The campus will remain closed until 12 noon Thursday, 02/13/25. Students should log into Canvas for specific class information from their instructors. Please contact event organizers for information on specific activities. Normal operations will resume at 12pm on Thursday.

Faculty + Staff

Nabil
Grace
Sr. Vice President of Research & Economic Development
Director, Nabil Grace Center for Innovative Materials Research (CIMR)

Dr. Nabil Grace’s specialization is in structural engineering, highway bridges and composite materials. He is the originator and founding director of the Center for Innovative Materials Research (CIMR) at Lawrence Technological University, a multimillion dollar facility dedicated in 2008. Dr. Grace successfully obtained funding for this dynamic facility that offers students a variety of applied research opportunities and, at this time, is primarily devoted to the investigation of the use of composite materials in structural applications and for defense industry.

Dr. Grace’s research interests include application of carbon fiber reinforced polymer to structural engineering, assessment of dynamic behavior of composite automobile components, environmentally dependent behavior of composites, and infrastructure rehabilitation using composite materials. Dr. Grace’s research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Army Research Laboratory (ARL), Tank Automotive Research Development Engineering Center (TARDEC), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Michigan Department of Transportation, Ohio Department of Transpiration, Maine Department of Transportation, North Carolina Department of Transpiration, Iowa Department of Transpiration, American Concrete Institute and several private manufacturing organizations. 

His research activities have attracted some $18 million in private, state, and federal grants, and have been implemented in the design, construction, instrumentation, and field testing for the first Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) prestressed concrete highway bridge in United States history. Twenty prestressed concrete highway bridges using these unique solutions have now been deployed in such states as Michigan, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, and Maine. Dr. Grace’s research team has been continuously monitoring the behavior of five of these bridges and will continue to monitor their behavior under a contract with MDOT & FHWA until 2025. 

Dr. Grace and his research team developed and issued the first design guidelines for CFRP prestressed concrete bridges and is currently posted on the main web page for MDOT along with design examples for the design calculations of four major bridges. Dr. Grace has been awarded four US patents in innovative bridge design and for advanced composite materials such as ductile hybrid fabric. Dr. Grace has published over 150 papers in national and international journals and for conferences.

Dr. Grace has served as dean of LTU’s College of Engineering since 2012. He chaired what is now the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering 2002-2011. He received his master’s and Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Windsor, Ontario, and his bachelor’s degree from Cairo University.

» Patents

Composite Armor with Cellular Structure – Patent No. US 7,703,375 B1

New Box Beam Bridge System – Patent No. US 7,296,317 B2

Ductile Hybrid Structural Fabric – Patent No. US 6,790,518 B2

Continuous CFRP Decked Bulb T Beam Bridges for Accelerated Bridge Construction – Patent No. US 9,309,634 B2

» Research Grants

Source Amount
Michigan Department of Transportation, State-Wide Monitoring for CFRP Prestressed Concrete Bridges (2014-2020) $395,540
Tank Automotive Research Development Engineering Center (TARDEC) US—Army, Composites Armor (2013 – 2015) $260,000
Michigan Department of Transportation, Design Guidelines for CFRP Prestressed Concrete Bridges (2013-2017) $341,814
National Science Foundation (2013 -2014) $53,000
Michigan Department of Transportation, Durability Evaluation for CFRP Prestressed Concrete Bridges (2013-2017) $345,000
Michigan Department of Transportation-Pool Fund (2011-2014) $349,000
US Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) (2010-2013) $1,480,000
National Science Foundation (2010-2014) $260,000
National Science Foundation (2010-2011) $50,000
National Science Foundation (2010-2011) $49,900
US Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center TARDEC (2009-2011) $730,000
US Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center TARDEC (2008-2011) $850,530
Michigan Economic Development Corporation (2006-2011) $900,000
US-Department of Transportation (2006-2012) $1,100,000
Michigan Department of Transportation (2006-2008) $168,000
US-Army Research Laboratory-ARL Agreement (2005-2010) $11,196,300
National Science Foundation (2005-2007) $99,500
Mitsui/Tokyo Rope Manufacturer, Inc., Japan (2007-2011) $200,000
National Science Foundation (2004-2008) $315,000
Mitsui/Tokyo Rope Manufacturer, Inc., Japan (2004-2007) $150,000
Michigan Department of Transportation (2002-2004) $310,918
National Science Foundation (2000-2004) $210,650
Diversified Composites, Inc. (2002-2003) $33,000
Glasforms, Inc., and Grafil Co., CA. (2000-02) $22,000
Ohio Department of Transportation (2000-2003) $223,158
National Science Foundation (1999-2004) $203,415
Grant for the Design and Construction of the First CFRP-Prestressed Concrete Bridge in the US-City of Southfield, MI Transportation Bill “TEA-21”, (1998) $3,150,000
National Science Foundation (1999-2003) $152,000
US-FHWA, Grant for Instrumentation and Monitoring
“City of Southfield Bridge”-(1999-2005) $700,000
National Science Foundation (1997-2000) $221,691
Ohio Department of Transportation (1999-2002) $326,089
DaimlerChrysler Challenge Fund (1999-2001) $200,000
Visteon (1999-2001) $50,000
Chrysler Corporation, Detroit, MI (1997-99) $200,000
American Concrete Institute (ACI-CRC) (1999-2001) $20,000
American Concrete Institute-ACI (CRC) (1997-99) $18,000
City of Southfield, Michigan (1996-99) $92,000
Great Lakes Steel Fabricators (1996) $25,000
Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Japan (1996) ¥1,500,000
National Science Foundation (1994-1997) $216,250
National Science Foundation (1991-1994) $125,920
National Science Foundation (1989-1991) $103,444
Holnam Inc., Michigan (1999) $18,000
Sika Corporation (1998-1999) $67,000

» Awards

 

Leader and Innovator 2009

From Lawrence Technological University

Emerging Leader of the Year Finalist 2008

From Lawrence Technological University

University Distinguished Professor

From the Lawrence Technological University Board of Trustees

Harry D Edwards Industry Advancement Award Co-Winner for the Bridge Street Bridge

Engineering Surveying Excellence Award 2002

Eminent Conceptor Award for Engineering

From The American Consulting Engineers Council (ACEC) of Michigan, and the Michigan Society of Professional Engineers

Michigan Leading Edge Technologies Award 1997
CERF Charles Pankow Award for Innovation 1997

» Research

» Document Viewer

Use Your Cell Phone as a Document Camera in Zoom

  • What you will need to have and do
  • Download the mobile Zoom app (either App Store or Google Play)
  • Have your phone plugged in
  • Set up video stand phone holder

From Computer

Log in and start your Zoom session with participants

From Phone

  • Start the Zoom session on your phone app (suggest setting your phone to “Do not disturb” since your phone screen will be seen in Zoom)
  • Type in the Meeting ID and Join
  • Do not use phone audio option to avoid feedback
  • Select “share content” and “screen” to share your cell phone’s screen in your Zoom session
  • Select “start broadcast” from Zoom app. The home screen of your cell phone is now being shared with your participants.

To use your cell phone as a makeshift document camera

  • Open (swipe to switch apps) and select the camera app on your phone
  • Start in photo mode and aim the camera at whatever materials you would like to share
  • This is where you will have to position what you want to share to get the best view – but you will see ‘how you are doing’ in the main Zoom session.