The accelerated pace of globalization necessitates that civil engineering graduates possess a broad spectrum of competencies to meet the evolving needs of a dynamic, interconnected professional environment. This necessity encompasses a blend of practical, personal, and intercultural skills in aspiring engineers, driven by employers' increasing demand for multifaceted skill sets. International research experiences are pivotal in bridging the gap between traditional academic training and the complexities of the real world, offering substantial benefits in terms of personal growth, intercultural understanding, and enhanced research innovation through exposure to diverse methodologies and global professional networks. Despite these advantages and the critical need for engineers adept at navigating the global landscape, participation in international programs remains markedly low among civil engineering graduates, underlining an urgent need for increased engagement and methodological research to elucidate the immediate and long-term benefits of such experiences. This dissertation critically assesses the effects of international research experience on developing key competencies of graduate students, including personal, academic, and professional development, intellectual growth, and intercultural competence. Recognizing the scarcity of rigorous, empirical studies capturing the comprehensive benefits of abroad research, this study adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative surveys with qualitative interviews to enhance the validity and reliability of findings through data triangulation. Additionally, data collection occurs at multiple time points before and after the experience, providing an in-depth exploration of how such experiences contribute not only to immediate skill enhancement but also to sustained competence development. The research addresses a critical gap in the existing literature, providing evidence-based insights into the multifaceted value and transformative potential of these experiences on graduate engineering competence advancement. The findings indicate improvements in academic proficiency, marked by adopting innovative research techniques and professional capabilities through expanded networks and enhanced communication skills. Moreover, immersion in international settings elevated students' self-reliance and global consciousness, alongside fostering comprehensive growth in intercultural understanding, thereby contributing to their holistic development across personal, intellectual, and professional domains. Through this comprehensive analysis, the study aims to offer actionable recommendations for designing and evaluating future research programs abroad to foster engineering graduates with the advanced competencies required to tackle contemporary challenges and flourish in the global environment.

During the rapid growth of infrastructure projects globally, countries pay high environmental and social costs as a result of the impacts caused from utilizing the traditional open-cut utility installation method that still widely being used in Egypt. For that, it was essential to have alternatives to reduce these environmental impacts and social costs; however, there are some obstacles that prevent the implementation and the realization of these alternatives.This research is conducted mainly to evaluate the environmental impacts of open-cut excavation vs. trenchless technology in Egypt, through two main methodologies. Firstly, a field survey that aims to measure knowledge of people working in the Egyptian construction industry of trenchless technology, and the harms caused from keeping utilizing open-cut for installing all kinds of underground utilities. In addition to investigating the reasons behind not relying on trenchless technology as a safe alternative for open-cut in Egypt. Furthermore, in order to compare the greenhouse gases emissions resulted from both open-cut vs trenchless technology, a real case study is applied quantifying the amounts of the resulted greenhouse gases from each method. The results show that greenhouse gases emissions generated from open-cut were extremely higher than that of horizontal directional drilling as a trenchless installation method.

Dubai has emerged as an important center for international business attracting significant inflows of the foreign workforce. Dubai’s population is unique as nationals represent only 15% of the total population, with 200 other nationalities comprising the other 85%. Thus, Cultural Diversity is unavoidable. Cultural Diversity refers to cultural heterogeneity such as differences in race, ethnicity, language, nationality, and religion. As it is a characteristic of Culturally Heterogeneous Workgroups (CHWs), cultural diversity affects how they interact with each other. Since the core concepts of leadership are dealing, inspiring, and motivating teams, the team member’s diversity directly connects with the leadership concept.While many researchers argue whether (CHWs) suffer or benefit from cultural diversity, it is agreed that such diversity has its challenges. Diverse workgroups have been shown to suffer from poor cohesion and social integration. People who are different from their co-worker’s report feeling uneasy and having less organizational commitment. Miscommunication, the development of obstacles, and improper adaptation behaviors are all possible negative impacts. In the absence of local studies on how cultural diversity is related to leadership, this thesis questioned the connection between cultural diversity and leadership level through a quantitative research approach. This would help understand how different leaders at different levels perceive cultural diversity challenges, which would help focus on specific level(s) in future and research practical ways to address cultural diversity issues of cultural diversity. Measurement scales for leadership levels and cultural diversity challenges were developed. A survey was used to collect data from skilled workers in the construction industry in Dubai, and non-parametric statistical methods were used to analyze the collected data and answer the research question. Whereas a strong correlation was initially expected between work experience, whether in total or within UAE, and leadership level, this was not the case. Most importantly, no significant evidence was found to support a relationship between cultural diversity challenges and both participants’ leadership level and their UAE work experience.

