News briefs – April 2007

Philip Liu, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Cornell University, is using a $100,000 grant to upgrade a wave simulator used to predict the effects of tsunamis on buildings, according to an article in Cornell’s Chronicle Online. The upgraded, 120-foot-long tank will triple the height of waves generated and improve the repeatability of the system. This, Liu says, will make it easier to scale-up the experiments to represent wave heights seen in real tsunamis.

Pennoni Associates, Inc., a multi-disciplined consulting engineering firm, partnered with Drexel University Online (www.drexel.com) to offer Pennoni employees an opportunity to complete an online degree or certificate program through Drexel and receive special tuition rates. Drexel Online has been expanding its partner network for the past four years. Through a partnership with Drexel, participating corporations and professional associations are able to offer their employees and members a range of bachelors, masters, and certificate programs that Drexel offers online in areas such as engineering, business, information systems, and more.

The International Erosion Control Association (IECA) updated the look and functionality of its website (www.ieca.org). In addition to new graphics and improved navigation, the updated site introduces IECA’s content-management system that allows site visitors to search IECA’s compilation of conference proceedings, News To Use articles, Erosion Control magazine features, and policy papers using a variety of search criteria. The new system also allows information to be stored in multiple languages and file formats. Only members have full access to papers and case studies; non-members can view abstracts and purchase copies of the proceedings from the IECA online bookstore.

Installations of Inliner Technologies’ cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) are expected to double following Layne Christensen’s acquisition of American Water Services’ Underground Infrastructure Group, Inc. (UIG). According to Layne Christensen, parent company of Inliner Technologies, that will make it the second-largest CIPP company in the United States. UIG is being folded into Reynolds Inliner, a full-service wastewater system renewal contractor with offices throughout the Midwest and Southern U.S. Inliner Technologies is served by a network of certified installers, including sister company Reynolds Inliner, as well as Kenny Construction Company, Lametti & Sons, and Western Slope Utilities.