People
Lori Tunstall, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Professor Tunstall enjoys research related to concrete durability and sustainability, and advancements in construction materials. She values diversity and is committed to a group culture that is built on mutual respect and inclusion. In her free time, Prof. Tunstall enjoys spending time with her family, playing the violin, and painting. Since coming to Colorado, Prof. Tunstall has taken up cycling, so cheer her on if you see her laboring uphill!
Ph.D. Candidates
Julia Hylton
Rad Shuvro
Rad is studying the air void shell microstructure and permeability measurements in concrete. He loves music. Back in college, he was the vocalist of a heavy metal group.
Cara Fragomeni
Cara is a Ph.D. student in the civil and environmental engineering department here at Mines, and her work focuses on creating sustainable building materials through geopolymerization of mine tailings. Geopolymers have shown great promise as a replacement for ordinary Portland cement concrete, but have a much lower energy input. She is specifically studying the microstructure and durability of the geopolymers using various materials science techniques, such as nitrogen adsorption, thermogravimetric analysis, helium pycnometry, and more. In her time outside the lab, she likes to enjoy Colorado’s beautiful scenery, whether by rock climbing, hiking, or just reading a book on her balcony!
Undergraduate researchers
Mikayla Oligney
Idaly Diaz Garcia
Idaly will be a sophomore for the Fall 2021 term studying civil engineering. The research she focused on was studying the compressive and flexural strength of concrete with different amounts of biochar. When she’s not studying or in the lab, she enjoy painting, hiking, and playing her violin!