September 25, 2001

American Public Works Association
Builds New Civil Engineering Lab at CSUS

The Education Endowment Fund of the Sacramento chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA) has given $16,500 for a new civil engineering lab at California State University, Sacramento. The group has also pledged to help find additional funding for the lab in coming years.

The lab will provide hands-on education for students working in the new field of geosynthetics engineering, which uses polymeric materials in construction. These polymers, known as geosynthetics, improve the properties of earth materials and allow construction of structures at difficult sites. The lab will be a separate and smaller facility within the College of Engineering and Computer Science's geotechnical lab, and will include a United "Smart I" Electromechanical Testing Machine, which performs tension and tear tests.

The gift is the first to the University from the APWA. It is the result of a proposal submitted by Cyrus Aryani, a CSUS professor of civil engineering.

An opening ceremony is planned for late October to celebrate the naming of the new facility as "Sacramento Chapter, American Public Works Association, Geosynthetics Laboratory."

The American Public Works Association is an international educational and professional association of public agencies, private sector companies and individuals dedicated to providing high quality public works facilities and services. Originally chartered in 1937, the APWA is the largest and oldest organization of its kind in the world. It provides a forum in which public works professionals can exchange ideas, improve professional competency, increase the performance of their agencies and companies, and bring important public works-related topics to public attention in local, state and federal arenas.

More information is available by contacting Amanda Banks, director of development for the CSUS College of Engineering and Computer Science, at (916) 278-6629, or APWA representatives Orin Bennett at (916) 783-4100 or Duane Copley at (530) 756-3463.

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For further information send E-Mail to infodesk@csus.edu or contact
Public Affairs (916) 278-6156.   
 
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