LTU ALERT:

Due to the expected snowstorm, campus will be closing at 3:00pm on Wednesday 02/12/25.  Students should log into Canvas for specific class information from their instructors. Please contact event organizers for information on specific activities.

Lt. Gov. Gilchrist calls LTU research center ‘incredible’ after visit

September 14, 2021

SOUTHFIELD—Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II got a first-hand look at the latest advanced technologies in bridge construction Friday during a visit to the Nabil F. Grace Center for Innovative Materials Research (CIMR) at Lawrence Technological University.

The visit focused on LTU’s research into using carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) strands in concrete highway bridges instead of steel bars—research conducted for more than 20 years by Nabil Grace, dean of the LTU College of Engineering, in partnership with the Michigan Department of Transportation, other state DOTs, and the federal government.

The research has shown that the CFRP material is stronger than steel and doesn’t rust. It’s more expensive than steel initially, but LTU and state officials say it can result in bridges that last 100 years with minimal maintenance, saving money in the long run. MDOT has built more than a dozen of the bridges across Michigan as test projects, and the research at LTU has resulted in national standards for using the material in bridge construction.

Also present for the visit was Matt Chynoweth, chief bridge engineer for the MDOT and director of its Bureau of Bridges and Structures. He told Gilchrist of the CFRP bridges: “The infrastructure that we build right now, the next generation will benefit.” Chynoweth also noted that the bridges’ longer lifespans is a safety benefit: “The fewer work zones we have, the more safety we have.”

Gilchrist, an engineer himself—he earned a computer engineering degree from the University of Michigan College of Engineering in 1995—also spoke with LTU undergraduate students involved in the research. “It’s incredible,” Gilchrist said of the CIMR and its work. “It’s an illustration of not only the expertise that exists in Michigan, but the willingness for us to push boundaries. This is about meeting the infrastructure needs of today and tomorrow. And it’s inspiring to see this research being driven by undergraduate students—it’s an example of what Michigan has to offer the world.”

LTU’s CIMR features several environmental chambers to test the limits of materials, including: a fire-testing chamber 22 feet long, 10 feet high and eight feet wide capable of heating materials up to 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit; a 3,600-cubic-foot environmental test chamber capable of temperatures of -90F to 180F that simulates rain, sun, freezing rain, and humidity; and devices that push, pull, twist, and strain materials to determine their breaking point. More at www.ltu.edu/cimr/.

Lawrence Technological University, www.ltu.edu, is a private university founded in 1932 that offers more than 100 programs through the doctoral level in its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, and Engineering. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 11 percent of universities for the salaries of its graduates, and U.S. News and World Report lists it in the top tier of best Midwestern universities. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 107-acre campus include more than 100 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.

» 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.