The Civil Engineering Research and Education Center (CEREC) is named in honor of Grady E. Harvell, President and chief operating officer of W&W|AFCO Steel, for his contributions and drive in bringing the lab into reality. 

The state-of-the-art laboratories located within the Grady E. Harvell Civil Engineering Research and Education Center (CEREC) contain specialized equipment for the static and dynamic characterization of structural systems and materials at multiple length scales (ranging from a few millimeters to several meters). Specifically, the 37,400 sq. ft. large-scale testing facility of CEREC includes a 13,000 sq. ft. high-bay testing area having a 100 by 40 ft. strong floor capable of providing up to 240 kips of axial reaction force and 220 kips of shear reaction force at floor connections 4 ft. on center.  The high-bay testing area contains a 25-ton overhead crane and various loading and measurement equipment (including multiple high capacity, high stroke, servo-hydraulic actuators). Other resources and lab spaces within CEREC include a dedicated concrete materials laboratory, a metallurgy lab for metallographic analyses, and an extensive materials testing laboratory with equipment capacities ranging from 5 kips to several hundred kips (including a biaxial fatigue testing machine having 50 kip axial and 1,500 ft-lb torque capacity).

The concrete laboratory within CEREC has the capability to mix many types of cementitious composites with mixer sizes up to 20 cubic feet, including rotating drum and paddle mixers. An eight cubic yard volumetric mixer is also available making large concrete batch sizes feasible. Various molds, curing equipment, and specialized testing abilities allow most standard concrete strength and durability test methods.