by Dr. Jonathan Hubler, Assistant Professor, Villanova University
Cone penetrometer measurements on the Salt Marsh Trail
The Wetlands Institute (TWI) and the Villanova University (VU) Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering have teamed up to offer a Senior Capstone project for students to perform geotechnical evaluation and design for elevating the Salt Marsh Trail. Dr. Jonathan Hubler is serving as the faculty advisor for two groups (ten students total) of senior civil engineering students at VU who are enrolled in the Senior Capstone course. Dr. Brian Harris from the US Army Corps of Engineers and Dr. Lenore Tedesco from TWI will serve as industry advisors for the project. The project will culminate with a final design and presentation by students in April 2025. The student project teams will design the elevated road for a 25-year design life by considering future scenarios of sea level rise and ground subsidence. It is anticipated that VU students will visit TWI and perform soil testing to evaluate properties for modeling performance of the new elevated roadway embankment across the wetlands. Students will consider tidal impact, sea level rise, environmental impact, and use of dredged materials for roadway embankment construction. Dr. Harris and Dr. Tedesco will mentor the students throughout the project and provide feedback as they consider design alternatives to elevate the road to meet 2050 sea level rise projections.
“This is an exciting collaboration that offers Villanova students a capstone project that incorporates geotechnical, hydraulic, and coastal engineering,” said Dr. Hubler, “The students are looking forward to visiting TWI and applying their previous coursework to a real-world design application.”
