Senior Earns Falvey Scholars Award for Civil Engineering Research

Nathaniel Gallishaw ’18 CE

Falvey Scholars Award recipients are chosen annually by Villanova’s Falvey Library, working in conjunction with an advisory group of faculty and administrators from the University, to recognize high achievement in undergraduate scholarship and research by members of the graduating senior class. An awardee is selected from each of Villanova’s undergraduate colleges. The 2018 recipient from the College of Engineering is Nathaniel Gallishaw ’18 CE.

Advised by Civil and Environmental Engineering faculty Drs. Leslie McCarthy, Jonathan Hubler and Kristin Sample-Lord, Nathaniel received this prestigious award for his research titled "Investigation of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement Properties for Sustainable Infrastructure." Using samples provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Nathaniel tested viable uses for reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), which is discarded whenever a road is broken up and repaved. Considering the abundance of the material, its makes financial sense to find ways to reuse RAP. “This project explored its potential use in railroad subballast, pipe bedding and backfill, and retaining wall backfill,” Nathaniel explains.

Dr. McCarthy, who also nominated Nathaniel for the award, had high praises for his work, saying, “This preliminary research conducted by Nate and his colleagues has generated significant interest from consulting companies, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and Villanova’s Facilities Department. Dr. Hubler and I will be using his research in a proposal for the National Railroad Construction 2018 Educational Grant and as part of other research proposals we are developing.” Nathaniel is also hoping to further his research by developing an on-campus testing site for various uses of RAP.

In mid-April, Nathaniel and his colleagues presented this work at the New Jersey TransAction Conference, and later in the month he and the other Falvey Scholars shared their research with the Villanova University community during an event at the Falvey Library.