Yewande Abraham

Assistant Professor

Department of Civil Engineering Technology, Environmental Management and Safety

College of Engineering Technology

ysaite@rit.edu

585-475-6214

Office Location

ENT-3157

Yewande Abraham

Assistant Professor

Department of Civil Engineering Technology, Environmental Management and Safety

College of Engineering Technology

Education

BS, MS, Cardiff University (United Kingdom); Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University

Bio

Dr. Yewande Abraham is an Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering and Construction Management at the Department of Civil Engineering Technology Environmental Management and Safety (CETEMS) at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). She is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional in building operations and maintenance and an associate member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). She joined RIT in 2018, prior to that, she received her Bachelor's and Master's in Civil Engineering from Cardiff University, Wales, United Kingdom and completed her Ph.D. in Architectural Engineering (Construction option) at The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania. She has industry and research experience in the construction industry in the US and internationally.

Dr. Abraham’s research interests are in sustainable built environments, occupant comfort, and indoor environmental quality. She also conducts research in civil engineering and construction education focusing on learning styles, curriculum development, and increasing interest of underrepresented groups in STEM fields. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in introduction to civil engineering, construction scheduling, planning and control, principles of construction leadership and management, and sustainable building construction and design.

ysaite@rit.edu

585-475-6214

Select Scholarship

Invited Article/Publication

Ogunseiju, Omobolanle Ruth, et al. "Automated Detection of Learning Stages and Interaction Difficulty from Eye-tracking Data within a Mixed Reality Learning Environment." Smart and Sustainable Built Environment. (2023). Web.

Journal Paper

Ilatova, Esther, Yewande S Abraham, and Bilge Gokhan Celik. "Exploring the Early Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Construction Industry in New York State." Architecture 2. 3 (2022): 457-475. Web.

Abraham, Yewande, et al. "Sustainable Building without Certification: An Exploration of Implications and Trends." Journal of Sustainability Research 4. 2 (2022): 1-20. Web.

Abraham, Yewande S, et al. "Assessing the Effectiveness of Virtual Workshops with Active Learning Approaches in Construction Education." International Journal of Engineering Education 38. 5(B) (2022): 1562-1576. Print.

Afolabi, Adedeji Olushola, Yewande S Abraham, and Oluwafikunmi Awosika. "Web-based Material Requisition System in the Supply Chain of Construction Businesses." International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering (IJECE) 11. 2 (2021): 1531-1538. Web.

Amaral, Rosaria EC, et al. "Waste Management and Operational Energy for Sustainable Buildings: A Review." Sustainability 12. 13 (2020): 5337. Web.

Amaral, Rosaria EC and Yewande S Abraham. "Feasibility of a Sustainable Infrastructure Rating System Framework in a Developing Country." Journal of Infrastructure Development 12. 2 (2020): 91-104. Web.

Published Conference Proceedings

Abraham, Yewande S, Paul Stanitz, and Rosaria E C Amaral. "Tracking Occupant Satisfaction for Improved Energy Efficiency in Campus Buildings." Proceedings of the American Society for Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers Indoor Air Quality (ASHRAE IAQ) Conference, 2021, Atlanta. Ed. ASHRAE. Atlanta, GA: n.p., 2021. Web.

Gomez, Jonathan, Bilge Gokhan Celik, and Yewande S Abraham. "Employers’ Perception of Student Employability in the Construction Management Industry using Resume Analysis and Analytic Hierarchy Process." Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference, June 26-29, 2022, Minneapolis. Ed. ASEE. Minneapolis, MN: ASEE, Web.

Abraham, Yewande S, et al. "Sustainability in Affordable Housing: Trends and Opportunities for Connected Communities." Proceedings of the 2021 ASCE International Conference on Computing in Civil Engineering (i3CE). Ed. ASCE. Florida, US: ASCE, 2022. Web.

Abraham, Yewande S, et al. "Evaluating the Effectiveness of Extracurricular Online Workshops on Student Learning in Construction." Proceedings of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Construction Research Congress, March 9-12, 2022, Virginia. Ed. ASCE. Virginia, US: ASCE, 2022. Web.

Greenwood, Lisa, et al. "Capacity Building for Organizational Resilience: Integrating Standards on Risk, Disruption and Business Continuity in the Curriculum." Proceedings of the International Conference on Social and Education Sciences (IConSES). Ed. Mack Shelley, Valarie Akerson, and Ismail Sahin. Austin, TX: ISTES Organization, 2022. Web.

Abraham, Yewande S, et al. "Assessing the Effectiveness of Active-learning Approaches in Advancing Student Understanding of Construction Scheduling in a Virtual Environment." Proceedings of the American Society For Engineering Education Annual Conference, July 26-29, Virtual Meeting. Ed. N/A. Virtual Online, US: ASEE PEER, Web.

Abraham, Yewande Sonayon and Chimay J Anumba. "Identifying Operational Considerations for Sustainable and Resilient Building Systems." Proceedings of the Construction Research Congress 2020: Infrastructure Systems and Sustainability. Ed. Mounir El Asmar, Pingbo Tang, and David Grau. Rochester, United States: ASCE, 2020. Web.

Abraham, Yewande Sonayon. "Importance of Active Learning in an Undergraduate Course in Construction Scheduling." Proceedings of the 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference. Ed. N/A. Virtual Online, US: ASEE PEER, 2020. Web.

