Dr. Shobha K. Bhatia
Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor
L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Office : 151 Link Hall
Phone: 315-443-3352
E-mail: skbhatia@syr.edu
Shobha Bhatia is Professor and former Chair in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Syracuse University. Dr. Bhatia has made significant contributions in both research and engineering education. Her research efforts have focused on the application of geosynthetics and natural materials in waste containment, road and building construction, and erosion control. She has numerous publications, participated in national and international conferences, and served in various national capacities, such as Vice President of the North American Geosynthetics Society (NAGS). Recently, Dr. Bhatia completed a research project on the technical and economic aspects of geosynthetic products in minimizing erosion in highway drainage channels. Of late, she has worked on an erosion control project in the Catskill Mountains and a research project to evaluate the technological, political, and cultural aspects of the use of natural erosion control materials (coir and jute) in India and the United States. As part of a travel grant from the Women’s International Science Collaboration (WISC) Program of the National Science Foundation (NSF), Dr. Bhatia spent four weeks in India studying the coir industry. Dr. Bhatia has also been extensively involved in engineering education. She is co-director of the Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) initiative at Syracuse University. As part of her Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professorship grant, she initiated the WiSE Mentoring Program and WiSE Learning Community, which includes women students from engineering and computer science. She has also been part of national initiatives to increase the number of women in leadership positions in academia. She played an important role in the NSF-funded Engineering Education Scholar Program, which was designed to prepare young faculty for academic careers. Dr. Bhatia is also the recipient of a NSF Faculty Achievement Award for Women for excellence in research and leadership in training future engineers.
Recent Publications
1. Satyamurthy, R. and Bhatia, S.K., “Effect of Polymer Conditioning on Dewatering Characteristics of Fine Sediment Slurries Using Geotextiles”, Geosynthetics International, 2009, Volume 16, 2, 83-96.
2. Satyamurthy, R. and Bhatia, S.K., “Experimental Evaluation of Geotextile Dewatering Performance”, Geosynthetics 2009, February 25-27, Salt Lake City, Utah, 464-474.
3. Satyamurthy, R. Grzelak, M.D., Pullen, T. S., Bhatia, S.K. and Kaye, P., “Evaluation of Geotextile Tube Dewatering Performance Using Large and Small Scale Tests”, Geosynthetics 2009, February 25-27, Salt Lake City, Utah, 428-438.
4. Bhatia, S.K. and Smith, J. L.”Bridging the Gap between Engineering and the Global World: A case Study of the Coconut (Coir) Fiber Industry in Kerala India”, Morgan and Claypool Publishers, ISBN 159829623X, 2008.
5. Smith, J. L., Davieau, M.R., and Bhatia, S.K., “Evaluation of Soil Erosion Using the Rain Splash Technique”, The American Society of Civil Engineers, Geotechnical Special Publication Number 167, 2007, 1-15.
