TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - CONSOL Energy Inc. donated holographic lab equipment to The University of Alabama’s College of Engineering. The estimated worth of the equipment is $23,000.

The lab equipment consists of lasers, lenses and other optical equipment that uses intense, concentrated light to take three-dimensional pictures of a substance to study its mechanical properties.

Dr. Duke Park, professor of civil engineering, said by using this equipment one can measure surface displacements on any material, including granular materials such as soil or rock, by generating contours with a resolution of a few micro inches.

“It will enhance our research capabilities which we can in turn demonstrate to our class,” Park said. “Our studies will focus on geomaterial testing -- soil and rock -- to find out what we can build with or build on these materials.”

CONSOL Energy is the largest producer of high-Btu bituminous coal in the United States and the largest exporter of U.S. coal. CONSOL Energy has 24 mines located in seven states in the United States, two Canadian provinces and Australia. The company sells coal to electric power producers, steel makers and other industrial companies in the United States and overseas.

In 1837, The University of Alabama became the first university in the state to offer engineering classes and was one of the first five in the nation to do so, Today, the College of Engineering has about 1,800 students and more than 90 faculty. It has been fully accredited since accreditation standards were implemented in the 1930s.