UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Behnoud Kermani, a doctoral candidate in civil engineering at Penn State, has recently been awarded both the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) Fellowship and the Mid-Atlantic Chapter Scholarship by the International Association of Foundation Drilling (ADSC-IAFD).
“These prestigious awards will certainly provide an invaluable opportunity for me to extend my research in order to reach my academic goals,” Kermani said. “I can continue my professional contribution to civil engineering in order to promote and serve a flourishing community.”
Kermani received the $5,000 GSI Fellowship grant for his research proposal titled “Numerical investigation on the effectiveness and durability of geotextiles against migration of subgrade soil to overlying granular layer in pavement systems.”
He said this research can be used to perform life cycle and cost benefits analyses for transportation agencies and industry, provide guidelines for choosing geotextiles in the pavement industry and develop asset management performance prediction models.
“The outcome of this research serves as a valuable source and basis for recommendations for revising and moving to implement DOT’s policy concerning the use and requirement of geotextile for subgrade-subbase separation,” Kermani said.
Kermani was also awarded a $3,000 ADSC-IAFD Scholarship, which is given to civil engineering students whose focus is in geotechnical and/or structural engineering. The funding is meant to stimulate the involvement of highly qualified engineers in the industry as well as to aid in research on drilled shafts and anchored earth retention systems.
Kermani said his doctoral research bridges two technical disciplines: geotechnical engineering and pavement engineering. His focus has been on subgrade migration due to cyclic traffic loading and prevention using geotextile separation. Subgrade fines migration is known as a commonly observed problem in pavement systems. During his master’s degree studies, Kermani’s evaluated the application of nondestructive testing and evaluation techniques to unknown bridge foundations.
Upon graduation, he hopes to become an academic member of a leading institution.
“I would like to express my deepest appreciation to my dear advisers for their continued support and help throughout my studies,” Kermani said.
Kermani received his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Azad University in Tehran, Iran and his master’s degree in civil engineering with an emphasis in geotechnical engineering from Temple University.