2/17/2023
Mingu Kang and Han Wang won top prizes at the Geosynthetics Conference 2023 student research showcase.
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Two CEE at Illinois students, Mingu Kang and Han Wang, won top prizes at the Geosynthetics Conference 2023 student research showcase. The event, organized by the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) and IGS North America, presented groundbreaking research on geosynthetics and their applications.
Mingu Kang, a Ph.D. candidate from the Tutumluer research group, was awarded the first place for his research on the mechanical stabilization of airport pavement. The study was based on the analysis of geosynthetics sections built in Federal Highway Administration (FAA) Constructure cycle 9 (CC9). His innovative approach involved estimating the stiffness of full-scale pavement using embedded sensors.
Han Wang, another Ph.D. student from the Tutumluer research group, won the second place for her research on the evaluation of geosynthetics in aggregate stabilization using Bender Element Sensor Technology, which is part of the ongoing IDOT/ICT R27-234 project. Her work focused on assessing the effectiveness of various kinds of geosynthetic products and developing design guidelines based on local stiffness increase mechanisms.
The Tutumluer research group is led by CEE professor Erol Tutumluer.