Geotechnical Engineering

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

The coastal region of Maine is known for Presumpscot Formation clay, a glacial soil deposit that is susceptible to dramatic landslides and that has caused building settlements and challenges to the construction of all types and sizes of structures. The Presumpscot Formation is the focus of two local symposia in 1987 and 2015, and the proceedings for both can be found at the 2015 Symposium website.

Research opportunities are available to study the behavior of soft and stiff clays (such as the Presumpscot Formation); investigation of natural hazards in land, coastal, and near-shore environments; soil structure interaction using full scale installations and/or modeling of scaled systems; onshore and offshore site characterization employing in situ, geophysical, and laboratory methods; thermal behavior of soils related to energy transfer, permafrost vulnerability and cold regions engineering.

Faculty:

Aaron Gallant – Assistant Professor, PE
Dana N. Humphrey – Professor and Dean, College of Engineering, PE
Miltiades Zacas – Adjunct Professor

Current Projects:

“Monitoring and Analysis of Micropile-Supported Integral Abutment Bridges”
- Faculty Advisor: Dr. Aaron Gallant & Dr. Bill Davids
- PhD Student: Mahmood Albraheemi
“Stability of unsaturated coastal sediments subject to storm surge and extreme events”
- Faculty Advisor: Dr. Aaron Gallant
- MS Student: Babak MahMoodi
“Assessment of Helical Anchor Capacity for Offshore Aquaculture Applications”
- Faculty Advisor: Dr. Aaron Gallant & Dr. Melissa Landon
- MS Student: Leon Cortes Garcia

“Lateral loading of unreinforced rigid elements and basal stability of column-supported systems”
- Faculty Advisor: Dr. Aaron Gallant
- MS Student: Danilo Botero Lopez

Recent Publications:

Follow faculty link for Recent Publications