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UMD lab receives funds to help with deteriorating roads

DARTMOUTH, MA –

Extending the life of the nation’s roadways to save taxpayers billions of dollars and pothole-rattled drivers the cost of new shock absorbers is the challenge that UMass Dartmouth Civil and Environmental Engineering Department Prof. Walaa S. Mogawer is confronting in his laboratory.

“Road construction and maintenance is a multi-billion dollar industry in the United States,” said Mogawer, whose laboratory is located at the Advanced Technology Manufacturing Center in Fall River. “Existing roads are deteriorating at an alarming rate and new cost-effective technologies are needed to provide solutions to save taxpayers a great deal of money.”

Mogawer recently received two grants totaling $300,000 from the New England Transportation Consortium, a cooperative research effort comprised of the six New England state transportation agencies. With the grants, Mogawer and his colleagues will determine the best maintenance strategies to extend the life of roadways and evaluate new roadway materials that could last longer.

Dr. Jo Sias Daniel of the University of New Hampshire; Alexander Austerman, research engineer at UMass Dartmouth’s Pavement Materials Laboratory; as well as undergraduate and graduate students will assist Mogawer on the projects.

Beginning March 1, an award of $200,000 will fund the research team’s laboratory and field testing of roadway preventative maintenance strategies. The team will then develop a manual for the six states so the best practices are implemented. “Tests will tell us what the best treatment is and what time in the pavement’s life you should apply it,” Mogawer said.

Since November, researchers have been conducting seismic-based testing to evaluate new roadway materials technology. The $100,000 project involves studying the use of polymer-modified hot mixed asphalt versus surface treatments.

Both grants are two-year awards.

Mogawer has taught at UMass Dartmouth for 18 years, primarily in the transportation engineering field. He has served as a consultant for the Federal Highway Administration for the past four years.

“It’s a hot topic, a national problem to address,” Mogawer said of the effort to increase the service life of deteriorating roads. “Whether the fault is in the design, construction, high traffic volume or severe weather, pavements get damaged and we can’t wait until they crumble to take action.”

For more information on the Pavement Materials Laboratory, visit http://www.umassd.edu/engineering/cen/materials

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THIS WEEK IN UMASSD HISTORY

Nursing college faces federal budget cuts
Original Article by Jayne Brady
February 23, 1979

The college of Nursing at SMU is in danger of losing federal funding provided by the Nurse Training Act of 1975, and losing money allocated for present programs through the executive powers which administer the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. The allocation cuts will affect future enrollment but will not affect students already in the program.

President Jimmy Carter has already vetoed the extension of the program. The Congress is now drafting plans for another extension bill.

There are five areas of the Nursing College that will be affected if the Nurse Training Act is not extended.

-Student loans and scholarships may be reduced or eliminated.

- The Audio-Visual technician in the library is paid with federal funds.

- Two faculty in the senior clinical program are supported by federal money.

- No money will be available to support or supplement June pinnin ceremonies.

- Serious cuts in faculty travel and development which was supported 100% by federal money.

The two year extension would have funded programs through fiscal year 1980 and would have allowed SMU to phase in the faculty positions through state financing. “The loss of faculty would reduce the student enrollment in the program by 30-50 students, but would not disqualify any student already in the major,” says Dean Joyce Passos, College of Nursing. Passos said that eventually all faculty would be funded by the state, but the support of Nurses training and health care “should not be exclusively funded by the state.”

“The importance and cost of health care goes sufficiently beyond the state level,” Passos said. “Federal funding should not be a one shot deal. We need a long term commitment for some form of federal assistance.”

The American Nurses’ Association stated many reasons why this federal support is needed for the training of nurses and nurse practitioner.

-An increased supply of nurses has occurred because of the federal funding. 1,018,000 practicing RN’s compared to 815,000 in 1973:

-Increased emphasis on alternatives to high cost institutional care will continue to increase demand for RN’s in the future.

- Numbers of nurses needed in hospitals is increasing as trends to shorter hospital stays raises the intensity of nursing care required.

- National Health Insurance Program will also raise the future demand for RN’s.

