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 professor and Institute for Quality Communities Director Dr. Amber N. Wiley’s book, Model Schools in the Model City: Race, Planning, and Education in the Nation’s Capital, has received two major honors from the Urban History Association.
Research initiated by Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture alumna Naila Hasan during her master’s studies at the University of Oklahoma has continued through faculty collaboration and resulted in a peer-reviewed publication in HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal.
Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce Esther Thorp, Tyler Boydstun and Chukwuma Nwokoye as the winners of the 2026 Construction Innovation Translation Hub (CIThub) Student Ideas Competition.
