Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Civil Engineering

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Eight undergraduate students from the Southwest Rocky Mountain Region will participate in a ten-week, comprehensive research experience at the University of New Mexico during the summer of 1991. In accordance with his/her interests, each student will do one of the following: 1) participate in the design, construction and operation of a small-scale permeable barrier for groundwater aquifer remediation; 2) investigate fracture in rock and concrete using laser interferometry; 3) conduct nondestructive test methods on small structural components; 4) join in an exciting development of a new fast-scan Scanning Electron Microscope; 5) design a Lunar optical telescope using interactive graphical analysis; 6) assist in an experiment to understand microcracking of solids using a UNM x-ray device; 7) assist in numerical simulations of granular soil using a discrete element model involving 2D discs and 3D quartz spheres; and 8) study idealized failure profiles of soil- structure interactions through video imaging. Over half of the students will be selected from applicants at institutions other than UNM, especially those without active research programs. Women, minority and handicapped applicants particularly will be recruited. The students will become familiar with their projects through early contact with the research faculty. Each student can expect to learn to work quite independently over the course of the summer, will present a final seminar on the research, and will assist in writing a publication describing the work.