As the construction industry in Saudi Arabia was on its way to thriving again. Their growth was due to the unprecedented volume of planned projects such as large-scale and unique projects. Suddenly, the world was faced with one of the most disrupting events in the last century which had a devastating impact on the construction industry specifically. This paper explores mainly the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on construction projects in Saudi Arabia. Particularly, this paper explores how the pandemic and its related events contributed to the projects' schedule disturbances. This is because most of the projects rely on manpower and supply chains which were heavily disrupted due to the protective measures. For that, a study was conducted to evaluate the impact on the construction projects in Saudi Arabia, to what extent the schedule projects were affected, and what were the main reasons for the schedule delays. The research relied on a field survey and schedule analysis for 12 projects which resulted in identifying several causes of delays and the delayed durations that the projects in Saudi Arabia were facing. This research allows those in construction fields to identify the main causes of delays in order to avoid or minimize the impact of these issues on future projects.

The fact that the lean construction approach, a project-based production management approach, is considered as a best practice in the construction industry and a key solution to alleviate the implications of various forms of waste on the construction projects performance in general, and the Lebanese ones in particular, motivates the author to conduct a study to evaluate it as a strategic option. For that to happen, a bibliographic analysis has been developed to serve the key project objective. The bibliographic analysis is expected to help construction professionals to deepen their knowledge in Lean philosophy and its applications in the construction industry. After developing a solid background of understanding of Lean Construction, a survey to collect information from construction companies within the Lebanese territory has been conducted, followed by analysis and interpretations of the findings to examine lean construction inside the Lebanese construction Industry; that has been achieved in terms of understanding and analyzing the suitability, acceptability, and applicability of lean construction principles, tools, and techniques by Lebanese construction firms. Performed Revision has been crowned with a detailed explanation of the lean construction approach accompanied with an applicable lean construction implementation guideline. Besides that, survey results showed a wide acceptance of most lean construction principles (namely, waste elimination and continuous improvement) by Lebanese construction professionals. It has been shown as well, that lean construction tools and techniques are applied by a major portion of the Lebanese construction firms due to the significant impact these tools and techniques have on the project quality, schedule, and cost. However, all analyzed results confirm one main conclusion, that a significant portion of the Lebanese construction industry lack that adequate knowledge and understanding of lean construction philosophy, which necessitates the development of “Lean Construction Education Programs” as a principal enabler for successful lean construction adoption. This paper has been developed mainly to guide Lebanese construction professionals, especially project and construction managers, towards understanding and adopting lean construction as a mean to deliver projects of value and to inform Lebanese construction industry leaders about the current state of lean construction inside the Lebanese construction Industry.

Alaska has some of the richest mineral deposits on Earth and many of them remain untouched by humans. Exploration initiatives have the potential to greatly change “The Last Frontier’s” environment in the near future. These effects need to be considered now. There are many people chasing these deposits and with the use of new technologies, it has never been easier to access these remote locations. Alaska is called The Last Frontier because of its unforgiving climate and landscape and it is considered one of the few remaining places on earth that has been minimally touched by the modern age. One mineral deposit in particular that has been drawing attention lately is the Alaskan Pebble Mine. The Pebble Mine sits on top of a massive amount of precious minerals such as gold, copper, and molybdenum. Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd., based out of Vancouver, Canada is the main driving force behind the Pebble Mine. This specific mine has been debated amongst The Environmental Protection Agency, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and the U.S. Congress for multiple years. This mine has the potential for drastic impacts, not only on the environment, but also with the local and native Alaskans. The main issue with the Pebble Mine is that it is located in the Bristol Bay watershed which is home to nearly half the world's remaining wild sockeye salmon supply. This fishery employs thousands of workers, and brings in billions of dollars to the region every year. Heavy consideration must be given to the environment by the USACE when deciding on whether or not the Pebble Mine’s impact is reasonable.

