The Structural and Materials Laboratory occupies an area of about 550 square meters in Bechtel Building (Level 1), and is equipped with an array of instruments and tools that provide for the carrying out of a series of experiments. Undergraduate students use the lab to experiment with various construction materials to satisfy the requirements of the Construction Materials and Technologies course (CIVE 320). In addition, a number of other undergraduate and graduate courses make use of the laboratory in projects related to building structural systems and testing components (CIVE 620, CIVE 625, CIVE 721). Besides the state-of-the-art testing equipment such as the 100 Tons Dynamic Capacity MTS and the Tinius Olsen Universal Testing Machine, the department recently received equipment to perform Petrographic Analysis and has completed the construction of a Strong Floor- Reaction Wall facility that is used for dynamic testing. The latter facility, put in action in Summer 2005, includes a hydraulic power supply unit, two hydraulic actuators, and a data acquisition system. Such a facility will be used by students and faculty in their research activities and will contribute to the improvement of undergraduate and graduate education in earthquake engineering. It will allow graduate students to conduct research aimed at evaluating the seismic performance of structural systems and test a wider range of specimens with respect to size, type, and shape of structural elements. Recent acquisitions also consisted of a CBR Testing Machine used in the evaluation of the performance and stability of rock and asphalt mixes, a Grinding Machine used for concrete samples preparation, a Pile Integrity Meter used for the evaluation of pile soundness and material properties, and a Rapid Freeze-Thaw System used for testing the durability of construction materials.