Civil Engineering Graduate Seminar:
Time: 4-5pm, Thursday (April. 12th), Location: Dow 642
Public welcome
Presenter: Chris Carroll, Ph.D., E.I. Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Louisiana at Lafayette (hosted by Dr. Devin Harris)
TOPIC: Sustainability from the Perspective of an Ancient Engineer
BIO: Dr. Carroll received his Ph.D. from Virginia Tech in August of 2009 and has been an assistant professor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette since. Dr. Carroll’s research focus is primarily in the areas of prestressed and reinforced concrete with a concentration on the bond between concrete and reinforcing steel. He is an active member of the American Concrete Institute and American Society of Civil Engineers. In addition to his experimental interests, he also has an interest in engineering education, specifically those related to active and visual teaching techniques and project and problem based learning used in structural engineering courses. Furthermore, Dr. Carroll has also hosted three television shows in conjunction with the History Channel and Discovery Channel as a technical expert. Most recently, he served as co-host on a pilot series entitled Engineering the Impossible for the Discovery Channel. The pilot series included two shows focused on the engineering techniques used by the Ancient Engineers of Rome and Egypt. Dr. Carroll along with a group of his students recreated various structures from the ancient Roman and Egyptian Empires showcasing some of the techniques believed to be used by each to construct some of the most famous structures in the world.
ABSTRACT: For centuries, the Coliseum, Pantheon, and aqueducts have been admired time and time again. Their sheer size alone is awe inspiring and constantly raises the question, “How were they built?” While hypotheses exist for their construction, maybe the more important question is “How have they withstood the test of time?” In a day and age where sustainability is a key concern in new designs, looking at the work of ancient engineers could reiterate what sustainability is and to what areas structural engineers should devote their attention. This presentation highlights the methods used by the Romans in the construction of the Coliseum, Pantheon, and Pont du Gard Aqueduct and touches on some key principles related to their continued survival.
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