programming language) is recommended, it's not a strict prerequisite given that LLMs will be used to support coding. CEE Department -- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Portland State University Phone 503.725.4282 ceedept(a)pdx.edu www.pdx.edu/cee

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[Cee-grad-students] FAB/EB BUILDING POWER DOWN - September 15/16 - evenings starting 8pm
by Janaka Jayawardena 10 Sep '25

10 Sep '25

PSU has confirmed the annual FAB/EB power outage testing dates - the evenings of Monday, September 15th and Tuesday, September 16th, 2025, have been reserved for the work. The testing should begin at 8pm and it usually lasts into the early hours of the morning. Although the night of Tuesday, September 16, has been reserved, it will only be used if they run into any issues on Monday night. During each test, parts of FAB/EB will experience brief power outages. Any powered systems will be affected by the testing unless they are connected to a local UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) for backup power or are located in areas served with building-provided backup power. Systems hosted in the data center are not expected to be affected unless there is an unforeseen emergency. If you work on site, we recommend that you power down your office systems, printers, and other electronics before leaving for that day. If you remotely access systems in office or lab spaces in the building, you may want to remotely shut them down, or have someone do that for you. The CAT will be shutting down all the computer labs before the work begins. We will also be checking on departmental offices. (We usually physically unplug the larger printers.) We will be onsite and monitoring status until the work ends. If you are going to be off site and want us to power down your systems for you (and haven’t asked us yet), please let us know. We will let you know if this schedule changes. If you have any questions, please contact: support(a)cat.pdx.edu -- Janaka Jayawardena IT Director - MCECS _______________________________________________ Allofthem mailing list -- allofthem(a)lists.cecs.pdx.edu To unsubscribe send an email to allofthem-leave(a)lists.cecs.pdx.edu

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[Cee-grad-students] DOWNTIME: Friday, 9/12/2025 - 6PM, Windows Servers
by Janaka Jayawardena 09 Sep '25

09 Sep '25

There will be REBOOTS of all MCECS supported Windows Servers at 6 PM on Friday, September 12th, 2025. This work should be completed by 7 PM. This will include the Windows Homedirs, access to Stashes, Printing, Networked Applications and Network Licenses. This work is needed to ensure that Windows Updates have been applied to our Servers. It is best to logout from your Windows account prior to that time. Patches will be released for CAT supported Windows Workstations on Wednesday (9/10/2025). Desktops that have not been patched should reboot for patches at 6 PM Friday evening. This work is not expected to affect any Linux systems. As always if you have questions please contact: support(a)cecs.pdx.edu -- Janaka Jayawardena IT Director - MCECS _______________________________________________ Allofthem mailing list -- allofthem(a)lists.cecs.pdx.edu To unsubscribe send an email to allofthem-leave(a)lists.cecs.pdx.edu

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[Cee-grad-students] DOWNTIME: 9/22/2025 - 7pm - MySQL and Postgres server
by Janaka Jayawardena 09 Sep '25

09 Sep '25

We will be upgrading the operating system that runs our user facing database server - db.cecs.pdx.edu. The downtime will start on Monday, September 22 at 7pm. The work is expected to take about 2 hours. During this downtime, any websites (especially Wordpress sites), projects, or other running software systems that use databases on db.cecs.pdx.edu will be down. This work does not affect the CS database class server, dbclass.cs.pdx.edu. If you have any questions, contact support(a)cat.pdx.edu. -- Janaka Jayawardena IT Director - MCECS _______________________________________________ Allofthem mailing list -- allofthem(a)lists.cecs.pdx.edu To unsubscribe send an email to allofthem-leave(a)lists.cecs.pdx.edu

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[Cee-grad-students] How addpkg works on Linux is changing
by Janaka Jayawardena 05 Sep '25

05 Sep '25

If you are an addpkg user on our Linux systems, be aware that package selections to your environment will cease to appear by default when you login. To make your addpkg selections appear, you will need to do one of the following: - If you are logging in to a shell (ie: terminal), run the command: addpkg_shell It will run a new shell that supports your addpkg selections. - If you are using one of our graphical Linux desktop environments, look for a menu item for a terminal program that has the word “addpkg” associated with it. It will give you a terminal that contains your addpkg environment. This change will happen on Wednesday, Sep 10 2025. While this change will be applied to all our Linux systems (Ubuntu, Rocky9, Centos), it may be most acutely noticed by ECE Linux users who use addpkg extensively. For details and information about addpkg in general, read this page: https://cat.pdx.edu/platforms/linux/user-environment/addpkg/ We are making this change to accommodate users who are experiencing problems with program version collisions between the stock Linux distribution and addpkg selections. -- Janaka Jayawardena IT Director - MCECS _______________________________________________ Allofthem mailing list -- allofthem(a)lists.cecs.pdx.edu To unsubscribe send an email to allofthem-leave(a)lists.cecs.pdx.edu

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