Areas of Research

Condition Assessment and Monitoring of Transportation Infrastructure

Activities are related toward the evaluation and monitoring the condition of transportation infrastructure. Research and education activities concentrate on the development and deployment of the latest technologies for nondestructive evaluation (NDE). Ultrasonic, seismic (surface wave), electromagnetic, electrical and other NDE techniques are used to inspect materials and components. Using these techniques enables the detection of problems at their early stages and provides for the economical and safer management of infrastructure.  

Construction Engineering and Management

The focus of Construction Engineering and Management research program is on improving the sustainability and resilience of the built environment through advancement in construction means and methods. Our research projects address fundamental issues affecting the construction industry and improving construction processes with emerging sensing technologies, data analytics, and simulation methods.  Our specific research focus areas include: data mining, building information modeling, sensing, and sustainable construction. 

Transportation Engineering

The Transportation Engineering group focuses on advancing the state-of-the-art research and state-of-the-practice teaching in the methodological, technological, and engineering solutions to improve the safety, security, mobility, and environment for the movement of people and goods. Faculty members are currently involved in the following key research areas: intelligent transportation systems, connected and autonomous vehicles, urban mobility modeling and management, traffic fafety, freight operations and logistics, freight transportation safety, and security risk management.

Infrastructure Engineering

Sustainable and resilient infrastructure offers an efficient solution for the nation’s economy, security and employment. The program in Infrastructure Engineering aims to improve the sustainability and resiliency of transportation infrastructure, such as highway, airports, railroad, port, and pipeline system. It covers education, research, and technology transfer missions through the collaborative activities with the other areas in the CEE Department.The program emphasizes the highly interdisciplinary nature of civil infrastructure projects and the overall life cycle of infrastructure; i.e., planning, design, testing, construction, operations, maintenance, and reclamation. The research addresses issues of material processing and development, structure design, performance modeling, condition assessment, renewal and repair, disaster prevention and recovery, economic and environmental impact, and asset management.  

Water Resources and Environmental Engineering

Water Resources and Envirnmental Engineering investigates management of resources, including water, land, and air, as well as environmental protection and restoration. Research areas include air quality, hydraulic and coastal engineering, wastewater and stormwater management, water treatment, remediation, and sustainability. A combination of applied microbiology, chemistry, fluid mechanics, modeling, and informatics tools are applied.