URI_Research_Magazine_2010-2011_Melissa-McCarthy

oceans are relatively stable. Still, when landslides, earthquakes and tsunamis do occur, the destruction they cause is so devastating, engineering standards have to take the potential risk into consideration, he said. These engineering standards set the stage for Baxter’s other area of research: With funding from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT), he studies soil, and in particular, silt, to determine its susceptibility to liquefaction due to construction vibrations and earthquakes. Liquefaction of silt can cause sudden loss of strength of the soil, and failure of foundations and excavations. There have been several cases of damage to buildings in Rhode Island due to this problem and the behavior is not widely understood. “Silt has unique properties that are unlike other types of soil and can be challenging to work with,” said Baxter. It is also not very common – except in downtown Providence, Cranston, Warwick and a few other coastal communities in Rhode Island. Clay, which is more common in Massachusetts, does not liquefy, but silt can, says Baxter, which is obviously a problem in Rhode Island if engineers are depending on that silt to support a highway or a bridge. Not as much is known about silt as it is about other soils, which is why he often works with the RIDOT on projects that have included the construction of the new Sakonnet River and Washington bridges. The nature of his research is often collaborative, and Baxter called it “fabulous” to work with experts in other disciplines. Unlike some other civil engineers with whom he went to school and nowwork on very traditional projects in inland states, Baxter said his work is more exciting because of URI’s proximity to the ocean and all the challenges that brings. Baxter received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Tufts University, his master’s from Purdue University, and his Ph.D. from Virginia Tech. He has been a professor at URI for 11 years. Currently he is serving as secretary for the American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE) Soil Properties Committee, treasurer of the Rhode Island section of ASCE, and is also on the Board of Directors for the U.S. Universities Council on Geotechnical Education and Research.

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Research & Innovation 2010-2011