Civil Engineering Labs

Gonzaga's Civil Engineering instructional labs support courses in the B.S. Civil Engineering degree program, including courses in each subdiscipline.

Even more projects take place in the Spokane community, as civil engineers use the city and surrounding natural areas as their labs. As the major hub for the Inland Northwest, Spokane has many opportunities for students to explore real-world engineering projects in their own backyard.  

Students work in The Bollier Center's Structures Lab.

Structures & Construction Materials Lab

Students interact with real-world and real-scale materials in the two-story lab complete with strong wall and floor for large-scale testing. During their coursework, students test and study concrete, masonry, steel, wood and glass. Material testing systems include:
  • Two small-scale MTS machines test strength, stability, and compaction in multiple materials, including soils, and rigging systems.
  • Five Enerpac test frames measure material strength and durability.
  • A GASP measures stress in glass.
  • Concrete mixers, drying ovens and test sieves.
Students work in The Bollier Center's Environmental Engineering Lab.

Environmental Engineering Lab

In this dynamic learning space, students get hands-on experience with:

  • Simulating water treatment plants from the water source to the faucet
  • Testing the efficiency of treatment technologies to remove contaminants from emerging environmental disasters such as wildfires
  • Practicing environmental sampling and field tests in the Spokane River
  • Implementing practical environmental monitoring techniques including total organic carbon (TOC) analysis and biological oxygen demand (BOD)

More about the lab's research under Dr. Shimabuku

surveying

Geomatics Lab

Students use this lab and its equipment to understand the principles of surveying data collection, analysis, and application. Surveying data is applied to engineering design using GIS and 3D models. Equipment in the lab includes automatic levels, total stations, and a GPS RTK unit.
soils lab

Soil Mechanics Lab

Students study the properties and behavior of soils (sand, gravel, silt and clay) under various environmental conditions. The study includes weight-volume relations, soil classifications, soil compaction, seepage through porous media, consolidation, shear strength, lateral pressures and slope stability. Laboratory and field methods for evaluation of pertinent properties that are used in analysis and design of structures and foundations are discussed.
virtual reality headsets for students on stationary bicycles

Transportation Lab

The transportation lab allows students the ability to work with a traffic signal controller and small-scale four-leg signalized intersection.  Bicycle simulators provide students the ability to experience different bicycle facility designs from around the world. Portable sensors and cameras stored in the labs are used in many classes, senior design project, and undergraduate research to collect real-world traffic data to analyze and evaluate operations.
flume

Water Resources Lab

This lab provides students an opportunity to study hydrologic features such as precipitation, infiltration and runoff in the lab, in addition to using local watersheds. Hydraulic behaviors are investigated using pumps, flow of water in pipes, flumes, natural open channels, and common engineered structures.