OU Construction Science Assistant Professor Somik Ghosh and his colleague at Oklahoma State, Jonghoon Kim, were recently awarded a $25,000 Southern Plains Transportation Center/US Department of Transportation grant to support a study titled, “Measuring Benefits of Horizontal Directional Drilling compared to Open-Cut using a Real-Time Wireless Smart Sensor.” Ghosh summarizes the study:
Sprawling urbanization requires the installation of an expansive network of underground pipelines that transport the gas, water, wastewater, power, and communication. With the increasing population and their demand, the need to install new pipes and upkeep the existing infrastructure are of top priority. The process of installing/maintenance of these pipelines can be disruptive to the local traffic along with other undesirable impacts such as airborne emissions from the construction equipment used, safety of the workers, safety of the drivers, and low productivity. Engineers are faced with the options of using traditional open-cut procedure or utilizing trenchless technology method known as Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) that is environmentally sensitive, safe for the workers, less disruptive for the local traffic, and provides improved productivity. The objectives of the proposed project are to measure, analyze, and quantify the benefits of HDD over open-cut procedure.
Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture assistant professor Amy Leveno and Mark Leveno, co-founders of OFFICIAL Design, have received a 2026 AIA Central States Region Design Award for the firm’s Granger Annex Community Center project in Garland, Texas.
Construction Industry Speaker Series welcomed Stephen Evans from the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum to give a lecture on better conversations and relationship building.
The University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Hall of Fame recognizes a select number of high-character individuals who have made a significant and lasting positive impact on Gibbs College, its students, staff, faculty, alumni and/or to communities across the globe. The impact may have been, or continues to be, in the form of service and mentorship, sustained professional excellence, and/or advancement and financial support. Joseph Edgar Smay is part of the 2025 Hall of Fame class.
