SILVER SPRING, MD - Five students from the Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program - a business intensive program that awards students with a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in Concrete Industry Management - at California State University, Chico traveled to Pointe du Hoc in Normandy, France over spring break to assist with the evaluation of concrete bunkers. Pointe du Hoc was one of the key locations for the historic World War II D-Day landing in June 1944.

The students, Chad Golden, Robert Hostettler, Andrew Billingsley, Courtney Sheehan and Alexx McAvoy, used state-of-the-art non-destructive testing equipment to evaluate the conditions of the concrete in the Observation Post and gun casements. Field-rugged computers made it possible to enter the data and run tests on the velocity of the sound waves pulsing through the concrete to determine the soundness of the material via specially designed transducers set at carefully determined locations on opposite sides of walls. This test was capable of sending and receiving ultrasonic pulses through the approximately 80 inches of concrete in some locations at the site. For another test, a sophisticated concrete thickness gauge capable of working with one-sided access was used to determine concrete thicknesses, delaminations and voids.

California State University, Chico, Assistant Professor Tanya Wattenburg Komas, who teaches a class in concrete repair and preservation, set up the research opportunity with colleagues at Texas A&M University. The team from A&M had been working for several years with the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) on a project to survey the site and evaluate the cliffs of the historic landing site on which the concrete structures rest. The Chico team was invited to participate in the project to assess the condition of the concrete structures and provide needed information about the depths of the foundations. The Chico team will produce a preliminary "existing conditions" report that will combine the previous laboratory testing results and the recent fieldwork results. Data collected during the concrete investigations will be used during the cliff stabilization phase of the project

"The trip was an amazing experience for us all," said Komas. "The students completed an incredible amount of work with proficiency and professionalism, several days of which were accompanied by gale-force winds and heavy rain. That they were able to participate in a work of this magnitude is exciting for them and for me."

According to Komas, their involvement in the project was a result of previous connections with Texas A&M University, the concrete repair industry, and the commitment of the academic community and the larger concrete industry in the unique CIM partnership. Through implementation of the proven CIM academic program, together with specialized courses at California State University, Chico and industry support at the national and local levels, they were able to combine their strengths while training the students to be contributing members of future research and industry teams, she said.