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The University of Maine civil engineering hydraulics lab received a $100,000 donation. Kleinschmidt Associates, a local energy and water resource consulting firm based in Pittsfield, gave an endowment that will allow the lab in Boardman Hall to use the interest earned each year for upkeep. The lab will be renamed The Kleinschmidt Hydraulics Laboratory.

Civil engineering majors are required to take a course in hydraulics. The lab houses equipment that allows students to apply what they learn from books and lectures.

“It’s a very practical application of theoretical coursework,” Kleinschmidt President Jack Palmer said.

“The primary goal of the laboratory is hands-on experience,” said Professor Eric Landis, chair of the civil and environmental engineering department.

Huge machines such as the “flume” and other smaller hydraulic workstations need periodic repairs and upgrades to keep up with the newest technology. The endowment will fund this upkeep.

Palmer noted that the future could see a lack of engineers because of retiring professionals and fewer engineers graduating from universities. There will be a demand for engineers in the next 10 to 15 years, he said.

In spite of a gloomy economy and a fear of job losses, Landis doubts engineering majors will have a hard time.

“There is a very high need in this country for technical folks,” he said. He hopes the upkeep of the lab will help draw aspiring engineers into the program.

Landis hopes the lab will appeal to visiting students, from kindergarten through high school. He is aware of the demand for engineers as well.

“All of our students are getting jobs,” he noted.

Kleinschmidt, which started in 1966, now boasts eight offices throughout the United States. They have been involved in projects such as hydroelectric facilities, environmental studies, design service, dams and fish passages. They hope to bring their charitable donations to other universities. “We hope to expand it to two or three regional offices,” Kleinschmidt Manager of Hydro-Engineering Peter Bastien said.

Landis noted that university departments are beginning to rely on funds like this in a time where government funding for schools is dropping.

UMaine graduates, with a diversity of degrees, make up 25 percent of the 120 employees at the Pittsfield office.

“We are interested in working with the university as a whole, not just engineering,” Bastien said.

Bastien is a UMaine graduate with degrees in civil engineering and plant and soil sciences.

The hydraulics lab will be dedicated on Thursday at 2 p.m. in 309 Boardman Hall. The Kleinschmidt Hydraulics Laboratory will be the fourth named lab on campus.

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• UMaine sustainability initiative recieves $20 million (October 1, 2009)
• Job fair attracts engineering students (October 24, 2005)
• UMaine teams excel in engineering competition (December 14, 2006)

This entry was posted on Monday, March 24th, 2008, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.