By Zeerak Paydawy

At NTH, our clients depend on us to help them with material selection and quality control. As such, the NTH laboratory, with highly experienced staff members in over 9000 square feet of controllable environment with upscale equipment, it provides a full range of construction materials testing services. 

The NTH laboratory has a comprehensive Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) and quality control software package. It has been specifically designed for use in the construction materials (concrete, asphalt, aggregates, soils) testing industry as well as the geotechnical testing industry. The NTH Laboratory provides a sophisticated, electronic data management system and replaces both legacy systems and paper-based or rudimentary spreadsheet based recording.

Services provided by the NTH Laboratory:

• Concrete Testing: Our laboratories perform over 15 standard concrete tests, testing various concrete mix designs to meet requirements for strength. We offer both standard and specialized tests of concrete,   grouts, concrete masonry and clay masonry. Our cure room holds more than 1000 samples with high controllable environment.  We meet the requirements set forth in both ASTM C1077 “Standard Practice for Agencies Testing Concrete and Concrete Aggregates for Use in Construction and Criteria for Testing Agency Evaluation” and ASTM E329 “Standard Specification for Agencies Engaged in Construction Inspection, Testing, or Special Inspection”.
• Soil testing: The NTH laboratory provides soil testing services for all types of earthwork applications. Our laboratories perform over 19 standard soil tests according to the appropriate American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). Our capabilities range from basic index tests to sophisticated strength and compressibility tests. Our automated testing equipment and experienced staff allows us to provide rapid, high quality and professional test results. We meet the requirements set forth in ASTM D3740 “Standard Practice for Agencies Testing soil for Use in Construction and Criteria for Testing Agency Evaluation” 
• Aggregates and Asphalt Testing: NTH laboratory performs a wide range of the testing on aggregates and asphalt. Our laboratories perform over 10 standard aggregate tests and 7 standard asphalt tests according to the appropriate American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). We meet the requirements set forth in ASTM D3666 “Standard Practice for Agencies Testing asphalt for Use in Construction and Criteria for Testing Agency Evaluation.” 

NTH Lab Qualifications

• American Concrete Institute (ACI) certified
• Michigan certified aggregate technicians
• Michigan certified Bituminous QA/QC technicians
• NICET level II in geotechnical engineering technology 
• NICET level II in construction material testing for soil, concrete and asphalt

AASHTO Accreditations

• Quality Management System - accredited since 7/23/2007
• Asphalt Mixture - accredited since 7/23/2007
• Soil - accredited since 7/23/2007
• Aggregate - accredited since 7/23/2007
• Concrete - accredited since 8/15/2007

Known and respected for the dependability of our results, NTH laboratory regularly provides third-party or referee services to other labs, as well as litigation support.  If you are in need of Laboratory services, contact us (248) 553-6300 or email marketing@nthconsultants.com for more information. 

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In the past month we’ve seen a growing interest and excitement surrounding the engineering field. Not just in our own country, but across the globe initiatives, news, contests and more are showcasing the opportunities engineering can provide.

Last week for example was “Tomorrow's Engineers Week 2015” in the UK which is a week dedicated to inspiring the next generation of engineers. The goal for Tomorrow’s Engineers Week was to “shine a spotlight on engineering careers in a way that young people may have never before considered.” During this week, the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) joined with a female civil engineer, Joanna Anderson, (a.k.a. “the singing engineer”) to create a song which she hopes will inspire the next generation of engineers and change perceptions about engineering.  Watch for more about Joanna in a future blog post.

We are seeing some great initiatives in the U.S. as well, including the announcement from American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and MacGillivray Freeman Films about their upcoming film, “Dream Big: Engineering Wonders of the World.” They tout this as the first film to focus specifically on STEM and to celebrate “the engineers who are pushing the limits of ingenuity and innovation in unexpected, amazing and forward-thinking way.” Along with the film, ASCE has launched a contest, Civil Engineers Dream Big, which aims to encourage engineers to share how civil engineering helped them achieve their dreams.

NTH is also contributing to the recent engineering fervor by hosting a free webinar, ‘Real Life Engineering.’ As with many professional occupations, our continued development as engineers results from years of experience and practical application. Therefore, in this upcoming webinar, attendees will learn from five engineers with various backgrounds and perspectives on topics that only real life can teach us. You can register for this webinar to hear true stories and valuable lessons learned from engineering experts from prominent companies such as DTE Energy, Department of Environmental Quality, NRCS West National Technology Support Center and more.

Also, don't forget to submit a nomination for yourself, a co-worker or a student in the ASCE’s New Faces of Civil Engineering recognition program  that highlights the next generation of civil engineering leaders. Ten honorees are selected by ASCE in each of two divisions: Collegiate and Professional. One honoree per division will be selected as the "New Face of Civil Engineering" by DiscoverE.

In recent months, the news and social media have focused a great deal on women in STEM related fields. One such movement is the #ILookLikeAnEngineer hashtag on Twitter and Facebook, celebrating women who are sharing their accomplishments in the field of science and technology. NTH employs many female engineers so in the spirit of sharing, we have created this “Women in Engineering” series to highlight some of the talented women who work at NTH.

Our fourth Q & A in the series is with one of our project engineers, Mary Siegan. She has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from University of Michigan.
 
What was your favorite subject(s) high school?
Math and science
 
When did you know you were interested in engineering?
When I was young my favorite toys were legos, Lincoln logs, and tinker toys.  I was lucky enough to have an older brother who had outgrown these toys.  I was also known to dig large excavations in my mom’s flower gardens with my brothers old toy tractors!
 
What was it that peaked your interest?
I always enjoyed learning how things work.
 
Did you have any mentors?
While I didn’t know any Civil Engineers, I had an uncle who was an electrical engineer and my brother was studying to be a mechanical engineer.
 
Who was your biggest influencer in your career choice?
I think that having my brother obtain an engineering degree before I ever started college allowed me to realize that engineering was an obtainable degree.
 
Did you face any resistance from family or friends about your career choice?
No, I come from a very supporting family.
 
Did you entertain any other career possibilities? If so, what and why didn’t you go that route?
Until I was a senior in high school I wanted to be a teacher.  I think I ultimately chose not to go into teaching because the job market in Michigan was bleak.
  
Where did you go to college? Why?
The University of Michigan.  I went to high school in Haslett and wanted to get out of the East Lansing area.  I also based my decision on the fact that the Fab 5 won the National Championship my senior year of high school.
 
What is it about civil engineering that caught your interest out of the other engineering fields?
I enjoyed the civil engineering classes better than the other general engineering classes at school. 
 
How/why did you choose NTH?
NTH has a reputation of being a great engineering company and I wanted to be a part of company where I would be involved in challenging projects where I could grow and learn as an engineer.
 
What do you do at NTH and what do you like most about your job?
My main focus at NTH is landfills but I also work on several energy projects and industrial sites doing various types of projects.  I enjoy finding solutions for clients and learning new things.
 
What is your favorite project you’ve worked on as an engineer?
My favorite project was a comprehensive stormwater project that we worked on at Cranbrook Educational Community. We performed streambank stabilization, developed a best management practices guide for stormwater controls, and designed concepts that the campus could use to reduce flooding.