This Fantasyland expansion is a proposed 302,000 square foot development west of Harbor Boulevard and south of the Parade Route. This plot of land caught the eye of Performance Imagineering, the latest and greatest firm in theme park consulting, as it is currently home to Autopia, a massive drivable car ride for guests. Although this large portion of land is currently considered part of Tomorrowland, this proposition suggests otherwise. With the exponential growth of action and adventure themed attractions in the park, it comes time to revive the original Disney themes of love and fantasy. This proposal does so by introducing princesses from some of Disney's most successful intellectual property of late, to the Disneyland Resort.

Water utilities across the United States are facing numerous challenges, such as limited funding and increasing project complexity, in constructing and upgrading their aging infrastructure. One innovative method to overcome these challenges is through the use of alternative project delivery methods (APDM), such as construction management at-risk (CMAR) and design-build (DB). Previous research has shown that APDM have the potential to deliver higher performing water infrastructure projects when compared to the traditional design-bid-build (DBB) method. However, there is a need to further examine APDM practices and develop tools that may support utilities in the delivery of their APDM water infrastructure projects. This study fills the knowledge gap by conducting several studies that may support public and private utilities in improving the delivery of their APDM water infrastructure projects. First, APDM implementation practices for water infrastructure projects are identified by assessing the state of practice, particularly during project procurement and execution. Second, DB project administration best practices are determined to support utilities seeking to add DB to their organization’s project delivery toolbox. Third, a pioneering web-based project delivery method decision-support tool was developed to aid utilities in selecting the appropriate delivery method for their water project. Finally, project-specific factors and attributes that impact project delivery performance are investigated through exploratory modeling and analysis. The study collected data on 75 completed treatment plant projects, conducted interviews with ten utilities that successfully deliver their water projects using DB, and worked closely with several industry experts through industry workshops and panels. Key findings related to water infrastructure project delivery revealed in this study included: (1) guaranteed maximum price (GMP) is the preferred compensation type for APDM projects; (2) utilities statistically having the lowest comfort level with delivering CMAR projects; (3) qualifications-based procurement is an effective DB project delivery practice; (4) the identification of 13 key project delivery method selection factors; and (5) the three highest predictors that impact unit cost performance are project complexity, project team chemistry and communication, and project size.

The water and wastewater industry in the United States is in dire need of renovation due to dwindling infrastructure and requires substantial reinvestment. Design-bid-build (DBB) is the traditional method of project delivery most widely applied in this industry. However, alternative project delivery methods (APDM) are on the rise and touting the benefits of reduced project schedule and cost. The main purpose of this study is to conduct a qualitative and quantitative performance evaluation to assess the current impact of APDM in the water and wastewater industry. A national survey was conducted targeting completed water and wastewater treatment plant projects. Responses were obtained from 75 utilities and constructors that either completed their projects using DBB, construction manager at risk (CMAR), or design-build (DB). Data analysis revealed that CMAR and DB statistically outperformed DBB in terms of project speed and intensity. Performance metrics such as cost growth, schedule growth, unit cost, factors influencing project delivery method selection, scope changes, warranty and latent defects, and several others are also evaluated. The main contribution of this study was that it was able to show that for the same project cost, water and wastewater treatment plants could be delivered under a faster schedule and with higher quality through the utilization of APDM.

This research explores some of the issues, challenges and dilemmas of existing research found in the construction workforce, it starts with past research that can be found on the current problems in the industry and how it has developed. It covers the distinguishing factors that influence a construction company's success and how it has affected depending on the characteristics of the company. It was to examine the effectiveness of the recruitment and selection practices of entrants in the construction industry workforce and pathways to improve those practices.