Dean Deschenes: Bringing His Passion for Learning to the Lab


The reputation of the CAEE Structural Engineering program was a huge reason why Dean came to UT.

Graduate student Dean Deschenes is right where he wants to be. During the past two years, he has been part of unique test program as a CAEE Structural Engineering master’s student and is now transitioning into a Ph.D. track. For someone who proudly admits his passion for learning and research, life is good.

The focus of his research has been a rare but potentially serious chemical reaction that can affect the safety of concrete bridge structures. Alkali-silica reaction (ASR) occurs when a reactive aggregate (containing a high fraction of silica) reacts with alkaline solution held within concrete. The reaction forms a gel, which swells and exerts enormous pressure on the concrete when it is in the presence of water. When damp conditions persist, the pressure can cause the concrete to crack.

In recent years, a number of reinforced concrete bent caps in the state of Texas have exhibited premature concrete damage, causing concern by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). This concern led to the ongoing study that Deschenes has been a part of at the Ferguson Structural Engineering Laboratory (FSEL). After the cracks were discovered, the University of Texas at Austin was contracted to evaluate the safety of the structures affected by ASR.

Prior to the development of the testing program, a literature review was conducted to gain global perspective on ASR. While ASR tends to be a regionalized problem, the financial strain on maintenance budgets has warranted many research projects worldwide. It was decided that a large-scale testing program was necessary to produce definitive results.

As part of the research team with Deschenes, faculty members Oguzhan Bayrak and Kevin Folliard decided to pair four reactive beams with two non-reactive control beams to study the impacts of ASR on the behavior and strength of reinforced concrete structures. The production of the reactive concrete mixture was unprecedented; eight cubic yards were batched and mixed within the laboratory. Reactive sand, high-alkali cement, and sodium hydroxide were all used to accelerate the chemical processes of ASR in the reactive specimens.

Each completed beam was moved outdoors and placed under conditions favorable to the development of realistic ASR. Deschenes helped simulate loading and wetting/drying cycles and designed the test specimens. As the only graduate student involved in this study, he spent months setting up the conditioning system and recording the resulting expansions.

"It was a thrilling experience that very few structural engineers get to have," he says. "I certainly consider myself lucky to be part of such a monumental effort."

In July 2008, three beams were moved indoors and tested in Ferguson Lab’s Large-Scale Beam Test Facility. Following the completion of destructive testing, samples were taken from each beam to study the microstructural damage caused by ASR. Preliminary results suggested that the moderate ASR damage observed in the laboratory is little more than a cosmetic issue. The remaining three beams continue to condition outside the lab and will help answer concerns regarding the safety of severely damaged structures.


ASR damaged specimens undergo destructive testing at Ferguson Structural Engineering Lab.

Deschenes says, " The countless hours I worked on the project made destructive testing and disposal of each beam bittersweet. I spent more hours with those chunks of concrete than I would ever care to admit! But it was an opportunity that is unique to the University of Texas and one of the reasons I came to Austin." After spending his undergraduate years at Lehigh University, Deschenes came to CAEE. The reputation of our structural engineering program is what persuaded him to move far away from his close family and hometown of Lewiston, Maine. He feels that the worldwide recognition of our program is driven by a rich history and that many leaders in the structural engineering field continue to emerge.

"My first visit to UT was for the structural engineering recruitment weekend — I was invited to spend a few days with a current student and given the opportunity to see Austin and learn about the program," he says. "I was impressed by the knowledge of the faculty members and the scale of the experimental research conducted. What really distinguished UT were the friendly faces and community spirit at Ferguson Lab — that's what captured my attention and brought me to Texas. Staff, faculty and current students were interested in sharing and hearing stories from me, even though I was a virtual stranger at the time. By the end of the trip, I was convinced that Austin would be a great place to live; hard work at FSEL would be balanced by equally hard play, and my mentors would be some of the brightest and accomplished individuals in the field."


Dean's wife, Bethany, and their dog, Ellie, enjoy the outdoors and interesting opportunities that often present themselves in Austin.

Once he became a part of our structural engineering program, an appreciation grew for the wide variety of courses taught, the deep resources of the department, and the diverse group of faculty that is free to focus on individual specialties in teaching and research. He also believes that the breadth of the departmental offerings has helped him become a well-rounded engineer, which has greatly aided him when troubleshooting difficult situations as a graduate assistant.

"Research is another facet of my education at UT that is invaluable," Deschenes says.." Working with Dr. Oguzhan Bayrak and others has exposed me to real-world engineering challenges on a real-world scale. Performing or simply observing tests on large-scale structures elevate an engineer’s understanding of structural design and performance."

He continues, "The active participation of the faculty members in professional societies and code organizations also puts students at the forefront of industry practice. Faculty members are frequently willing to share experiences from their professional meetings and often include students in them."

Outside of the lab, Deschenes enjoys his time in Austin with Bethany, his wife, and their dog, Ellie. He feels that the city is the perfect compromise for small-town people looking for a taste of the big city life. Although uncertain of what the future will bring, he believes that he may someday become an engineering professor.

"For now," Deschenes says, "I believe that a good position in a well-recognized program will come with continued hard work and a lot of help from the great people here at the University of Texas."