Dr. Daniel I. Castaneda is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Engineering at James Madison University. He holds a BS from the University of California, Berkeley; and he holds an MSCE and PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has also worked shortly in industry as a systems analysist for a subcontractor to the Federal Aviation Administration. His teaching and research interests relates to the durability of civil infrastructure from either a material or structural perspective. His dissertation research focused on the propagation of vibrational energy in fresh concrete with varying rheology, yielding of interstitial cement paste fluid between aggregates in fresh concrete, and freeze-thaw durability of high performance concrete crossties used in high speed rail. He is presently collaborating as Co-PI on NSF-funded research where citizen engineers are engaged in the design, construction, and utilization of acrylic concrete tanks for rainwater harvesting in San Angelo, TX, an area prone to persistent droughts. Dr. Castaneda is also strongly interested in pedagogical practices in the classroom that seeks to engage and validate students’ lived experiences and incorporate that knowledge into lesson materials. He has taught civil engineering materials, structural analysis I & II, probability & risk in engineering, engineering dynamics, mechanics of materials, and engineering design. Daniel was raised by his mother, Lupe, who is from Mexico, and his father, Julio, who is from El Salvador. Daniel was born and raised in Southern California, and he plays the role of big brother to three sisters.