• Center for Infrastructure Renewal
• Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES)

The second annual Student Research Showcase was held at the Center for Infrastructure Renewal (CIR) Advisory Panel meeting on Friday, September 27, 2024. Participation saw a significant increase, with 40 students presenting 41 posters compared to last year's 26 students and 28 posters.

Students from various departments came together to share their research with CIR Advisory Panel (CAP) members, professors, fellow students, and TEES/TTI leadership. Research is being conducted within the CIR across many different fields of study.

Greg Baker, CAP chair, remarked, "The research showcase highlighted the center's ongoing research on topics relevant to current societal challenges. It was a fantastic opportunity for each student to present their work and explain how they are contributing to solving infrastructure problems. The research is impressive, and advisory panel members were invigorated by the level of dedication to the work."

The bi-annual CIR Advisory Panel meeting took place after the Student Research Showcase. CIR Director Anand Puppala and Dy Director Edith Arambula briefed members on the current state of the CIR research, student outreach and other major initiatives. This CAP meeting also provides an opportunity for Advisory Panel Members to discuss and brainstorm ways to integrate the ongoing research of CIR PIs and students into real-world applications through partnerships with companies or through internship opportunities. This fall, panel members Bob Lanham and Dr. Robert Moser were invited to speak about their current professions and share their insights on the state of modern infrastructure research and its implementation.

Bob Lanham's talk on "Policy Trends in Public Construction" highlighted the significant challenges faced by public owners and contractors in the construction industry. He discussed issues such as funding discrepancies, rising costs, and regulatory hurdles, including social engineering in contracts and environmental regulations. Lanham emphasized the evolving role of engineers, the rapid advancement of technology, and the lack of experience among owners and designers. He proposed solutions like enhanced collaboration between design and construction communities, increased political and public engagement, and a focus on professional development to address these challenges effectively. Mr. Lanham is a 1981 honors graduate of Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering. He is currently the president of Williams Brothers, a position he has held since January 2013.

Dr. Robert Moser's presentation at the CIR Advisory Panel meeting centered on the mission and vision of the Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC). He underscored ITL's pivotal role in delivering innovative engineering and scientific solutions for national challenges. Dr. Moser emphasized the importance of collaboration, technological innovation, and professional development in tackling the evolving challenges in public construction and infrastructure and highlighted ITL's strengths in enterprise software solutions, computational science, cybersecurity, and supercomputing.

As the Director of ITL, Dr. Moser leads a team of approximately 700 experts in information technology, high-performance computing, and data analytics. He also oversees the Department of Defense High Performance Computing Modernization Program and serves as ERDC's Chief Information Officer. Dr. Moser holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a specialization in structural engineering and materials science.

Following the presentations, Lisa Lukefahr, CAP vice chair, invited CAP members and CIR PIs to engage in an open forum. This session was dedicated to fostering discussions and encouraging collaborative brainstorming amongst CIR researchers and CAP members, allowing participants to share their insights, ideas, and feedback.

Abdullah Braik, CVEN research graduate assistant
PI: Dr. Maria Koliou

During the poster session, I had the opportunity to present my research on integrating remote sensing, deep learning, and restoration models for post-disaster damage assessment and recovery predictions following tornado events. The main findings demonstrated that by utilizing these advanced technologies, large-scale damage maps can be generated rapidly and accurately. This approach improves recovery time estimates and supports more efficient resource allocation in post-disaster scenarios. I chose this topic because of its potential to enhance community resilience and emergency response efforts. Several attendees expressed interest in the details of data processing and the training of machine learning models, as well as the practical applications of my methodology and its potential expansion to other domains. My advice for students preparing for their poster sessions is to focus on clearly communicating the key contributions of your research and to remain open to new perspectives from the audience.

