Professor takes knowledge of concrete overseas to Mongolia
Jessica Mullen
Issue date: 7/10/02 Section: News
An SIUE professor has helped bring Mongolia, a struggling democracy, into the 21st century as the country tries to modernize after 70 years of communist rule.
Luke Snell, a professor in the Engineering Department and the director of the department's Concrete Construction Resource Unit, spent 14 days in Mongolia teaching others about concrete.
Snell and his wife, Billie, traveled to Mongolia in May to help lead the first Mongolian concrete conference. They also served as goodwill ambassadors for concrete on their tour of the country.
"I spoke four times at the one-day conference. This was the first time I have ever spoken and had everything I said translated into another language," Snell said.
Snell spoke about recent innovations in concrete use, why concrete cracks and the importance of testing concrete quality.
Snell said he hoped his two weeks in Mongolia, a landlocked Asiatic country between Russia and the People's Republic of China, will help the country move forward.
"Mongolia is on the verge of a construction boom. Many people are moving into the cities to be closer to technology. There is a great need for housing, apartments, roads and sanitary structures. We are trying to provide knowledge and ways to improve structures to endure weather that produces temperatures as low as 40 below zero in the winter," Snell said.
Snell said the engineering part of Mongolian construction is just as good as any in the world. The problem lies in the lack of testing and inspections of the quality of materials used to make concrete.
"For example, you see the surfaces of fairly new structures peeling off and tiles on floors are coming loose," Snell said.
Snell and his wife also traveled to the cities of Ulan Bator, Darkhan and Erdenet to lecture at three branches of the Mongolian University of Science and Technology.
The couple also visited elementary schools. They brought a supply of "floating concrete" kits, which they developed themselves to teach children details about concrete.
Luke Snell, a professor in the Engineering Department and the director of the department's Concrete Construction Resource Unit, spent 14 days in Mongolia teaching others about concrete.
Snell and his wife, Billie, traveled to Mongolia in May to help lead the first Mongolian concrete conference. They also served as goodwill ambassadors for concrete on their tour of the country.
"I spoke four times at the one-day conference. This was the first time I have ever spoken and had everything I said translated into another language," Snell said.
Snell spoke about recent innovations in concrete use, why concrete cracks and the importance of testing concrete quality.
Snell said he hoped his two weeks in Mongolia, a landlocked Asiatic country between Russia and the People's Republic of China, will help the country move forward.
"Mongolia is on the verge of a construction boom. Many people are moving into the cities to be closer to technology. There is a great need for housing, apartments, roads and sanitary structures. We are trying to provide knowledge and ways to improve structures to endure weather that produces temperatures as low as 40 below zero in the winter," Snell said.
Snell said the engineering part of Mongolian construction is just as good as any in the world. The problem lies in the lack of testing and inspections of the quality of materials used to make concrete.
"For example, you see the surfaces of fairly new structures peeling off and tiles on floors are coming loose," Snell said.
Snell and his wife also traveled to the cities of Ulan Bator, Darkhan and Erdenet to lecture at three branches of the Mongolian University of Science and Technology.
The couple also visited elementary schools. They brought a supply of "floating concrete" kits, which they developed themselves to teach children details about concrete.
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