WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue University’s Robert L. and Terry L. Bowen Laboratory for Large-Scale Civil Engineering Research has earned an internationally recognized quality management certification, strengthening its ability to work with partners in highly regulated industries.
The laboratory received ISO 9001 certification from BSI, an organization that provides testing, inspection and certification services. The designation recognizes that the laboratory’s quality management systems meet established international standards.
The certification is expected to make it easier for the laboratory to collaborate with companies and organizations in the construction and nuclear industries, where consistent procedures, documentation and quality controls are essential.
Bowen Laboratory conducts large-scale civil engineering research related to the design, construction and performance of critical infrastructure. Its work helps researchers investigate structural systems and address complex engineering challenges.
Photo by Purdue University photo/Andrew Sivaprakasam
Mark Lundstrom, dean of Purdue’s College of Engineering, said the certification strengthens the laboratory’s ability to engage with industry partners and contribute to infrastructure research.
The ISO 9001 standard establishes requirements for quality management systems, including processes designed to ensure consistent operations, meet applicable requirements and build confidence among customers and partners.
According to Purdue, the Bowen Laboratory already had an established quality management system before undergoing an audit to verify that its procedures aligned with the international standard.
Amit Varma, the laboratory’s director and the Karl H. Kettelhut Professor of Civil and Construction Engineering, said quality and safety have been central to the laboratory’s operations for more than 17 years.
The certification also makes Bowen Laboratory the second Purdue facility to achieve ISO 9001 recognition. The High-Speed Propulsion Laboratory at Maurice J. Zucrow Laboratories was the first.
Purdue’s Office of Audit, Enterprise Risk and Operational Resilience is leading the university’s broader certification effort, which aims to strengthen operational excellence across its laboratories.
University officials anticipate that the certification will help expand opportunities for industry partnerships and federal research funding.
