 Atalay |
The American Society of Civil Engineers Geo-Institute has selected graduate student Fikret Atalay to represent the United States at an international conference next year.
Atalay, who’s entering his fourth year of Ph.D. studies, is one of only five people from the States chosen to attend the International Young Geotechnical Engineers Conference.
Atalay said he’s honored by his selection for the well-regarded event.
“It provides an excellent opportunity to share my research and my experiences with fellow young geotechnical engineers from all over the world,” Atalay said. “I completed my [civil engineering] master’s degree at [Tech] back in 2006, then worked in consulting engineering for about eight years before coming back for my Ph.D., and I feel that the combination of my academic and industry experience allows me to bring some unique perspectives into discussions concerning our field.”
Atalay works with David Frost to study energy foundations, which he said can exchange heat energy with the ground as well as provide structural support. He’s developing a laboratory model to test ideas about making that heat transfer more efficient.
The International Young Geotechnical Engineers Conference is scheduled for September 2017 in Seoul, South Korea. Much of Atalay’s cost to attend the conference will be covered.
“I am looking forward to meeting new people, making new connections, and the learning opportunities,” he said.