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Brigham Young University
Civil and Environmental Engineering Department

CEEN Grad Students wins $20,000 prize

Teo

Ben Reese, a graduate student in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at BYU was awarded a $20,000 prize from the Portland Cement Association for doing research in determining the stiffness of cement-base in road systems. He was one of eight graduate students nationwide presented the PCA Education Foundation 2007 Research Fellows award in Chicago this fall.

Reese's work on the cement-treated base layers in road systems was groundbreaking. His research created a procedure that determines when the cement layer is stiff enough for machines to drive on to apply the asphalt layer.

"We were able to obtain a threshold after which the cement base will not rut," Reese said.

Professor Spencer Guthrie, Reese's mentor, said there is a difference between concrete and cement.

"Cement is just one element in concrete; it's a powder that can also be mixed in lower quantities with crushed stone base materials to improve their stiffness," Guthrie said. "The strength of cement-treated base is one-tenth that of concrete."

Until now, the only procedure to determine the stiffness of the cement base was to wait seven days for the cement to dry, which can waste valuable time and money.

 

Professor Guthrie was the official mentor for the project. He attended the award ceremony in Chicago this fall. Guthrie spoke highly of Reese's qualities.

"Ben is a natural leader and very meticulous and creative," Guthrie said. "He can also communicate effectively with contractors, which is very useful."

Reese said the experience has opened up many doors for him. He said it was invaluable.

"This has been an unparalleled experience for me," Reese said. "It has been a maturing experience."

The full story was printed in BYU's Daily Universe.

 

People Involved With This Story:

W. Spencer Guthrie

 

Article Date: Oct 16, 2007
News Source: BYU News Net
Article Source: http://newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/65790

 

Last modified: Oct 16, 2007 Maintained by Webmaster.

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