Andoh, Nana-Yaw, et al. "Sustainable Building without Certification: An Exploration of Trends and Implications." Proceedings of the 26th International Sustainable Development Research Society (ISDRS) Conference. Ed. N/A. Budapest, Hungary: n.p., 2020. Web.

Abraham, Yewande Sonayon, Chimay J Anumba, and Somayeh Asadi. "Case Study on Energy Use and Indoor Environmental Quality in an Office Building." Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Sustainable Development in Building and Environment, (SuDBE) July, 22-28 2019 in Reading, UK. Ed. Stuart Green and Andrew Baldwin. Reading, UK: n.p., Print.

Invited Keynote/Presentation

Abraham, Yewande S. "Tracking Occupant Satisfaction for Improved Energy Efficiency in Campus Buildings." Indoor Air Quality (ASHRAE IAQ) Conference. American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Athens, Greece. 4 May 2022. Conference Presentation.

Andoh, Nana-Yaw, et al. "Sustainable Buildings without LEED Certification: Why is this Becoming a Preferred Trend?" 18th Annual New York State Green Building Conference. SUNY ESF. Syracuse, US. 20 Nov. 2020. Conference Presentation.

Andoh, Nana-Yaw, et al. "Sustainable Building without Certification: An Exploration of Trends and Implications." 26th International Sustainable Development Research Society (ISDRS) Conference. ISDRS. Budapest, Hungary. 16 Jul. 2020. Conference Presentation.

Abraham, Yewande Sonayon. "Case Study on Energy Use and Indoor Environmental Quality in an Office Building." 9th International Conference on Sustainable Development in Building and Environment, (SuDBE) July, 22-28 2019. Rochester Institute of Technology. Rochester, NY. 24 Jul. 2019. Conference Presentation.

Crawford, Kijana, et al. "Mentoring Women: Faculty of Color in Predominantly White Institutions—A Fireside Chat." National Association of African American Studies & Affiliates (NAAAS) Regional Conference. St John Fisher and Nazareth College. Rochester, New York. 4 Oct. 2019. Conference Presentation.

National/International Competition Award Winner

Gomez, Jonathan, Bilge Gokhan Celik, and Yewande S Abraham. American Society for Engineering Education. Best Paper Award in Construction Engineering. Minneapolis, US, 2022.

Peer Reviewed/Juried Poster Presentation or Conference Paper

Abraham, Yewande Sonayon, Chimay J Anumba, and Somayeh Asadi. "Leveraging the Interaction between Humans and Building Systems for Enhanced Operation and Maintenance of Office Buildings." Proceedings of the 2019 ASCE International Conference on Computing in Civil Engineering. Ed. Yong K. Cho, et al. Atlanta, Georgia: ASCE.

Abraham, Yewande Sonayon, Chimay J Anumba, and Somayeh Asadi. "Tracking Energy Performance for Improved Occupant Satisfaction in Offices." Proceedings of the Engineering Sustainability: A Climate for Change. Ed. Gena M. Kovalcik. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: n.p..

Abraham, Yewande S, et al. "Evolving Building Sustainability: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Framework for Buildings." Proceedings of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Oct 2-5, 2018, Pittsburgh, PA USA. Ed. Meghan Fay Zahniser. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: n.p..

Currently Teaching

CVET-180

Introduction to Civil Engineering

2 Credits

The objective of this course is to develop in the student an understanding of plans and drawings in civil engineering projects such as site development, structures, hydraulic structures, water and wastewater transport and treatment facilities, and transportation facilities. Students will also understand how related disciplines—architecture, mechanical and electrical engineering, and landscape architecture—are incorporated into construction drawings. Students develop an understanding of the technical and legal purpose of plans and how to assemble them.

CVET-464

Construction Planning, Scheduling and Control

3 Credits

This course covers planning, organization, scheduling, and control of construction projects. The components of construction project planning are examined. Students are exposed to and gain practice in using the Critical Path Method (CPM) in scheduling, Monte Carlo risk analysis and monitoring the progress of construction projects. Cost control and resource allocation/resource management are explored.

CVET-500

Civil Engineering Technology Capstone

3 Credits

A capstone course in civil engineering technology. This course builds on and integrates the engineering concepts developed in prior course work into the complete design of a major civil engineering project. The course will require a written and an oral presentation of the completed design to include, where appropriate, plans and specifications.

In the News

September 19, 2023

RIT’s Future Faculty Career Exploration Program celebrates 20th cohort

RIT’s Future Faculty Career Exploration Program celebrates its 20th cohort of diverse academics Sept. 27-30. The program, hosted by the Office of Faculty Diversity and Recruitment, is a rigorous four-day event designed for historically underrepresented scholars and artists of color to experience a behind-the-scenes glimpse into life as a faculty member at RIT.
June 5, 2023

Researcher receives grant to build a virtual reality learning environment focused on the construction industry

Assistant Professor Yewande Abraham is part of a team developing a virtual reality-based learning environment to improve middle school students’ interest in STEM fields, specifically the evolving construction industry.
November 28, 2022

Research team awarded grant from NIST to develop new standards-based educational modules

A team of researchers from RIT was recently awarded a grant to develop curricular modules on infrastructure improvement and resilience that introduce students to public and private sector standards, including industry standards.

More News