Feb 13, 2021Kevin White is now Kevin White Ph.D.

After a long journey, in December of 2020 Kevin White of our Columbus, Ohio office was awarded his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Ohio University. Obtaining the degree took nearly 10 years as Kevin continued to work full-time for E.L. Robinson while studying when time would permit.

Kevin successfully defended his dissertation on the topic of “Re-rounding of Deflected Thermoplastic Pipes,” in October of 2020. His dissertation can be summarized as a field and laboratory investigation of the suitability of pipe re-rounding as a remediation technique for over-deflected thermoplastic pipes. Three test pipes were installed in a controlled outdoor facility and instrumented. The pipes were purposefully installed using very poor construction techniques to incite excessive vertical deformation. The pipes were then re-rounded. The instrumentation readings were utilized to understand the stress-state in the pipe-soil system before and after re-rounding, and to assess the impacts of re-rounding on the pipe and the surrounding soil.

Kevin is grateful for the kind support of E.L. Robinson through their education support program, as well as their flexibility in allowing Kevin to attend classes.

In his free-time, which has drastically increased since the completion of his dissertation, Kevin is an avid bicyclist and enjoys traveling with his wife Michele.