A valued member of WSU’s Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture since 1991, professor Balasingam Muhunthan passed away June 17.
Muhunthan most recently served as chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, one of the Washington State University’s largest and most research-active academic departments.
During his decade-long tenure as chair, he oversaw the department’s growth and success in research areas that include transportation, air and water quality, geotechnical engineering, infrastructure, and sustainability.
Muhunthan’s research specialized in the exploring the characterization and simulation of geomaterials and fundamentals of soil behavior, including work to improve understanding of the failure of Idaho’s Teton Dam in 1976. He served as the director of the Washington Center for X-ray and Imaging Technology (WACXIT) as well as the Washington State Transportation Center (TRAC).
Muhunthan was a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and received several teaching and research awards, including the Crampton Prize from the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Leon Luck Most Effective Professor Award and Voiland College’s Outstanding Teaching Faculty Award.
Muhunthan received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Purdue University in 1991, his M.S.C.E., Geotechnical Engineering from Purdue University, and his Bachelor of Science from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
He is survived by his wife Kalyani Muhunthan; and daughters Vishaka Muhunthan and Priyanka Muhunthan.
His family has created a scholarship to honor his memory and dedication to students. Gifts may be made to the B. Muhunthan Memorial Scholarship.
