Amy B. Chan Hilton, Ph.D.

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Florida A&M University - Florida State University College of Engineering
2525 Pottsdamer Street, Tallahassee, FL 32310
e-mail: abchan@eng.fsu.edu
Web page: http://www.eng.fsu.edu/~abchan
Phone:  850.410.6121
Fax:  850.410.6142 Most current CV in PDF format

ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Tallahassee, FL
Assistant Professor January 2000-present

EDUCATION

University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, August 1995-December 1999

Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (Environmental), January 2000
Dissertation title: Development of Genetic Algorithms for Groundwater Remediation Design

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, September 1989-August 1995

S.M. in Environmental Engineering, August 1995
Thesis title: A numerical investigation of the effects of freshwater inflow on the flushing of Boston's Inner Harbor

S.B. in Environmental Engineering with Minor in Music, May 1993
S.B. in Civil Engineering, May 1993

AWARDS AND HONORS

• ASCE ExCEEd New Faculty Excellence Teaching Award, Zone II, 2003
• FSU Council on Research and Creativity First Year Assistant Professor award, 2000
• American Association of University Women Selected Professions Engineering Dissertation Fellowship, 1999-2000
• NSF Graduate Traineeship at University of Virginia's Program in Interdisciplinary Research in Contaminant Hydrogeology (PIRCH), 1995-1999
• Honorable mention in DoD National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship Program, 1994, 1995
• DOE Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Fellowship, 1993-1994
• Offered MIT Parsons Fellowship for exceptional first-year graduate students, 1993
• DOE Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Scholarship, 1991-1993
• Dean A. Horn Award for outstanding marine-related research project, 1993
• Russell Award for outstanding civil and environmental engineering student, 1993
• Chi Epsilon, 1993

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Department of Civil Engineering, University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA
Research advisor: Prof. Teresa B. Culver September 1995-December 1999

Graduate research assistant. Developed optimization model using genetic algorithms and groundwater flow and transport simulation model for optimal groundwater remediation design. Applied to pump-and-treat and in situ bioremediation problems to identify important engineering issues for optimal remediation design.

Department of Civil Engineering, University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA
Research advisor: Prof. James A. Smith Summer 1996

PIRCH laboratory rotation. Set up experiment to quantify effective gas diffusion coefficient through unsaturated soil column. Conducted vapor flux experiments and used gas chromatograph to take measurements.

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, MIT Cambridge, MA
Research advisor: Dr. E. Eric Adams September 1993-August 1995

Graduate research assistant. Modeled flushing of freshwater flow from Charles River into Boston Inner Harbor using 3-D hydrodynamic model. Part of effort to understand effects of combined sewer overflows on water quality of estuarine environments.

Environmental Assessment Division, Argonne National Laboratory Argonne, IL
Research advisor: Dr. Robert Johnson Summer 1994

Research practicum. Evaluated tritium groundwater contamination problem in the unsaturated zone with the use of a 3-D groundwater model. Formulated problem and estimated site characteristics from various known information. Part of a risk assessment project.

Environmental Quality Division, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority Boston, MA
Research advisor: Dr. Merryl Alber Summer 1993

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. Compiled, organized and analyzed extensive data sets to evaluate sources of contaminants to Boston Harbor. Resulted in co-authoring an extensive technical report. Received MIT Sea Grant College A. Horn Award for this project.

Oceanographic & Atmospheric Sci. Div., Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton, NY
Research advisor: Dr. Charles Flagg Summer 1992

Research practicum. Performed graphical analyses and wrote computer programs to assess internal wave data taken from the Atlantic Shelf. Part of the Shelf Edge Exchange Processes II program.

Department of Chemical Engineering, MIT Cambridge, MA
Research advisors: Dr. P. Virk and E. Koury January-May 1992

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. Assisted in experiments to determine fluid drag reduction effects of riblets on flat plate. Wrote computer model to simulate the effects.

Exxon Research and Engineering Company Florham Park, NJ
Summer 1991

  Internship. Assisted field engineer and project manager in an upgrade project of the site's wastewater treatment plant. Gained field experience in wastewater treatment, project management, surveying and government regulations.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Optimization of groundwater remediation and monitoring systems using evolutionary computation
Groundwater flow and contaminant transport modeling
Environmental systems analysis
Engineering issues related to groundwater remediation
Contaminant hydrogeology
Environmental fluid mechanics
Hydrodynamic and water quality modeling in estuarine and river environments

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Tallahassee, FL January 2000-present

EES 3040: Introduction to Environmental Engineering
EES 3040L: Introduction to Environmental Engineering Laboratory
ENV 4053/5055: Chemical Fate and Transport
CWR 4120/5125: Groundwater Hydrology
ENV 4041/5045: Environmental Systems Analysis

ASCE Excellence in Civil Engineering Education (ExCEEd) Teaching Workshop
Univeristy of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR

Senior Mentor, July 2003
Assistant Mentor, July 2001, July 2002
Fellow, July 2000

University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA Fall 1999

Graduate Teaching Assistant for Introduction to Environmental Engineering.

