This January, the 11th annual Undergraduate Research Day showcased the efforts of eleven WVU Tech students, allowing legislators a firsthand look at some of the STEM research underway in Montgomery. But students weren’t the only ones showing off the cutting-edge at the Capitol.
At the Culture Center, the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC) recognized faculty that were awarded scientific research grants in 2013. WVU Tech faculty members from the Department of Civil Engineering, Dr. Horng-Jyh Yang (Tigra) and Dr. Brian Dickman, were recognized with the FY 2014 Instrumentation Award for the research project “Introduce the Refraction Microtremor (ReMi) Shear Wave Technique to Civil and Electrical Engineering Students at WVU Tech.”
The project will use the $20,000 award to cover the purchase of new refraction microtremor (ReMi) seismic equipment, boosting geotechnical research opportunities at WVU Tech and affording engineering students a chance to work with the kind of state-of-the-art equipment used in a variety of industries.
“West Virginia needs updated technology to be ready for preventing natural disasters,” said Dr. Yang. “ReMi technique can be used in landslide monitoring, mine safety investigation, sinkhole detection and soil compaction control. WVU Tech’s Civil Engineering department will now be able to offer this new technique to the state.”
WVU Tech CEO Carolyn Long; Dr. Z. Torbica, dean of the WVU Tech Leonard C. Nelson College of Engineering & Sciences; and West Virginia University (WVU) Provost Michele Wheatly attended the day’s events to express their support for research activities at WVU Tech.
*Want to see more? *Head over to Flickr to see photos from Undergraduate Research Day.