The amendments of the Nurse Training Act emphasized the following: More advanced education for administrators, supervisors, clinical specialists, nursing school faculty. Today only 20 percent of nurses have bachelors or higher degrees. More preparation of nurse practitioners to provide primary care to the elderly, children and to populations in underserved rural and inner city areas; support to basic education only to maintain currently supply.

Passos is hopeful that President Carter will modify his position and not veto the bill. Meanwhile she has alerted students, faculty, and friends to write the congress members and the Senate Human Resources Health Sub-Committee. The Act should be considered in the House sometime in March.

Access to campus police logs denied to The Torch
Original Article by Maureen McMahon
February 19th, 1982

Torch access to SMU police logs has been denied, at least until officials here can study a recent court case granting such access at Boston College.

After receiving a memo on January 28 from the Torch, requesting that logs be open, Jacobs sent a letter on February 4 to Walter Smith, counsel for SMU’s Board of Trustees, for legal advice on “how to respond to the Torch request, while still complying with applicable statutes.”

Up until May, the staff of Salem State College’s student newspaper, the Log, was also denied access to the police logs. But ex-Log editor Paul Jalbert was able to gain access.

“Since SSC is a public institution, Jalbert didn’t need to take the issue to court as did the Heights,” reported Bob Lavoie in the January 27 issue of the Log. Instead he contacted State Representative Lawrence Alexander who filed a bill on Jalbert’s behalf.

A similar request was made by the Torch to Deputy Supervisor of Public Records, James Igoe on Wednesday.

According to Torch officials, in light of the fact that SCC, a public institution like SMU, has had access to police logs since last May, the administration should open the logs. “The precedent was established long ago; it should be followed,” said David Warren, News Editor of the Torch.

However, both Jacobs and Raymond McKearney, Chief of Safety and Security at SMU said they were worried that if they followed the precedents set at SCC, they might be violating another law, the Buckley Amendment of 1974. This act protects the family and educational privacy rights of individuals in connection with “sundry records.” Such as those of disciplinary academic, or employer- related nature, said Smith.

This “grey area” is why McKearney will not release the logs until the administration receives legal advice.

However, Marianne O’Brien staff counsel to the supervisor of public records, said that “their logs are subject to the public records law, and require disclosure.”

Even if the Torch is given access to the police logs, McKearney likened it to “beating a dead horse. There’s nothing that says we can’t put the information in a code, and the code wouldnít have to be released,” he said. He also added “We can simply leave stuff out of the log.”

Overcroweded campus center causes debate
Original Article by Robert Oliveira
February 19th, 1988

The carpets are torn, the furniture will never be featured in Better Homes, and Gardens, and the atmoshphere is less than romantic; however the SMU Campus Center still stands as the main area for student interfacing on the SMU campus.

“It is interesting that we call it a Campus Center and not a Student Union like everyone else does,” said Alumni Director Robert Saltzman. He went on to say “I’ve always understood that the Campus Center or Student Union is supposed to be like the living room of the University warm and comfortable. That just doesn’t happen here.”

Some feel that the building is just not made to handle the close to 6,000 students on the SMU campus. In fact, even people who do like it wouldnít mind an upgrade.

Pat Hundley the foundation Director, said, “To tell you the truth, I like it. I do not know if an upgrade would increase student use, but if it would, I would like to see it done.”

Affirmative Action Officer Floyd Brown echoed those comments as he reflected, “I think we have to examine how responsive the center is to changes requested by the student body. Then we will have a better picture. But now that you mention the little things like the furniture not being the Cadillac of the line, I know what you mean.”

Perhaps his most telling comments came from Donald Howard, Dean of Students, “The campus center should definitely be expanded, but there is the problem of money since both the State and Dr. Brazil have other very important priorities that have to be considered. I am very happy with the way the new office situations are working out. Sue Costa has finally received the space she needs and deserves.”

Perhaps the best way to summarize how the entire campus feels about the building is in the words of Special Assistant to the President, Norman Zalkind, “If we keep growing, you have to wonder how long it will be before we have to expand our facilities.”

In the meantime, SMU students will still have to deal with the bottleneck at the TV area, and sometimes cramped office space. One high ranking member of the administration wished openly “for a bar that plays classical music in the background for a change of atmosphere and more quiet places to study so commuters and non-commuters can exchange their ideas a little more.”