The United States' largest dredging contractor Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation announced it has signed an agreement with the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University to provide funding and technical support for what will become the Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Laboratory of Dredging and Coastal Studies.
Lasse Petterson from Great Lakes commented, “Our company has had a long and robust relationship with Texas A&M that has included research, participation in dredging short courses, and advocacy for the ocean and coastal engineering profession. This agreement will allow us to formalize and build on that relationship. I noted two years ago that the proximity to Texas A&M at both the College Station and Galveston campuses was an important consideration in our decision to move our corporate headquarters to Houston.”
Dr. Hurtado from Texas A&M noted, “We have always enjoyed Great Lakes’ ongoing engagement with the College of Engineering and are excited to see our dredging and coastal studies program attract this attention and investment. The Department of Ocean Engineering is an important part of our future as we support not only dredging and coastal challenges but also important natural infrastructure opportunities. Great Lakes has always been a major employer of our Texas A&M engineers and we are thankful for their continued support and look forward to growing our relationship.”
Dr. Sharath Girimaji, Ocean Engineering Department Head at Texas A&M, added, “The Ocean Engineering Department is very pleased to partner with Great Lakes in seeking novel solutions for a variety of coastal issues including dredging, offshore wind and marshland/wetland resiliency. Together Great Lakes and Texas A&M can elevate the ocean and coastal engineering professions to new heights.”
Attending the ceremony from Great Lakes was Lasse Petterson, Chris Gunsten, Dave Johanson, Dane Nelson, and Bill Hanson. The Texas A&M College of Engineering was represented by Dr. John Hurtado, Sharath Girimaji, Meredith Brown, Professors of Practice, David Ford and Autumn Leveridge and Dr. Bob Randall, long time ocean engineering professor and mentor to many generations of Texas A&M ocean engineers.