2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

“Decoupling” Resilience from Sustainability in the next Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge (CEBOK4)

Presented at ASCE CEBOK Updates and Applications

The Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge (CEBOK), established by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), articulates the foundational knowledge and professional competencies essential for civil engineers to assume responsible charge. To remain responsive to evolving societal demands, technological advancements, and environmental challenges, the CEBOK is periodically revised- most recently in 2019 (Third Edition), with a fourth edition currently under development. This paper examines how the CEBOK - Task Committee is considering "decoupling" resilience from sustainability in CEBOK4 (Fourth Edition), clarifying their differences and elevating resilience as a stand-alone critical competency for the next generation of engineers. It details the rationale, process, and challenges of updating learning outcomes, and introduces a national survey designed to assess current educational practices and establish a baseline for resilience instruction. The paper concludes with a strategic roadmap for integrating resilience across civil engineering, aligned with accreditation standards and institutional priorities. Practical vignettes include embedding resilience concepts into an introductory first-year civil and environmental, construction management and structural design courses.

Authors

Dr. Fethiye Ozis http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1484-8961 Carnegie Mellon University [biography]

Dr. Fethiye Ozis is an Associate Teaching Professor in the civil and environmental engineering department at Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Ozis holds a B.S. in environmental engineering from the Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Southern California. Dr. Ozis is a licensed Professional Engineer, Environmental, in Arizona. She is also an ENVISION Sustainability Professional. Before joining CMU, Dr. Ozis was a faculty member at Northern Arizona University.
Dr. Abi Aghayere P.E. Drexel University
Dr. Kleio Avrithi Marian University [biography]

Dr. Avrithi is an associate professor of Civil Engineering at Marian University, Indianapolis. She earned a Diploma in Civil Engineering, an MS in Structural Engineering both from the National Technical University of Athens, an MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park. Her research interests include uncertainty and risk quantification for design, optimization, resilience, systems design, and engineering education. She is member of ASCE, ASEE, ASME, and ASTM.
Mrs. Elizabeth Zofia Bialek PE [biography]

Elizabeth Bialek is a member of the ASCE Committee on Developing Leaders and a practicing Civil Engineer with 30 years of experience. She is the Manager of Engineering Services at the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), where she leads a staff o

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 21, 2026, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 24, 2026

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