Ava Montoya walked the Commencement stage in May 2025 with her Master of Science in Civil Engineering diploma in hand, but her work continued after graduation with a presentation of her master’s thesis work at the International Conference of Sustainable Building Materials (ICSBM) in Einhoven, Netherlands in August 2025. Montoya reworked her master thesis, “Implementation of Compressed Earth Blocks for Sustainable and Low-Cost Housing Solutions: A Critical Review,” into a technical paper appropriate for the conference in the Netherlands. 

Montoya’s conference paper, “Prediction of Compressive Strength of Compressed Earth Block Walls from the Unit Strength,” focused on generating an equation for standardizing compressed Earth blocks into the construction industry. Compressed Earth Blocks (CEBs) are building materials made from a mixture of soil, clay and sand that is mechanically pressed at high pressure into dense blocks. CEBs can be used on-site using local soil, are cost-effective and an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional bricks or concrete blocks. They are often used for their environmental benefits, low cost and structural performance. 

Montoya collaborated with Dr. Salah Sarhat, assistant professor in the Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management Department, on her technical paper and on her master’s thesis. Sarhat encouraged Montoya to find an international conference to present her work at, and the ICSBM was the perfect opportunity.

“Together, we collaboratively worked throughout my master’s degree and post-graduation with a common goal of improving the current state of CEB,” said Montoya. “I am honored with the amount of knowledge I have gained from working closely with a person as in-depth into CEB as Dr. Sarhat is. He has allowed me to move forward in my professional career as a presenter in a topic he has looked into for years now, and I am incredibly thankful to have been a part of research with him.” 
While it can be intimidating to present to colleagues on an international stage, Montoya felt well prepared and was proud to share her work with others. “My MSOE education has given me many opportunities to learn how to effectively present,” said Montoya. 

Montoya is putting these skillsets into practice at her job as a structural engineer at Thornton Tomasetti. Here she is responsible for structural design, modeling, quality assurance and quality control for a wide variety of projects, including stadiums, high rise residentials, hospitals, data centers, airports and major manufacturing facilities.

She and Sarhat plan to continue developing papers and presentations on CEBs. “Currently in the making, Dr. Sarhat and I are working on a paper for an upcoming presentation for the American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM). In this paper, we’re hoping to focus on CEB in more of a conceptual means, utilizing some of the research I did during my master’s thesis.”