University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA Spring 1999

Graduate Teaching Assistant for Groundwater Hydrology.

University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA September 1997-present

Co-supervised senior thesis project and PIRCH laboratory rotation projects.

1997 SECME Summer Institute, Charlottesville, VA Summer 1997

Co-instructor in the Engineering module ''Clean Water, Dirty Water.'' Assisted in developing and implementing two 10-hour workshops for K-12 teachers and counselors on environmental engineering.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA September-December 1994

Graduate Teaching Assistant for Environmental Fluid Mechanics Laboratory. Assisted in preparing laboratory assignments graded laboratory reports.

Tutor in English as a Second Language program in Chinatown Boston, MA 1991-1993

ACADEMIC AND COMMUNITY SERVICE

• Member of ASCE Environmental and Water Resources Institute Committees:
- Groundwater Management Committe
- Long-term Groundwater Monitoring Task Committee
- Evolutionary Computation in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering Task Committee, control member
- Environmental Systems Committee 
• Society of Women Engineers, FAMU-FSU Student Chapter, Academic Advisor, 2002-present
• Member of American Geophysical Union, National Ground Water Association, American Society of Civil Engineers
• Member of MIT Alumni Association Education Council, 1998-1999, 2003-present
• Volunteer at local animal shelters and SPCAs, 1995-1999
• Treasurer/Social chairperson for Green Hall graduate women's dormitory, MIT, 1994-1995
• Associate Advisor to freshmen, MIT, 1990-1993
• President, vice-president, social co-chair, and member of MIT Chinese Students Club, MIT, 1989-1993

PUBLICATIONS

Chan Hilton, A. B. and L. N. Raghupathi.  Evaluating sensitivity of uncertain parameters in groundwater remediation design using robust genetic algorithms.  In preparation, 2003.

Chan Hilton, A. B. and O. M. Beckford.  Multi-objective groundwater remediation design under uncertainty using robust genetic algorithms.  In preparation, 2003.

Chan Hilton, A. B. and T. B. Culver. Groundwater remediation design under uncertainty using a robust genetic algorithm.  Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, ASCE, tentatively accepted, 2003.

Huang, W., B. Xu, and A. Chan Hilton. Forecasting flow in Apalachicola River using artificial neural networks. Journal of Hydrological Processes, tentatively accepted, 2003.

Chan Hilton, A. B. and T. B. Culver. Sensitivity of optimal groundwater remediation designs to residual water quality violations. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, ASCE, 127(5), 316-323, 2001.

Chan Hilton, A. B., A. Aksoy, and T. B. Culver. Dynamic optimal design of groundwater remediation using genetic algorithms. In: Smith, J. A. and S. Burns, eds. Physiochemical Groundwater Remediation, Lewis Publishers, New York, 2001.

Chan Hilton, A. B. and T. B. Culver. Constraint-handling methods for genetic algorithms in optimal pump-and-treat design. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, ASCE, 126(3), 128-137, 2000.

Chan Hilton, A. B., D. L. McGillivary, E. E. Adams. Residence time of freshwater in Boston's Inner Harbor. Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering, ASCE, 124(2), 82-89, 1998.

Alber, M. and A. B. Chan. Sources of Contaminants to Boston Harbor: Revised Loading Estimates. MWRA Environmental Quality Technical Report No. 94-1. Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, Boston, MA 02129, 1994.

Sherif, S. A., S. P. Raju, M. M. Padki, and A. B. Chan. A semi-empirical transient method for modelling frost formation on a flat plate. International Journal of Refrigeration, 16(5), 321-329, 1993.

CONFERENCE PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

McKenna, S. A., A. B. Chan Hilton, and M. Lefrancois.  Parameter adjustment of indicator variograms for groundwater flow modeling using genetic algorithms. Proceedings of the Probabilistic Approaches and Groundwater Modeling Symposium, June 22-26, 2003, Philadelphia, PA: ASCE, 2003,  Peer reviewed.

