ADSC’s goals for industry improvement include investment in education and research; thus, in 1986, the Industry Advancement Fund (IAF) was formed, a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the industry through sponsored research, educational assistance, and educational programs.
Through our members’ generous financial support of the Industry Advancement Fund (IAF), the ADSC has been involved with important research and development endeavors. This support has come in the form of both financial contributions and contributions-in-kind. To date, funding provided has been in excess of $3 million. This has been augmented by an additional $5 million of in-kind donations. Representative examples of IAF-funded research are as follows:
- Base Grouting of Drilled Shafts
- Buckling of Micropiles
- Hollow Bar Soil Nail Pull-Out and Corrosion Protection
- Testing of Grouted Wedges for Strand Anchors
- Full-Scale Load Testing of Drilled Shafts
Research Proposal Application Guidelines are available upon request
IAF Civil Engineering Scholarships
The IAF, through the ADSC, annually presents 17 scholarships to graduate students studying in fields related to our deep foundation and earth retention technologies. Increased interest in the effort has allowed the number of scholarships presented to grow from four in 1988 to the current annual level. Over the past thirty-seven years, through the contributions made to the IAF, well over 500 Civil Engineering Graduate study scholarships have been awarded. These scholarships are intended to stimulate the involvement of highly qualified engineers in the industry represented by the ADSC.