Xu Han, CVEN postdoctoral researcher
PI: Dr. Maria Koliou

My research is about conducting community resilience analysis under natural hazards using an agent-based modeling approach. As all the entities involved in the community recovery process are generated in the agent-based model, with their characteristics and behavior clearly defined, the recovery process can be simulated in a detailed manner. The greatest challenges I face during my research is how to code the program to achieve the agent-based simulation. I took some Python lessons and attended Python tutorial lectures online. Through many rounds of trials and errors, I was able to make my Python code run. Another takeaway from doing my research is how to use the powerful HPRC platform at Texas A&M to save computation time to a great extent. In the future I would like to use the agent-based modeling approach on a wide variety of testbeds associated with a wide spectrum of natural hazards.

Josh Henson, CVEN graduate assistant
PI: Dr. Kinsey Skillen

Presenting at the 2024 CIR Poster Session provided me an invaluable opportunity to speak with my fellow researchers and other industry professionals about how I can ensure that my research has both intellectual and practical merit to civil engineering. I strongly believe that while developing more advanced methods to model and design civil engineering projects is important, as researchers we cannot afford to lose sight of the practical effects and applications that our research will have on the field. My research involves testing full-scale bridge supports for TxDOT to examine how current detailing practices can be improved while simultaneously improving constructability, which poses a challenge in finding an appropriate balance between the theoretical and the practical nuances. My experiences during the poster session gave me a great deal to think about moving forward in my research about how I can model these complex processes while also generalizing my conclusions so that the average engineer can understand and implement my improvements. I strongly encourage my fellow students to be bold in their ideas and to take the opportunity to share them at these poster sessions because oftentimes our best ideas are inspired by the thoughts of others.

Nikhil Potnuru, CVEN graduate assistant
PI: Dr. Petros Sideris

Our research funded by the Texas Department of Transportation on re-examining minimum shear reinforcement requirements in prestressed concrete girders identified that current design provisions may not fully address girder performance under low shear reinforcement conditions, with significant implications for structural integrity and shear failure prevention. Feedback from CAP board members emphasized the value of the two methodologies we developed, particularly the simplified approach, which was praised for its practicality and ease of implementation in updating design codes. Inspired by the aging bridges in the U.S. and the growing demand for safer prestressed concrete bridges to replace them, we overcame challenges such as designing large-scale tests and resolving conflicting design provisions through a mechanics-based approach. The High-bay Lab at the Center for Infrastructure Renewal supported large-scale experimental tests, offering advanced facilities for simulating shear conditions in prestressed concrete girders. This enabled accurate analysis and validation of our revised shear reinforcement guidelines. This research offers a pathway for updating shear reinforcement guidelines that better balance safety and efficiency, and it has allowed me to sharpen skills in experimental design, computational modeling, and project management. Moving forward, the plan is to finalize these findings and engage in discussions with TxDOT regarding the application of these provisions in real-world projects. For students preparing for their first poster session, I recommend confidently presenting the practical implications of their work while ensuring that key findings are explained clearly and concisely to make the greatest impact.

Pravin Saraswatula, Texas A&M Transportation Institutes
PI: Dr. Anol Mukhopadhyay

At the recent advisory meeting, I presented my research on "Enhancing Performance-Driven Mix Design: A Comprehensive Tool for Durability Assessment of Bridge Deck High-Performance Concrete Mixtures." The feedback was highly encouraging, with attendees taking the time to explore the nuances of the work, asking insightful questions, and recognizing the value it brings to advancing performance-driven mix design. Our research addresses the need to shift from prescriptive to performance-based concrete mix design that optimizes mixtures' selection to meet the durability/ service life performance for its application and exposure conditions. Our research led to the development of the "TxDOT Tool" - a simplified, user-friendly Excel-based tool (spreadsheet) for DOT practitioners and contractors to conduct rapid & comprehensive durability-based performance evaluation of cast-in-place High-Performance Concrete (HPC) bridge deck mixes. Moving forward, we aim to extend the tool's application to other concrete applications (e.g., pavements, etc.) and incorporate a wide range of SCMs (e.g., natural pozzolans, waste glass, etc.) rapidly emerging in the construction industry. For first-time poster presenters, on three key aspects: the research topic, key findings, and why it matters. Use engaging visuals (and less text) to create a compelling narrative that engages the audience.