Beckford, O., A. B. Chan Hilton, and X. Liu.  Development of an Enhanced Multi-objective Robust Genetic Algorithm for Groundwater Remediation Design.  Proceedings of the ASCE EWRI 2003 World Water & Environmental Resources Congress, June 22-26, 2003, Philadelphia, PA: ASCE, 2003.

Chan Hilton, A. B. and S. Iyer.  Optimization of Natural Attenuation with Active Remediation Under Uncertainty Using Genetic Algorithms. Proceedings of the Probabilistic Approaches and Groundwater Modeling Symposium, June 22-26, 2003, Philadelphia, PA: ASCE, 2003, Peer reviewed.

Chan Hilton, A. B. and S. Iyer.  Optimization of Natural Attenuation with Active Remediation Under Uncertainty.   Proceedings of the Seventh In Situ and On-Site Bioremediation Symposium, June 2-5, 2003, Orlando, FL:  Batelle, 2003.

Raghupathi, L. N. and A. B. Chan Hilton. Effect of physical and chemical aquifer uncertainty in groundwater remediation design using robust GA.  Proceedings of the First Annual Environmental & Water Resources Systems Analysis (EWRSA) Symposium, May 19-22, 2002, Roanoke, VA: ASCE, 10 pp., 2002.

Beckford, O. and A. B. Chan Hilton.  Development of Robust Genetic Algorithms to Multi-Objective Groundwater Remediation Design Under Uncertainty.  Proceedings of the First Annual Environmental & Water Resources Systems Analysis (EWRSA) Symposium, May 19-22, 2002, Roanoke, VA: ASCE, 10 pp., 2002.

Chan Hilton, A. B. and O. Beckford. Multi-objective groundwater remediation design under uncertainty using genetic algorithms. Proceedings of the World water and environmental resources congress, May 20-24, 2001, Orlando, FL: ASCE, 10 pp., 2001.

Chan Hilton, A. B. and T. B. Culver. Optimizing groundwater remediation design under uncertainty. Proceedings of the joint conference on water resources engineering and water resources planning and management, July 30-August 2, 2000, Minneapolis, MN: ASCE, 2000.

Chan Hilton, A. B. and T. B. Culver. Dynamic groundwater remediation design with genetic algorithms. Proceedings of the 26th annual conference on water resources planning and management, June 6-9, 1999, Tempe, AZ: ASCE, 1999.

Chan Hilton, A. B. and T. B. Culver. Constraint-handling methods for optimal groundwater remediation design by genetic algorithms. Proceedings of 1998 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, October 11-14, 1998, San Diego, CA. 3937-3942, 1998. Invited paper.

Chan Hilton, A. B. and T. B. Culver. Groundwater bioremediation optimization using genetic algorithms. Water Resources and the Urban Environment. Proceedings of the 25th annual conference on water resources planning and management (E. D. Loucks, ed.), June 6-10, 1998, Chicago, IL: ASCE, 1998.

Chan Hilton, A. B. and T. B. Culver. Optimal dynamic design of in situ groundwater bioremediation using genetic algorithms. Eos, Supplement to AGU spring meeting, May 26-29, 1998. Boston, MA, 1998.

Chan Hilton, A. B. and E. E. Adams. Numerical investigation of freshwater inflow effects on Boston's Inner Harbor. Presented at the Fourth International Conference on Estuarine and Coastal Modeling, October 1995, San Diego, CA, 1995.

Alber, M. and A. B. Chan. Sources of Contaminants to Boston Harbor: Revised Loading Estimates. Presented at the Ninth Annual Massachusetts Bay and New England Coastal Symposium, March 1994, Boston, MA, 1994.

Alber, M., A. B. Chan, and M. S. Connor. Sources of contaminants to Boston Harbor: Revised loading estimates. Presented at Geological Society of America Fall Meeting, October 1993, Boston, MA, 1993.

Padki, M. M., S. A. Sherif, P. S. Raju and A. B. Chan. A semi-empirical transient method for modeling frost formation on a flat plate. Presented at Fifth AIAA/ASME Thermophysics and Heat Transfer Conference, Seattle, Washington, June 1990. HTD-Vol. 139, 15-24, New York: ASME, 1990.

Padki, M. M., S. A. Sherif, and A. B. Chan. Solar Chimneys for Power Generation in Rural Areas. Presented at Seminar on Energy Conservation Generation Through Renewable Resources, January 1989, Ranchi, India, 1989.

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