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UOG School of Engineering awarded $275K grant for high-capacity testing equipment
UOG School of Engineering awarded $275K grant for high-capacity testing equipment
UOG School of Engineering awarded $275K grant for high-capacity testing equipment
8/8/2025
The 91快播 School of Engineering has been awarded a $275,081 grant from the National Science Foundation鈥檚 Major Research Instrumentation Program to acquire a state-of-the-art structural testing machine that will significantly enhance the university鈥檚 research, education, and workforce development capacity.
The grant will fund the purchase of a 250-kilonewton (kN) capacity Universal Testing
Machine (UTM), a high-performance instrument designed to test the strength and behavior
of structural and construction materials such as concrete, steel, timber, and composite
systems.
鈥淲e鈥檝e never had the capacity for this kind of testing on island. This new equipment
opens the door to deeper research and better preparation for our engineering students,鈥�
said Dr. Ernesto Guades, assistant professor of civil engineering and principal investigator
of the project. 鈥淪tudents, researchers, and industry partners will be able to conduct
full-scale material and structural testing locally 鈥� building the capacity we need
to support infrastructure innovation and resilience across our islands.鈥�
The UTM will be integrated into undergraduate engineering courses and utilized for
interdisciplinary research, teacher training workshops, summer STEM camps, and industry
collaborations. It will also serve as a platform for outreach activities that engage
K鈥�12 students and underrepresented populations in STEM.
With its capacity to perform test-to-failure experiments on both small and large-scale
materials, the new equipment will serve researchers across disciplines, including
structural and mechanical engineering, materials science, and additive manufacturing.
For more information about the School of Engineering, visit www.uog.edu/seng