Nov 20, 2025
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF/KTUU) - The University of Alaska Fairbanks has unveiled a new, state-of-the-art structural testing facility, home to the only load frame of its size in the state and the entire Northwest United States.
The $1 million investment — largely funded by a gift from alumnus Alan Straub, an engineer who graduated in the 1960s — enables full-scale testing of structural elements.
The dual load frames, costing approximately $600,000 for the frames alone, can subject elements to loads up to 500,000 pounds of force in a four-point bending test, according to UAF structural engineer Billy Connor.
The facility’s first major project will involve testing a bridge girder for the Alaska Department of Transportation to optimize designs, aiming to save both taxpayer money and, more critically, lives.
