Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Aspirational Mirrors: A Conceptual Model Of Alumni-Led Near-Peer Outreach For Precollege Engagement In Ocean Engineering, Habibi Palippui, Juswan Sade

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Precollege students in Indonesia, especially in rural and coastal regions, often lack exposure to engineering disciplines due to social, geographic, and informational barriers. This essay proposes a conceptual model of alumni-led near-peer outreach as an affective and culturally grounded mechanism to engage high school students in ocean engineering. Drawing from theories of social similarity, possible selves, and engineering identity, the model conceptualizes alumni as “aspirational mirrors” who influence students not merely through information but also through identification. The model outlines four primary mechanisms—social connection, narrative engagement, aspirational mirroring, and early identity activation—and also accounts for contextual variables such as school …

Critical Arteries: Prioritizing Economic Vitality And Emergency Access In Local Networks, Jeremy Hunter

Local Transportation Asset Management Conference

Standard Asset Management Plans (AMPs) often rely heavily on Pavement Condition Index, Paser ratings, and Bridge Condition Ratings to dictate repair schedules. However, a strictly condition-based approach may neglect the economic and safety criticality of specific routes. This presentation proposes a multi-variable evaluation framework for counties, cities, and towns. I will explore methods for overlaying industrial data—specifically for heavy-haul sectors like logging, masonry, and agriculture—to identify and fortify the "economic lifelines" that sustain local revenue. Furthermore, I will address the necessity of resiliency planning within the AMP. By integrating hydraulic data and flood-prone area mapping, agencies can ensure that routes …

The New 11th Edition Of The Indiana Mutcd, Joseph Bruno, David Boruff

Purdue Road School

The updated 11th edition of the Indiana MUTCD released in January of 2026 has many significant changes from the 2011 edition. This presentation provides an overview of the changes from the previous edition and significant variations between the federal MUTCD and the Indiana MUTCD.

Building A Vitalizing Team Culture, Iris Bull, Andrew Cibor

Purdue Road School

Leaders in the public sector face unique challenges in the recruitment and retainage of productive employees. Administrative staff from the City of Bloomington Engineering Department present an analysis of the strategies they employ to shape a high performing team. They examine mutable and designed aspects of their processes for advertising, interviewing, hiring, onboarding, and exit interviewing. Session participants will be provided tested strategies for stimulating professional growth, fostering intradepartmental collaboration, and building resilient culture.

History Of The Interstate System In Indiana, Steven Wuertz

Purdue Road School

A brief history of the Interstate System in Indiana and across the Nation— 1956–2026: 70 years of the Interstate System

Iconic Henry Street Bridge In Indianapolis, Marshall Lachecki, Keith Echternach, Mary Appel

Purdue Road School

The iconic new Henry Street bridge over the White River in Indianapolis is a connection to the west side of downtown Indy.  From the challenging hydraulics requirements to the bridge concepts, design, procurement and through construction and archaeology work, the City has worked with many stakeholders and the public to make this new crossing a success.  This presentation will focus on design elements of the bridge while touching upon other project elements.

Improvements In Waterborne Traffic Paint For Indiana, Joseph Bruno, Andrew Blackburn

Purdue Road School

INDOT has updated its specification for waterborne traffic paints that results in improved durability and the ability to apply traffic paint in colder weather. This presentation provides background on INDOT's waterborne traffic paint specification, a summary of the road trials that INDOT conducted to evaluate different paint specifications, future developments for waterborne traffic paint, and a maintenance perspective on INDOT painting operations.

Early In Career Panel: The Value Of Industry Involvement, Stephanie Ferzli, Calvin Rizzo, David Musoke

Purdue Road School

A panel of early-career professionals shares the importance and benefits of participating in industry organizations. Learn how involvement can shape careers and foster professional growth.

Let’S Walk And Talk: Building Trust (And Better Projects) Using Community Walk Audits, Ashlyn Devine, Taylor Firestine

Purdue Road School

This session introduces participants to the benefits gained from engaging in community-centered walking audits as practical tools for advancing quality active transportation projects and building trust with the public. Drawing from Health by Design’s Indiana Road to Zero Academy, participants will join a facilitated walking audit near the Purdue campus to discuss common concerns and questions that these exercises address while demonstrating how collaborative notetaking can translate into better planning, engineering, and policy decisions that reflect the unique needs of the community.

Draining Fountain Square With Alternate Delivery, Jason Koch, Mark St. John, Natalie Stephen

Purdue Road School

Indianapolis DPW has started construction on major drainage improvements in one of its oldest neighborhoods, Fountain Square. Building on lessons learned from similar projects in built-up, commercial areas, DPW decided to use an alternate delivery method to procure construction services. This session will provide a high level review of Indiana’s Public-Private Agreement statue (I.C. 5-23), how DPW applied it to the Fountain Square project, lessons learned, and how DPW plans to use this innovative delivery method for future projects.

