Engineers and scientists are experimenting with using microbes to re-engineer soils underground in a way that prevents soil from liquefying. In collaboration with two other universities, ASU’s Center for Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics, directed by Fulton Schools Professor Edward Kavazanjian, is developing a technique researchers hope can eventually be applied to liquefaction-prone locales around the world. That would fortify soil and help to keep liquids from saturating the ground during earthquakes and preventing damage to buildings, roadways and other vital structures. Trillions of dollars’ worth of infrastructure is at risk until solutions are found that will stop liquefaction on a large scale, Kavazanjian says.