College of Engineering

Two new labs, The Hydraulics Modeling Laboratory and the College of Engineering Structural Testing Laboratory were dedicated on Thursday, September 24, 2009.

Utah Lieutenant Governor Gregory S. Bell was on hand for the dedication of the labs and congratulated those involved in all aspects of the projects, in particular Dr. Mac McKee, and Dr. Kevin Womack. Both are professors of civil and environmental engineering. McKee is also Director of the UWRL, and Womack is Director of the Utah Transportation Center at USU. Lieutenant Governor Bell also commented on how impressed he was with ongoing research at USU, especially the inclusion of undergraduates in research projects. 

The Hydraulics Modeling Laboratory Laboratory, at 12,000 square feet, is an extension of the existing Utah Water Research Laboratory (UWRL). While research has been done at the UWRL since its dedication in 1965, the demand for physical scale hydraulics modeling has increased in recent years. A dam model currently under construction, is just one example of a physical scale hydraulics modeling project the new lab will facilitate.

The College of Engineering Structural Testing Laboratory provides much needed space to conduct research and testing for the Long-Term Bridge Performance Program, a national study on bridge safety. Dr. Marv Halling, principal investigator on the project, and his co-investigators, Dr. Paul Barr and Dr. Kevin Womack, will utilize the lab to study the monitoring and inspection frequency of bridges in the Western United States. They will look at typical overpass bridges that commuters use everyday. The high-quality quantitative data collected from the research and testing in the new 5,000 square foot lab will enable engineers to develop new and improved models.

Future Engineers will need to better understand factors that contribute to dam and bridge deterioration and collapse problems as well as ensure tools necessary for improved maintenance and repair are available.  The two new labs provide the space needed to do so.