An international association recently donated $16,500 to the Sacramento State College of Engineering and Computer Science for a new civil engineering laboratory.

The American Public Works Association donated the funds for the lab, which will expose civil engineering students to geosynthetics, in which polymeric materials (a form of plastic) are tested and their results analyzed for design in construction, said Civil Engineering Professor Cyrus Aryani. The association is also inviting local firms to support the expansion of the lab in the future.

Geosynthetics are used in many public works projects, such as landfills, hazardous waste control, drainage systems, slope stabilizations and road development, Aryani said.

“Industry has evolved around these materials, and we have to show students what?s going on in the industry today,” he said.

The gift is the result of a proposal submitted to the APWA by Aryani during the end of March, and was confirmed by the association in June.

The lab will provide graduate students with experience in geosynthetics applications to prepare them to work with agencies such as CalTrans, the Department of Water Resources, city and county services and consulting firms.

“It’s important for the capitol campus to have [this] lab, as it is so close to large government and public works agencies,” Aryani said. “We must represent this university as a pioneer in this field, and offer the latest technology.”

The lab will be a facility within the College of Engineering and Computer Science’s geotechnical lab in Santa Clara Hall, and will include the recently purchased Electromechanical Tensile Testing machine, which simulates the stress and load placed on geosynthetics in the field.

“Before the lab, there was nothing like this for students. Only a handful of universities in the country have such a facility,” Aryani said. “We can talk, read and study about these materials, but the best way to learn about them is to experiment with them and test them in the laboratory.”

Graduate students specializing in geotechnical engineering (the study of soil mechanics and foundation engineering) will be the primary users of the lab.

“We also hope that this lab will be attractive to potential future faculty in the geotechnical field, who could develop research with these facilities and benefit our department,” said Joan Al-Kazily, chair of the Civil Engineering Department.

Al-Kazily said the donation is a big step for the department.”We haven’t had any big private donations in several years … many smaller donations are received from alumnus,” Al-Kazily said. “But no agency has donated enough money to buy a substantial piece of equipment.”

A ribbon cutting ceremony is planned for late October to celebrate the naming of the new facility as “The Sacramento Chapter, American Public Works Association, Geosynthetics Laboratory.”