A water line can run beneath a busy street for decades before it needs repair. The traditional fix can mean cutting into pavement and snarling traffic above it. Trenchless technology offers another way in.
At Cal Poly, construction engineering professor Hani Alzraiee and mechanical engineering student Eliska Martinez are working to establish a student chapter of the North American Society for Trenchless Technology, or NASTT, through its Western Chapter, WESTT. The goal is to introduce more students to a growing field that allows crews to install, repair and replace underground utilities with less disruption at the surface.
Alzraiee, a professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, first became involved with NASTT in graduate school. He had hoped for years to bring a student chapter to Cal Poly, where the university’s Learn by Doing approach aligns closely with an industry built around problem-solving.
“Industry really wants Cal Poly to start a club,” Alzraiee said.
Trenchless technology can be used on water lines, sewer systems, gas lines and other underground utilities. In some cases, crews can work from manhole to manhole or through smaller access points, avoiding the need to open a long trench across a street or sidewalk. Some repair methods use materials that line the inside of an existing pipe, forming a new surface that can extend the life of the infrastructure for decades.
The technology is especially valuable in dense urban areas, where digging into streets can affect traffic, businesses and nearby residents. Alzraiee said it does not apply to every project, but when the conditions are right, the benefits can be significant.
“It’s really fantastic technology,” he said.
The proposed student chapter would connect Cal Poly students with industry professionals while opening access to scholarships, conferences, competitions and internships. Alzraiee is also developing a course on trenchless technology applications for civil infrastructure, giving students another entry point into the field.
Martinez came to the field through experience.
Last summer, she interned with American Cast Iron Pipe Company in Birmingham, Alabama, where she began learning about underground infrastructure and the growing use of trenchless methods. By the end of the summer, she had attended the Utility Engineering and Surveying Institute Pipelines Conference in Tampa and joined a UESI committee focused on introducing engineers to trenchless technology.
This spring, that experience led her to the NASTT No-Dig Show in Palm Springs, where she saw the industry up close and connected with students from Cal Poly Pomona’s student chapter.
“I love learning about this kind of stuff,” Martinez said.
She also noticed how few of her peers at Cal Poly knew the field existed.
“None of my peers know about this technology,” she said. “I want to show them there is a career path here.”
Although trenchless technology is often associated with civil engineering, Martinez sees a place for students from other disciplines, including mechanical engineering.
“People ask me why I’m not a civil engineering major,” Martinez said. “But I like mechanical engineering, and this industry still feels like a place where I can contribute.”
Now set to graduate in spring 2027, Martinez is helping Alzraiee lay the groundwork for the Cal Poly chapter. That process includes identifying student interest, electing officers, creating bylaws and seeking approval through Cal Poly and NASTT. The goal is to launch the chapter in the fall.
Martinez hopes the club becomes more than a starting point. She wants it to last, giving students a way to build industry connections and discover a field they might otherwise miss.
Alzraiee shares that hope. With industry support already building, he sees the chapter as a way to prepare students for infrastructure challenges that will require new tools and new ways of thinking.
“We could expose them to this cutting-edge technology,” he said.
The chapter, he said, could help students see underground infrastructure as a growing field with room for Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing approach.
Students interested in learning more about the proposed NASTT student chapter can contact Hani Alzraiee at halzraie@calpoly.edu.
By Emily Slater
