GT, ASU, UC-Davis and NMSU were recently awarded an NSF ERC on Bio-mediated and Bio-Inspired Geotechnics – learning from and mimicking what nature does underground as a basis for new materials, systems and approaches to engineering the subsurface and subsurface materials. 

Following that success, David Frost (CE) will share his insights into the overall ERC organization, application and review process and their successful trek through it.  This talk will offer suggestions to those that are considering applying to the active NSF ERC solicitation.  

The talk will be presented Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 12:30 p.m. in MRDC 4211.

Dr. Frost will also provide details regarding the upcoming research itself, the applications of which range from things as simple as dust-suppression to slope stability (landslides and other mass movements), foundations design and underground excavation and tunneling amongst others. The technologies to be studied and developed can be inspired by microbes (e.g. calcite precipitation), root systems (slope reinforcement through both mechanical as well as suction effects and self-forming/healing foundations (related to what we tried to get considered by Keck) to ants ( efficient tunneling/excavation methods). The work will extend from basic science to lab scale experimental to numerical simulation to translation studies in cooperation with industry partners.