Contact: Phil Hearn
A group of Mississippi State scientists and engineers will join a U.S. effort to help the government of India stop industrial pollution from toppling the walls of the 17th century Taj Mahal.
The university's Diagnostic Instrumentation and Analysis Laboratory, known as DIAL, is part of a team that has been hired by the United States Agency for International Development to help arrest the deterioration of the white marble mausoleum, invariably listed as one of the world's foremost wonders.
The team is led by the Louis Berger Group, a New Jersey-based international engineering firm that has an office in the Indian capital of New Delhi.
Located 200 kilometers south of New Delhi in the city of Agra, the Taj Mahal has been considered one of the world's most beautiful architectural masterpieces since its completion in 1648. Agra was the capital of Muslim emperors who ruled Northern India between the 16th and 19th centuries.
"Unfortunately, the Taj Mahal's white marble and jade facade is crumbling as a result of industrial pollution in the surrounding area," said DIAL director John Plodinec. "The team will work with the Indian government and with industry in that area to reduce the pollution that is causing the deterioration."
Plodinec, who will coordinate the DIAL effort, said the project is expected to start Oct. 3 and could last as long as five years. He said the contract dollar amount is being negotiated.
Although exact details of DIAL's participation in the project have not been finalized, Plodinec said it is anticipated the MSU scientists will:
--Utilize DIAL's fiber optic sensors to help Indian officials pinpoint the types of pollution and its temporal distribution around the Taj Mahal;
--Work with local high-temperature industries, particularly glass and metals, to reduce pollution from their operations; and
--Identify opportunities to substitute alternative energy sources for coal and coke.
Since its beginning in 1979, DIAL has been a leader in the development of monitoring, testing and control techniques for difficult or challenging environments. The MSU unit involves a multidisciplinary group of scientists and engineers focused on measurements and examinations, including a current focus on solving energy, environmental, infrastructure, and industrial problems.
Plodinec said DIAL's membership in the Taj Mahal project team was assisted by the Glass Manufacturing Industry Council, an Ohio-based industrial trade association that promotes the interests and growth of the U.S. glass industry.
He said the council responded to a request from the Louis Berger Group for an organization with experience in reaching out to the glass industry. LBG is considered one of the leading infrastructure engineering, environmental science and economic development operations in the world, he added.
"LBG was pleasantly surprised by DIAL's excellent record in reaching out to businesses, especially those in Mississippi," said Plodinec.
NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For additional information on MSU's involvement with the Taj Mahal project, contact Dr. Plodinec at (662) 325-2105 or Plodinec@dial.msstate.edu.