The UNLV Engineering Geophysics Laboratory was approved by the Board of Regents of the University and Community College System of Nevada at a recent meeting.

The mission of the laboratory is to promote research and teaching of geophysics -- the study of the Earth using the laws of physics -- for engineering applications. Geotechnical site characterization for the arid environment and geotechnical earthquake engineering applications will be emphasized.

UNLV students, both graduate and undergraduate, will be involved in the research efforts. Laboratory faculty and staff also will be involved in community outreach, including efforts to interest school children, particularly girls and members of underrepresented groups, in science and engineering.

The laboratory, which is located in the Thomas T. Beam Engineering Complex, is affiliated with the department of civil and environmental engineering in the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering.

For more information on the Engineering Geophysics Laboratory (EGL), including the research being done there, call Barbara Luke, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of the laboratory, at 895-1568.