Prof. Merguerian (right) accepting the Golden Apple from Robert Talby at the end of the lecture

Prof. Merguerian is a faculty member at the Geology Department of Hofstra University and Duke Geological Laboratory. He delivered a lecture titled "Geological Constraints on TBM Penetration on Hard Rock Tunneling, NYC"

In his lecture Prof. Merguerian  described the geological features that constrain TBM penetration in hard rock crystalline terrains as found in New York City. He presented case histories from several recent projects in the city, such as the Queens Tunnel, East Side Access, Manhattan Tunnel, and Con Edison Steam Tunnel.  He explained how the combined effects of lithology, metamorphism, and geological structure control efficient tunneling.

Photo by Gianni Chieruzzi, Summary by Anirban De