Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering

Michael C. Forde, the head of the Research Institute for Infrastructure & Environment and Carillion professor of civil engineering construction at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, gave a seminar January 30 about transportation infrastructure and how non-destructive testing plays a vital role. Forde spoke to an audience of about 50 students and faculty.

“Professor Forde is a world-renowned expert in the area of non-destructive evaluation,” says F. Wayne Klaiber, professor of civil engineering at Iowa State. “The department was honored when he accepted our invitation to be part of this year’s distinguished lecture series.”

Forde has visited Ames and Iowa State three times before—his most recent trip being about 15 years ago. This was the first time Forde was able to visit the Center for Transportation Research and Education (CTRE).

Forde and Iowa State Professor Terry Wipf are looking to organize a joint research project for Iowa State and the University of Edinburgh. The goal of the research is to work on a technique to identify existing bridge foundations—information that’s not always available. The researchers hope to gain funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (the United Kingdom’s equivalent to the United States’ National Science Foundation), the U.S. National Science Foundation, and possibly the Iowa Department of Transportation.

Forde has received numerous awards and honors throughout his career, including the Medal of the City of Grenoble, France in 1979, Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) in 1999, and Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) in 2006. He also is a fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Institution of Engineering and Technology, Institute of Highways and Transportation, and British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing.