The CEE department is pleased to announce the addition of 3 new faculty members: Michele Barbato, Mostafa Elseifi and Heather Smith. Michele Barbato is joining the department as an Assistant Professor, specializing in finite element methods for response and response sensitivity analyses and computational reliability analysis of structural and geotechnical systems. He joins us from the University of California at San Diego. Mostafa Elseifi is joining the department from Bradley University. Dr. Elseifi’s research expertise focuses on pavement design and evaluation using analytical methods such as the finite element method, fracture behavior of HMA, and modeling of binder and asphalt mixtures performance.  Heather Smith is joining the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at LSU as an Assistant Professor, specializing in sediment transport, fluid-structure-sediment interactions, and coastal engineering. Heather is completing her doctoral work in civil engineering at Ohio State University.  The Civil and Environmental Engineering department welcomes these new faculty members.  For more information on these new faculty members, please see page 7 of the Summer 2007 newsletter.