Today, we conducted a direct shearing test. I usually work on analysis in my research and do not have much opportunity to do soil tests, so I started by learning from the side. The local researchers were very good at making samples, and they were beautifully formed. We also discussed […]
MNGD： field reports
65 posts
Every year in mid-August, there is a festival of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, celebrating the New Year ahead of the one coming in September. Among them, the song “Hoyahoyah” is famous locally. Hoyahoyah is like Halloween in Europe, but it is a little different. The song is sung only by […]
The daily life at AASTU was comprised of two main elements: insufficient supplies and delayed meals. The examination equipment was far from adequate, and even the existing items were not organized at all. The campus cafeteria was excessively crowded, and ordered meals or coffee would not arrive even after 30 […]
A donkey cart was brought in to set up a “full-scale driving test site” on the campus of Jinka University. We can only imagine what the donkeys we encountered throughout Ethiopia were thinking. However, when the small donkey, which had carried sand and sandbags all day, was relieved of its […]
In Jinka, at the end of September. Around noon on the day of the regular market, it rained heavily. When I visited the market in the afternoon after the rain finally stopped, it was crowded with people. However, I had to watch my step so as not to slip and […]
Grain milling machine installed near the soil laboratory where the MNGD project is being tested at Addis Ababa Science and Technology University. It is used to grind locally collected plants into powder. Before grinding the coffee husks, the lecturer, Wendimu, filled the gaps with black cotton soil, which is usually […]
We visited the lab at Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, where female researchers are working tirelessly on experiments for the MNGD project. Their dashing white coats were impressive. ＊You can find the article archived here.
Dr. Fukubayashi and Dr. Kamei from University of Miyazaki and Dr. Sawamura from Kyoto University arrived in Addis Ababa.They had a dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant in Addis Ababa city to enjoy the reunion with Dr. Fitsum, Dr. Elias, Dr. Girma and other friendship members from Addis Ababa Science and Technology […]
The participants learned about the damage and causes of bridges damaged in the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. The trainees watched the videos and exhibits with serious expressions and asked questions enthusiastically. One of the most memorable moments was when they saw a normally flat bridge girder transformed into a large mountain […]
This picture shows the ERA members preparing samples for the CBR test. I felt a strong sense of unity among the ERA members, who were all wearing lab coats and working together on a single task. I felt that if AASTU activities could be carried out in such an atmosphere, […]
This picture shows a failure plane observed in a uniaxial compression test using a sample of black cotton soil mixed with FSP and lime. The sample was very brittle to the touch, and I felt more like sand than clay. It will be interesting to see how it behaves in […]
The thing I was looking forward to the most in this country was to touch the clay called Black Cotton Soil, which swells up when it absorbs water and becomes full of cracks when it dries. When dry, it is just clay, but when absorbs a little water, it turns […]