News

Poster 49 – Integrating Geothermal Energy, Carbon Storage, and Critical-Mineral Recovery: A Multi-Benefit Subsurface Platform
Nur Sazzad Hossain Chy, Bijay Nepal, Nitin Tiwari

The poster reviewed how enhanced geothermal systems, geological CO₂ storage and critical-mineral recovery can share the same reservoir, wells and surface plant. A systematic review of 1,008 records found that only 1% of studies integrate all three. The poster covered supercritical CO₂ as the heat-carrying fluid, lithium and rare-earth recovery from geothermal brines, and the economics of shared infrastructure, with basalt identified as the most promising host rock.

Poster 20 – Freeze–Thaw Damage in Granular Geomaterials: Integrating Pore-Scale Thermodynamics with Contact-Network Degradation
Bijay Nepal, Suvechha Dhakal, Nitin Tiwari

The poster presented a multiscale model that links ice formation in the pores to bond breakage and loss of grain contacts, and then to continuum damage. Validated against laboratory data for two sandstones, the model shows that losing 14–25% of grain contacts destabilises the skeleton and that no damage forms below a critical saturation.

Both studies are published: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (geothermal energy, carbon storage and critical minerals) and Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (freeze–thaw damage).

It has already been a remarkable year for Bijay, with the 2026 DFI Educational Trust Scholarship and the ASCE St. Louis Geotechnology Scholarship in the first year of the M.S. program.

Happy birthday, Bijay, from the whole Geo-CARE Lab family. Wishing you joy, good health and great research in the year ahead!

Bijay received the award at the ASCE St. Louis Section Annual Dinner on September 26, 2026, at Maggiano's Little Italy in St. Louis. This year the committee recognized three graduate students from universities across the region: Aarón Pérez Araya of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (first place), Anish Gautam of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (second place), and Bijay Nepal of SIU Carbondale (third place).

In its award letter, the scholarship committee highlighted Bijay's academic record, his extensive involvement in professional and student organizations, his letters of recommendation, and his exceptional interest in geotechnical engineering. The scholarship is made possible by the family of Mike Alizadeh and Geotechnology, Inc., and supports students pursuing a master's degree in civil or geotechnical engineering at a Midwestern university.

In the Geo-CARE Lab, Bijay studies freeze–thaw damage in geomaterials, pairing laboratory characterization with numerical modeling to understand how repeated freezing cycles degrade the strength and stiffness of soils that support civil infrastructure. This is his second scholarship of 2026, following the DFI Educational Trust At-Large Scholarship announced in August.

Congratulations, Bijay! The Geo-CARE Lab thanks the ASCE St. Louis Section, its Geo-Institute Chapter, the scholarship committee, and the Alizadeh family for their continued support of geotechnical engineering students in the region.

The General Scholarship Fund is supported by donations and fundraisers organized by members of the Deep Foundations Institute, an international association of contractors, engineers, academics, and suppliers advancing the deep foundations industry.

Bijay’s research in the Geo-CARE Lab examines freeze-thaw damage mechanisms in geomaterials, pairing laboratory characterization with numerical modeling to understand how repeated freezing cycles degrade the strength and stiffness of soils supporting civil infrastructure. He has authored several manuscripts on the topic and serves as a teaching assistant in the School of Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering.

The award also includes a complimentary DFI student membership for the duration of his studies, connecting him with the professional community that shapes practice in deep foundations engineering.

This is the second consecutive year a Geo-CARE Lab student has received the DFI At-Large Scholarship. Please join us in congratulating Bijay on this well-deserved achievement.

The project bridges waste management and civil engineering by 3D-printing low-carbon erosion barriers for the SIU Sustainable Farm. Beyond the barriers themselves, the farm will serve as a living laboratory where our students can research the future of sustainable construction.

The project is led by Dr. Nitin Tiwari as principal investigator. We are excited to work alongside our fellow Salukis to build a cleaner, greener tomorrow.

Her thesis, “Mix Design, Printability, and Structural Buildability of Bio-Polymer and Fiber Modified Earthen Composites for Extrusion-Based 3D Printing in Construction,” is a substantial contribution to automated and sustainable construction. The work explores how locally sourced soil materials can be engineered for extrusion-based 3D printing, with implications that stretch from terrestrial construction to lunar applications. The committee was impressed by the depth of her research.

Suvechha joined the Geo-CARE Lab in August 2024 under Dr. Tiwari’s supervision. In two years she has accomplished what many take far longer to achieve:

Recipient of the 2025 At-Large Scholarship from the Deep Foundations Institute

Lead author on a manuscript under review at Scientific Reports

Co-author on three further manuscripts under review in peer-reviewed journals

Presented her research at GeoCongress 2026, Geo-Institute of ASCE, in Salt Lake City, Utah

Suvechha is a talented researcher and a wonderful person. We are proud of everything she has accomplished and of the mark she has already made on the field.

M.S. student Suvechha Dhakal, E.I.T. presented her research, “Printability and Structural Integrity of Fiber-Reinforced Earth-Based Materials for 3D Printing,” which examines how fiber reinforcement affects the printability and strength of 3D-printed soil-based construction materials.

Congratulations to Suvechha on representing the lab and showcasing the ongoing work in sustainable construction materials at the School of Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering, SIU Carbondale.

His session, titled “Geotechnical Innovation for Sustainability: Resilient Infrastructure in a Changing Climate,” set the tone for the program. Dr. Tiwari emphasized integrating sustainability principles from the earliest stages of infrastructure planning, and showed how incremental, collective efforts contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Approximately 70 participants attended and engaged in the discussion.

The students learned how locally available soil can be used to 3D print housing structures capable of withstanding low temperatures, a concept that connects directly to the 3D-printed lunar habitats envisioned under Project Olympus, targeted for realization by 2040.

M.S. student Suvechha Dhakal led the demonstration, guiding visitors through the process and making the experience both educational and engaging. Thanks go to Subin Rimal, Mukul Bhattarai, Bijay Nepal, and Nur Sazzad Hossain for coordinating the workshop.

The Geo-CARE Lab remains committed to inspiring young minds and promoting engineering and innovation for a sustainable future.

Greg’s presentation showcased real-world projects, helping students bridge classroom theory and field application. It was rewarding to watch them recognize how concepts developed across the semester translate into engineering practice.

Our thanks to Greg for his generosity and for an inspiring message to the next generation of civil engineers at SIU Carbondale.

Suvechha earned this honor through the DFI Educational Trust General Scholarship Fund, which is supported by donations and fundraisers from DFI members committed to advancing the deep foundations industry.

The recognition reflects Suvechha’s dedication, academic record, and commitment to geotechnical engineering research. Please join us in congratulating her.

The gathering offered a break from a busy semester and celebrated the work everyone had put into the course. Events like these matter for the connection and collaboration they build within the school.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Geo-CARE Lab.

To mark the occasion we held a welcome dinner on Terzaghi’s birthday, the father of soil mechanics, and used the evening to build the team’s first connections.

Together we are committed to advancing research in sustainable and resilient infrastructure, and to the challenges posed by a changing climate.