The Department of Geology at Kent State University offers a graduate program in engineering geology leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. The program emphasizes engineering and environmental problems related to mining, urban development, solid waste disposal, slope stability, use of soil and rock as construction materials, and management of water resources. The program emphasizes problem-oriented research which, in most cases, is conducted in collaboration with industrial firms, municipalities, or governmental agencies. Recent research projects have focused on stability of highway cuts, mine-waste embankment stability and design, landslide hazards, mine subsidence, wetland hydrology and geochemistry affected by acid mine drainage, geotechnical evaluation of sanitary landfills and nuclear waste disposal sites, engineering applications of waste materials, use of geophysical methods in engineering, and properties of soil and rock material as related to their engineering behavior. 

RESEARCH

The program emphasizes problem oriented research which, in most cases, is conducted in collaboration with industrial firms, municipalities, or governmental agencies.  Recent research projects have focused on stability of highway cuts, mine waste embankment stability and design, landslide hazards, mine subsidence, wetland hydrology and geochemistry affected by acid mine drainage, geotechnical evaluation of sanitary landfills and nuclear waste disposal sites, engineering applications of waste materials, use of geophysical methods in engineering, and properties of soil and rock material as related to their engineering behavior. 

FACILITIES

Research facilities in engineering geology include separate labs in soil mechanics, rock mechanics, surface water hydrology, hydrogeology, hydrogeochemistry, geophysics, and computer analysis. Specialized research equipment in these labs includes: uniaxial testing machine, direct shear test apparatus, triaxial test apparatus, equipment for measuring elastic constants, consolidation test apparatus, slake durability unit, Los Angeles abrasion machine, powered soil auger, ground water flow meter, resistivity units, proton magnetometer, gravimeter, Pulse-EKKO ground-penetrating radar system, VLF electromagnetic system, multichannel seismograph, portable gamma-ray spectrometer, gamma-ray logger, ICP plasma spectrometer, atomic absorption spectrophotometer, scanning electron microscope, x-ray diffraction unit, and many IBM and Hewlett-Packard computers and terminals. 

COURSES

Engineering Geology, Advanced Engineering Geology, Soil Mechanics, Foundation Engineering, Slope Stability, Hillslope Erosion, Introductory Hydrogeology, Advanced Hydrogeology, Modeling in Hydrogeology, Surface Water Hydrology, Hydrogeochemistry, Exploration Geophysics, Clay Mineralogy, Riparian Processes, Coastal Processes

FACULTY whose specialties are related to Engineering Geology include:

YORAM ECKSTEIN, Ph.D. Hebrew University, 1977.  Hydrogeology, Ground Water Modeling.
DONALD F. PALMER, Ph.D. Princeton University, 1968.  Engineering Geophysics, Water Resources. 
ABDUL SHAKOOR, Ph.D. Purdue University, 1982.  Engineering Geology, Soil and Rock Mechanics, Construction Materials, Waste Management.