Balasingam Muhunthan, professor of civil and environmental engineering, has been named a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
The fellow designation is one of the most esteemed honors that civil engineers can receive from their peers; fewer than six percent of ASCE members holding the title.
A professor at WSU since 1991, Muhunthan was recognized for his research in geomechanics and geotechnical engineering. His research interests include work in soil mechanics, instabilities in geomaterials, thermomechanics, microstructure characterization, and micromechanics of geomaterials.
Working with geotechnical engineer V.S. Pillai, Muhunthan uncovered the longstanding mystery of the 1976 Teton dam failure, which resulted in 11 deaths in southern Idaho. The researchers determined that the highly compacted soils of the earthen dam had resulted in vertical internal cracks in the upper portion of the dam, which led to its failure.
Muhunthan has received numerous awards, including several departmental teaching awards as well as the outstanding teaching award for the College of Engineering and Architecture. He was a recipient of the Crampton Prize from the Institution of Civil Engineers, UK in 2004.
He holds a Ph.D. in civil engineering from Purdue University and a bachelor’s degree with first class honors from University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.