Student spotlight: Rabindra Chaulagai

Rabindra Chaulagai completed his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Kathmandu University, Nepal, in 2013. He joined the graduate program of geotechnical engineering at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) in 2015 and is expected to graduate in Fall 2017. He plans to seek a geotechnical engineering position with a private company after graduation.Rabindra has focused his research on pavement construction, subsidence analysis of underground mines, and ground improvement techniques. He is especially interested in determining the factors influencing the low performance of unbound aggregate layers in pavement and providing adequate solutions.

Learning about the response of unbound aggregate layers on cyclic loading, permeable pavement design, and recycled aggregates is a research priority for Rabindra.

During his graduate studies, Rabindra served on the research team of ICT/IDOT project “Plasticity Requirements of the Aggregates as Subbase, Base, Surface, and Shoulder Courses” where he led a group of graduate and undergraduate students tasked with conducting laboratory investigations for the project. He was also responsible for preparing progress reports and presentations to the Illinois Department of Transportation, in addition to publishing journal and conference papers about the research findings.

“Being part of this research team helped me become proficient in performing laboratory tests such as the California Bearing Ratio test and Triaxial test. I also learned about existing construction practices of unbound aggregate layers in different states, associated problems, and the importance of research to account for such real-world problems,” says Rabindra. “I had an amazing experience leading and working with a team of researchers from different parts of the world.”

In his free time, Rabindra enjoys outdoor activities such as playing basketball, tennis, and soccer. He also likes to travel to new destinations.