Mujahid Chandoo

Status:

Awarded

Awarded:

Outstanding Younger Civil Engineer

Nominated Categories

Outstanding Civil Engineer in Community Service, Outstanding Younger Civil Engineer

Other Categories

Awards:

International Award from FORUM 8 for 3-Dimensional Visual Modeling for Public Works Projects 2014
Engineers Without Borders Service Excellence in Individual Contribution for Kenya Footbridge Project 2009-2011  

Additional Files

Recommendation Letter from John McCarthy
Work Example 3-D Redlands Animation Exhibit

Additional Information

1. See attached Recommendation Letter from Mr. John McCarthy
2. Work Example of the 3-Dimensional Redlands work.

Candidate Information

Name:

Mujahid Chandoo

ASCE Member?:

Yes

Company:

Michael Baker International
14725 Alton Parkway
Irvine, CA 92618

Supervisor:

Education:

B.S., 2006, Civil Engineering, California State University at Fullerton
A.S., 2003, Mathematics, Fullerton College

Experience:

Mr. Chandoo is an Associate and Project Engineer with extensive experience in surface water management.  His areas of expertise include hydrology, hydraulics, sediment transport and advanced modeling. Since joining Michael Baker International (formerly RBF Consulting), Mujahid has been involved with a variety of projects including, but not limited to, storm drain master plans throughout Southern California, storm drain design, FEMA processing, sediment transport modeling, environmental documentation, and large scale 2-dimensional floodplain studies,.  Mr. Chandoo has a strong technical background in all aspects of surface water engineering and a thorough knowledge of decision and management tools.  Mujahid is currently responsible for developing advanced two-dimensional hydrology and flood models for the following regions:  City of Redlands, Cathedral City, and Point Mugu Naval Air Station.

Mujahid is a pioneer in the development of coupled 1-dimensional subsurface and 2–dimensional surface hydraulic modeling including animation of the above ground flooding and creating a 3-dimensional real time view of potential flooding impacts. The animation of the above ground flooding is a state of the art application which is being developed to educate decision makers, and the general public about the risks associated with both riverine and urban flooding.  Mr. Chandoo performed extensive review of available technologies for use in both the hydraulic modeling and the flood animation software.  He worked with Forum 8 to produce the initial animation, and made subsequent revisions to better meet the City of Redland’s needs for public involvement.  This included adding additional detail such as buildings and trees using Google Sketchup. His Redland’s model and animation was awarded an International Forum 8 3-Dimensional Visual Modeling for Public Works.

Mr. Chandoo was the key project engineer on the team that developed the Rancho Mission Viejo Runoff Management Plan for Planning Area 2 (PA2 ROMP). During this 18-month project, Mujahid’s key responsibilities included the review of the overall Ranch Plan Runoff Management Plan, review and compliance with specific EIR requirements for hydrology, channel hydraulics, floodplain mapping and sediment transport. Both the hydrology models were completed at both a local Planning Area Level and the Regional Level. The models used GIS and standard Orange County Hydrology to meet the mitigation measures for the 109 square mile San Juan Creek Watershed at La Novia Bridge. The project was reviewed and approved by Orange County Public Works was completed meeting approximately 45 mitigation measures.  The adoption of the PA2 ROMP allowed for the planning area to move to construction on time.

Mujahid strives for advancing the profession’s understanding and techniques in storm water management through his work on ASCE EWRI committee.  He has also been a proponent of using GIS based systems for City Master Plans and Floodplain Mapping, as described in the presentation below:

Conference Presentations:
Tim Muli and Mujahid Chandoo, Applying Geographic Information System (GIS) Software to Floodplain Mapping, 16th Annual California GIS Conference, Huntington Beach, California, April 18-21, 2010

Comments:

This nomination was a collaborative effort from the following individuals:
• Gary Gilbert, PE, PE, GE, Env SP Associate Diaz•Yourman & Associates, Past President ASCE Orange County Branch
• Bita Sadri, PE, Michael Baker International, 2015 Secretary EWRI
• Tim Muli, PE, Michael Baker International, EWB Member and Founder of Muli Children’s International Education Program

Also please see the attached recommendation from Mr. John McCarthy, PE

Contribution to the Profession:

Mr. Chandoo’s contributions to his profession have been outstanding.  As a younger member, he volunteered to service on the ASCE HHTG committee.  Mujahid has held an officer position with ASCE Orange County EWRI (previously HHTG) for 5 years.  He is currently serving as the Past Chair. Mujahid assisted with the transition of the group from Hydraulics and Hydrology Technical Group to Environmental Water Resources Institute, which consisted of bringing speakers from other areas of the water industry besides traditional flood control so the group could reach a wider audience and provide more value to ASCE members in the water industry.  He also shared developments in the profession that are being implemented in other states like New York so that EWRI members could learn about how the practice is changing and new opportunities to solve age old problems. Under Mujahid’s leadership, EWRI OC began an annual half day continuing education seminar to bring leaders in the profession to share experiences on innovative projects. He has incorporated Continuing education seminars with members so that they have the opportunity to earn CE credits/units. He is a big proponent of bridging the gap between professional and students. He currently serves as the CSUF liaison with ASCE-OC.

Civic:

Mujahid is a great example for all the young and old engineers, providing his engineering skills and experience to improve the lives of others, both locally and around the word.
Mujahid has been actively involved with the Engineers Without Borders USA - Orange County Professional Chapter (EWB-USA OC) for the last 6 years. He was a member of the Technical team that designed and constructed a 130-foot span footbridge that serves over 4,500 impoverished citizens of Laikipia County of Kenya providing access to medical clinics, schools, churches, business centers, etc. He was also a key member of the Technical team for a second highly demanding EWB-OC rain and groundwater harvesting and installations to directly benefit over 170 local residents within Mathira-2 community in Laikipia County (Kenya), and over 10,000 people indirectly within the neighboring communities. Both projects required huge commitment to meet tight deadlines and use of personal vacation time for overseas travels.
Mujahid is also been involved locally as a technical lead for Members of the EWB-USA OC in a septic tank system design and installations and multiple sanitation system retrofit projects. These are design-built projects and once completed will benefit many families within the communities of Cerro Azul and Valle de las Palmas in Tecate, Mexico.
Mujahid is also an active participant in the non-profit Muli Children’s International Education Program which offers scholarships for children that are entering or are already attending secondary school education in Kenya.  The program’s goal is to help mitigate severe poverty in Kenya by funding children’s dreams through education.

Suggested Award Summary:

Mujahid Chandoo, P.E., is an Associate and Project Engineer in Michael Baker International’s Surface Water group with extensive experience in surface water management. Mujahid is recognized for his leadership and ability to coordinate and develop solutions to complex challenges collaboratively with multiple stakeholders. He understands the complete engineering, planning and environmental processes and is willing to take ownership of the project, consistently providing clients with a quality product.

Like exceptional leaders do, Mujahid strives to advance his career and the educational development of others by continually seeking opportunities to collaborate with other professionals and identifying new opportunities to work on challenging projects.  His “go-getter” attitude sets him apart from his colleagues and showcases his enthusiasm to achieve exceptional outcomes personally, for the industry, and internationally. Mujahid has notably established himself as an expert in advanced hydraulic modeling both locally and internationally.

Mujahid’s dedication to further everyone’s education through his work with EWRI, EWB and Muli Children’s International Education Program has established him as an expert for both his leadership and technical skills.