Bangladesh Research
Sand and gravel stand as fundamental building blocks of modern development, serving as essential raw materials that drive economic progress in emerging economies. Their versatility spans multiple critical applications - sand, particularly the coarse variety found in rivers rather than the smoother desert variant, proves indispensable for concrete production and glass manufacturing, while also playing a vital role in sophisticated semiconductor fabrication.
Gravel complements these functions by providing crucial material for both concrete and asphalt production. Beyond their industrial applications, these materials serve broader development goals, functioning as essential fill materials for wetland reclamation and artificial embankment construction, thereby enabling territorial expansion and infrastructure development in rapidly growing regions.
Bangladesh is a nation with over 700 rivers. Starting in May of 2022 I helped Professor James L. Best and PhD. student Saadi Chyon in investigating Sand/Gravel Mining in Bangladesh. Preliminary work was researching locations of interest within the Sylhet District of Bangladesh and compiling existing literature on the subject.
I was awarded the Roepke Scholarship to accompany the duo for field research on the subject. After returning I sought to estimate the volume of Sand and Gravel mined. I wrote my senior thesis on the topic for which I was granted the James D. Fellmann award.
Posters and Thesis: