Dr. Joseph Scalia also be joins our faculty this fall. Dr. Scalia specializes in geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering, with a focus on environmental containment systems and the development of innovative barrier systems to protect human health and the environment. These barriers include systems intended to minimize risk resulting from municipal, mining, energy-production, and hazardous wastes. Dr. Scalia has performed research on the use of bentonite clay in hydraulic barriers, development of novel bentonite-polymer barrier materials for containment of extreme wastes, performance of final cover systems, and the hydraulic and unsaturated properties of soils. Dr. Scalia earned his B.S. in civil and environmental engineering from Bucknell University in 2007, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in geological engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2009 and 2012. Prior to joining CSU, he was a Senior Associate at Exponent in the Environmental and Earth Sciences Practice in Bellevue, Washington, and Natick, Massachusetts. At Exponent, Dr. Scalia specialized in the evaluation of the extent, transport, and fate of contamination in saturated and unsaturated soils.