CIV @ URECA | Department of Civil Engineering

Students conducting research with Dr. Giles and Dr. Moon presented their work at URECA!

At the end of the spring 2015 term, Dr. Giles and Dr. Moon helped their students prepare for the URECA Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creativity, an annual celebration highlighting undergraduate research work and other activities.

Dr. Moon with his student researcher, Tenzin Gyephel, '16

They measured the porosity of 2000 year old Roman concrete mortar. Extremely low porosity compared to that of modern Portland concrete was measured. This explains the fact that Roman concrete is more resistant under chemical attacks. This further proves the durability of Roman concrete, as its structures have survived for more than 2000 years while modern concrete structures, less resistant to seawater, are only designed to last about 100 years. In addition to that, compared to the direct carbon dioxide emission from the production of cement, the Romans used significantly less lime and baked it at a much lower temperature compared to the current production process of modern concrete. This results in using far less fuel and releasing significantly less carbon into the atmosphere.

Tenzin and Dr. Moon

URECA in a Nutshell

URECA stands for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities and was established at Stony Brook University in 1987 to encourage and promote undergraduate research and creative endeavors. It is supported by the Simons Foundation. URECA sponsors many undergraduate research and fellowship opportunities including: the Battelle Summer Research Program, the Beckman Scholars Program, and the URECA Summer Research program, to name a few. For a full overview of URECA's importance and history at SBU, click here.

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