On September 17, the University of Maryland (UMD) Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering officially opened its brand new, state-of-the-art laboratories focused on research pertaining to the attributes, characteristics and fundamentals of steel, asphalt, soil composites and other infrastructure design materials.

The new facility, named the Whiting-Turner Infrastructure Engineering Laboratories after its chief donor, includes six distinct laboratories totaling more than 7,000 square feet and is retrofitted with the "latest equipment and software for conducting geoenvironmental, material, soil, pavement, and structural testing," according to an UMD news article published on their website.

"Our civil engineering students will benefit from both hands-on and virtual learning opportunities made possible by this facility," said Charles Schwartz, civil engineering professor and chair of the department, in the article mentioned above.

The addition, the labs will also provide space and equipment for the university's concrete canoe team, which is part of the school's chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Within the labs, the team will test, mix and build entries for the National Concrete Canoe Competition.

Many generous sponsors made this new facility possible. To view them, visit the UMD's news post.