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Jesús M. de la Garza

Vecellio Professor Emeritus

Jesús M. de la Garza

Jesús M. de la Garza, Vecellio Professor Emeritus

Areas of Interest

Construction Engineering and Management, Highway Infrastructure Management, Information Technology in Construction, Design-Construction Integration. My Philosophy towards the A/E/C Industry is:
1) Construction is the last phase of the Design process;
2) Design is not what is on CAD drawings, rather, Design is what gets built;
3) Design-Construction integration is fundamental.

  • BS Civil Engineering - Tecnologico de Monterrey, 1978
  • MS Civil Engineering - University of Illinois, 1984
  • PhD Civil Engineering - University of Illinois, 1988
  • Editor-in-Chief for ASCE's Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
  • Member of the National Research Council's Committee on Defense Materials, Manufacturing, and Infrastructure
  • Member of the National Research Council's Board on Infrastructure and the Constructed Environment
  • 2004-2006, Program Director, National Science Foundation, Civil and Mechanical Systems Division.
  • 1988-2006, Assistant, Associate, Professor, Vecellio Professor, Virginia Tech, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
  • 1978-1982, Project Engineer with the ICA Group, Mexico City
  • Distinguished Member of ASCE
  • Vecellio Endowed Professorship
  • The Construction Industry Institute's Richard L. Tucker Award for Leadership and Service
  • John L. Tishman Distinguished Lecture, University of Michigan
  • Fellow of the Construction Management Association of America
  • The Construction Industry Institute's Outstanding Instructor Award
  • The Construction Industry Institute's Distinguished Professor Award
  • Visiting Eminent Scholar at the Del E. Webb School of Construction at Arizona State University.
  • The College of Engineering Dean's Award for Research Excellence
  • The College of Engineering Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence
  • The College of Engineering Dean's Award for Service Excellence
  • ASCE Peurifoy Construction Research Award
  • Member of the National Academy of Construction
  • ASCE Faculty of the Year Award, 1998, Student Chapter, Virginia Tech.
  • ASCE Best Paper Award, 1998, Technical Council on Computer Practices, Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering.
  • ASCE Thomas Fitch Rowland Prize, 1992
  • ASCE Appreciation Certificate for outstanding service as Faculty Advisor to the Student Chapter, 1990
  • Who is Who in Computing, 1989
    • RBS: Performance-based decision support system for resilient and sustainable multi-hazard building design, National Science Foundation, with Drs. M. Flint, M. Eatherton, G. Olgun, J. Irish, R. Leon, G. Reichard, A. Rodriguez-Marek
    • Successful Delivery of Flash-Track Projects, Construction Industry Institute, with Dr. Pardis Pishdad-Bozorgi at Georgia Tech
    • VDOT/VT Partnership for Highway Maintenance Monitoring and Innovation in Maintenance and Construction Contracting, Virginia Department of Transportation, with Dr. M.C. Vorster @ Virginia Tech
    • Development of a Highway Maintenance Management System, Swedish National Road Administration, with Dr. Hans Bjornsson @ Chalmers University of Technology
    • Constructability Review and Evaluation for Workgroups (CREW), National Science Foundation, with Dr. W. Rodriguez @ Florida Gulf Coast University
    • Wireless Communication and Computing at the Jobsite, Construction Industry Institute, with Dr. Ivan Howitt @ Virginia Tech
    • The Impact of Deferred Maintenance on the Interstate System, Virginia Department of Transportation, with Dr. D.R. Drew @ Virginia Tech, and Dr. A.D. Chasey @ Arizona State University
    • A Mobile Tool for Acquisition of Activity Progress Data and Updating of P3/Expedition Project Files, Primavera Systems, Inc., with Dr. Walid Thabet @ Virginia Tech
    • de la Garza, J.M., and Arcella, J., "Comparative Analysis of Current Performance-Based Maintenance Methods to Improve Virginia Highways," Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2361, pp. 35–43.
    • Fallah-Fini, S., Triantis, K., Rahmandad, H., de la Garza, J.M., (2015), Measuring Dynamics Efficiency of Highway Maintenance Operations, Omega, DOI: 10.1016/j.omega.2014.07.001.
    • Kim, K., and de la Garza, J.M., “Phantom Float,” ASCE, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, Vol. 129, No. 5, October, 2003, pp. 507-517.
    • de la Garza, J.M., and Alcantara, P.T., “Using a Parameter Dependency Network to Capture Design Rationale,” ASCE, Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering, Vol. 2, No. 2, April, 1997, pp. 102-112. This paper won the 1998 Best Paper Award from ASCE Technical Council on Computer Practices.
    • Chasey, A.D., de la Garza, J.M., and Drew, D.R., “Comprehensive Level of Service: Needed Approach for Civil Infrastructure Systems,” ASCE, Journal of Infrastructure Systems, Vol. 3, No. 4, December, 1997, pp. 143-153.
    • de la Garza, J.M., and Howitt, I., “Wireless Communication and Computing at the Construction Jobsite,” Elsevier Science, Automation in Construction, an International Journal for Construction Professionals, Vol. 7, No. 4, May, 1998, pp.327-347.
    • de la Garza, J.M., Hancher, D.E., and Decker, L., “Analysis of Safety Indicators in Construction,” ASCE, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, Vol. 124, No.4, July/August, 1998, pp.312-314.
    • de la Garza, J.M., Alcantara, P., Kapoor, M., and Ramesh, P.S., " Value of Concurrent Engineering for the AEC Industry," ASCE Journal of Management in Engineering, Vol. 10, No. 3, May/June, 1994, pp. 46-55.