A message from our CEE Chair

Yafeng Yin, Professor and Chair, CEE


Throughout my seven years with CEE at U-M, I am constantly amazed by our students and faculty in their ability to create a community that fosters innovation and growth— developing future engineers who truly are in service to society. We as a community are advancing economic prosperity and quality of life of residents throughout the United States and the world through the design, construction and operation of infrastructure and environmental systems.

Massive global challenges continue to confront our society. Nurturing community-minded engineers who can bring powerful new approaches to these opportunities is therefore especially pertinent for CEE at U-M. Empowering our students to incorporate diverse perspectives to creatively solve society’s most pressing problems remains our highest priority.

A key initiative helping us prepare our students to become technically competent and socially conscious engineering professionals is the Pelham Scholars Program. Since 2019, the Pelham Scholars Program, named for the first Black engineering graduate at the University of Michigan, Frederick Pelham, has supported over thirty outstanding graduate and undergraduate students. Students in the program receive:

● One-on-one mentorship with industry professionals
● A scholarship for two semesters of tuition for graduate-level students
● Opportunities to participate in activities designed to prepare them for careers upon graduation

Ultimately, our goal is to give our students the opportunity to foster growth both professionally and personally, so they may tread successful paths like yours and be of service to society.

As you reflect on your time with CEE and the ways in which you have used your education to build a better world, please consider making a gift to the Pelham Scholars Program or another CEE initiative that aims to foster excellence in education for our students.


Support Civil and Environmental Engineering


Your generous gift will advance our mission of developing conscientious engineers for the future and will continue to impact our students in the years to come.

Thank you,

Yaefeng Yin

Professor and Chair, CEE


Leadership Team
Branko Kerkez, CEE Associate Professor & Associate Chair for Research  ⏺ Jason McCormick, CEE Professor & Associate Chair for Undergraduate Programs ⏺ Krista Wigginton, CEE Associate Professor & Associate Chair for Graduate Programs