J. Michael Rodriguez 20

When Max Yen was instructing a student in 1986, he had no idea the student-teacher relationship they developed would eventually result in a $200,000 grant to fund the new John Deere Laboratory.

Yen, a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Mechanics, received an agreement in May for more than $150,000 in donated equipment and a $50,000 endowment for new equipment from the company for the new John Deere Laboratory.

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The laboratory, expected to be completed in January, is located in the annex of the Engineering Building. Yen also received a $150,000 donation on the part of Deere & Co. for the new annex.

I didn’t expect this to happen this quick, Yen said. All of the paperwork took a year and a half. That’s pretty good for a private industry.

Dr. Muhamad El-Zein, senior engineer at Deere & Co. and a 1986 graduate of SIUC, was one of the decision makers for Deere & Co. who helped bring the project to SIUC.

There was more than one reason [that SIUC was chosen], El-Zein said. I like to work with Dr. Yen. I also wanted to help move the department of the College of Engineering ahead.

Yen said the length of grant proposals through private donors is hard to determine, but he believes that because he has had relations with Deere & Co. for the past six years, it sped up the process.

Deere & Co. has granted money for research to such universities as the University of Illinois, Bradley University, Michigan State University and Iowa State University. This is the first time the company has granted a project of this capacity to any university, El-Zein said.

This is the only lab of its kind in the nation, El-Zein said.

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The lab features two major components that both deal with the durability of various properties.

The real-time dynamic testing system, a machine located in the lab, tests the durability of structure properties, such as lawn tractors and automobiles. The machine places between 10-40 years on a structure, which will then allow students to research the performance of the tractor after aging.

Another feature, the Material Testing System (MTS) machine, deals with the durability of material properties, such as a small beam or steel bar.

We have all of the nuts and bolts for the lab we just need to put this together, Yen said. Nobody across the nation has a laboratory like this. This will really put us on the map.

This research project is nothing new to Yen, as he has been with SIUC for the past 13 years and has received more than $1.5 million in research grants.

I’m always looking for new areas to apply my expertise, Yen said. Once this becomes a simple task for me, I look for a bigger challenge.

The search for grant providers has become easier now that Yen has had plenty of experience.

Corporations are starting to see us as a quality research program that produces quality research results, Yen said. I like to exchange ideas with colleagues and industrial people. Yet, researching takes a lot of hours.

Yen said Deere & Co. and SIUC students will benefit immensely out of the project.

Having students follow only cookbook instructions never allows them to gain experience in a what if’ situation, Yen said.

The agreement has Deere & Co. visiting the SIUC campus to recruit students interested in the work of John Deere.

We should be able to showcase the college, with the completed annex, by mid-January, Yen said. Once it’s established, I will invite John Deere, local industries and competitors [of John Deere to see the building].

Dr. K.T. Teh is a post doctoral research fellow of the civil engineering program and a colleague of Yen’s. Teh and Yen work closely together on most of Yen’s on-campus research.

We try to learn from each other, Teh said. He (Yen) is a hard worker and is very helpful with his students.

Teh received his master’s degree in civil engineering from SIUC in 1993, and Yen was his professor.

Yen is very competent, and he deals very well with the interrelations of former students, Teh said.

For Yen, research projects are an escape from the everyday routine of being a professor.

I don’t want to be writing papers day in and day out, he said. I’m more of a practitioner. Doing these research projects give me a sense of achievement.