Dr. Matthew C. Pierson

Department

Cooperative Engineering Program

Role: Faculty
Campus: Springfield

Postal mail

Missouri State University
Cooperative Engineering Program
901 S. National Ave.
Springfield, MO 65897

Biography

Dr. Matthew Pierson is a professional engineer and associate professor of engineering. He focuses his civil engineering skills in the areas of geotechnical or water resources engineering. He teaches students about building foundations and engineering properties of soil, also rainfall–runoff relationships, hydrology and river flow.

Pierson’s skills and expertise include Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) structures, load testing foundations and computer simulation of geomaterials or rivers. He also has experience in student design teams, K-12 STEM education and community engineering organizations.

Details

Education

  • PhD, Geotechnical Engineering, 2010, The University of Kansas
  • MS, Geotechnical Engineering, 2008, The University of Kansas
  • BS, Civil Engineering, 2006, The University of Kansas

Teaching

  • CE 3116 Construction Materials
  • CE 3330 Fluid Mechanics
  • CE 3334 Water Resources Engineering
  • CE 3715 Geotechnical Engineering
  • CE 4729 Foundation Engineering
  • CE 5338 Hydrologic Engineering
  • CE 5715 Intermediate Soil Mechanics
  • Engineering Geology

Research and professional interests

  • Additive manufacturing
  • Computer simulation of deep foundations and MSE walls
  • Computer simulation of rivers and remediation of contaminated river sediment
  • Direct tension testing of fiber reinforced concrete
  • Drone surveying
  • Lateral load testing of deep foundations
  • Mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls
  • Stormwater control measures

Awards and honors

  • CNAS Student Nominated Award for Faculty/Staff Excellence, Missouri State University, 2020
  • CNAS Faculty Excellence in Service Award, Missouri State University, 2019
  • CNAS Faculty Excellence in Service Award, Missouri State University, 2017
  • Guy Mace/Turblex Engineering Professorship, 2016-2020
  • Foundation Award for Excellence in Service, Missouri State University, May 2015

Scholarships and grants

  • SpahrBorel Graduate Fellowship Fund ($7,000)
  • Conference Scholarship, Deep Foundations Institute Trust
  • Bert and Dorothy Steves Memorial Scholarship ($3,500)
  • Spahr-Borel Graduate Fellowship Fund ($3,500)
  • Bellows Fellowship ($5,000), KU Civil Environmental and Architectural Department
  • Preston T. Bennett Scholarship ($2,000), KU Endowment

Professional organizations

  • American Institute of Steel Construction
  • American Society for Engineering Education
  • American Society of Civil Engineers
  • Missouri Society of Professional Engineers
  • The University of Kansas Geotechnical Society

Area of expertise

Science

Videos

Concrete canoe team works hard to stay afloat Dr. Pierson - Welcome to the Cooperative Engineering Program