REU Site: Investigation of Subterranean Features in the Appalachian Region

Marshall University Research Corporation, Huntington WV

Investigators

Abstract

This three-year REU Site at Marshall University (MU) will recruit students enrolled in non-STEM majors at community colleges located in the southern Appalachian region to participate in engineering research related to subterranean features. The 70-acre MU Subterranean Cavity Research and Training (MUSCRAT) Park includes mined shafts, culverts, and test pits that will be utilized for the REU project data collection. Research activities are designed to promote the progress of science through subterranean hazard investigation and sustainable uses of abandoned coal mines. This REU Site aims provide educational opportunities for students in the economically depressed southern Appalachian region from community colleges, particularly those from non-STEM majors. This three-year REU Site at Marshall University involves faculty and graduate student mentors from the departments of civil engineering and mechanical engineering. Located in the 70-acre MU Subterranean Cavity Research and Training (MUSCRAT) Park, the project objectives are to: (1) provide community college students, particularly those from non-STEM majors, with an engineering research experience; (2) improve participants’ research and creative abilities; (3) improve participants’ communication skills; and (4) increase the number of Americans choosing to pursue degrees (both undergraduate and graduate) or careers in engineering and other STEM fields. Examples of the planned research topics include non-destructive detection of voids and potential sinkholes (e.g., karst), technologies to explore and map abandoned coal mines, use of mine pools for geothermal heating and cooling, and acid mine drainage mitigation. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.