Pel Stories, Tim Miller, Cameron Schuh, Sandra Flum, Blake Dollier

Purdue Road School

PEL Stories: Bridging Planning and Environmental Review: This presentation will highlight stories from planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) projects, demonstrating how early planning can streamline environmental review and improve project outcomes.

IndyPEL: Advancing Planning through Environmental Linkages: This session explores the IndyPEL project, highlighting how Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) studies are shaping transportation decisions in Indiana. Attendees will learn about stakeholder engagement, data-driven planning, and lessons learned.

Diverging Diamond Interchanges Lessons Learned: Design Refinements And Performance, Nathaniel Shellhamer, Daniel Mccoy, Jack Gallagher

Purdue Road School

This presentation will share an overview of INDOT’s experience with the design of diverging diamond interchanges (DDIs). Specific discussion will focus on design refinements being made in the most recent DDIs in Indiana, as well as lessons learned from existing DDIs in the areas of geometrics, operations and performance, and human factors/driver behavior. We will also review case studies and before-and-after analyses of existing DDIs.

Impact Of Urban Roadway Work Zones On Road Users And Other Stakeholders, Lyndsey Renee Harris

Lyles School of Civil Engineering Graduate Student Reports

As urban populations continue to rise at an unprecedented rate, the need for highly maintained infrastructure in cities -- buildings, utilities, and transportation networks -- has become increasingly critical. An urban work zone refers to a designated area within a city where roadway construction, maintenance, or rehabilitation activities are taking place. These zones are typically characterized by high traffic volumes, complex roadway networks, and proximity to residential, institutional, and commercial land uses. Urban work zones often involve lane closures, detours, reduced speed limits, and temporary traffic control measures to ensure safety for road workers and road users. Due to the …

After A Wildfire: Considerations For Building Environmental Testing, Andrew J. Whelton, E. Bollens, C. Ferrarezzi

Resilience to Emergencies and Disasters

No abstract provided.

Efficiency Evaluation Of Different Methods For Nitrogen Removal In Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants: An Integrative Review, Cristiane G. Ferrarezzi, Juliana Canto Duarte

The School of Sustainability Engineering and Environmental Engineering (SEE) Graduate Student Publications

Domestic wastewaters present high nitrogen levels due to the urea and ammonia, which are excreted into urine. Municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) normally face some challenges in keeping their treated wastewater at a low total nitrogen concentration, since the majority of their wastewater is domestic. Low nitrogen levels in the treated wastewater are important to avoid increasing eutrophication of the receptor body, which receives the treated wastewater. This work presents an integrative review considering studies related to denitrification in domestic WWTPs published from January 1st, 2018, to April 30th, 2023. This review aims to identify the most effective methods for …

Model-Based Investigation Of The Influence Of Environmental Conditions On The Energy Supply Of Multirotor Uavs, Morten Roßberg, Hanna Dibbern, Claudia Werner

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

Flight time of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is limited by available energy, which is affected by the mission profile and external factors, such as environmental conditions. Two main environmental conditions that need to be considered are the impact of wind and ambient temperature on the UAV and its energy supply. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of wind and ambient temperature to conduct a preliminary evaluation of flight performance and flight limitations. For this reason, three locations in the United States—New York City, Miami, and Fairbanks—are selected and the impact of the considered environmental conditions of …

Flood Prediction With Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar From Hurricane Helene, Jingyu Xiao, Jessica Li

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

Floods are the most common natural disaster globally, causing thousands of deaths every year. Timely and accurate flood forecasts are crucial for developing early warning systems, evacuation plans, and effective strategies to enhance community resilience. Soil moisture is an important parameter in flood forecasting. Unfortunately, existing soil moisture sensor networks and optical remote sensing–based techniques for soil moisture estimation lack the spatial resolution needed for accurate flood forecasting. This study presents an approach for flood prediction using Sentinel-1 C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. SAR offers high spatial resolution and operates day and night under all weather conditions, making it …

From Test Tracks To Carbon Tracks: Evaluating The Carbon Emissions Of Autonomous Vehicle Development, Sarah Deniz

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

Autonomous vehicle (AV) development has seen a sharp increase in the past 10 years, and there is a significant energy cost of training AVs to meet safety regulations. The training process includes virtual simulation training as well as physical training on public roads and within private testing facilities. The high energy expenditure associated with AV training has a respective environmental cost that can be quantified as a lifetime “carbon debt” of released carbon emissions. The environmental sustainability of AVs has not been thoroughly studied in currently available literature, and this paper showcases a model that quantifies the total “carbon debt” …

Downdrag Defeated – The Neutral Plane Method, Kyle L. Zak, Min Sang Lee

Civil Engineering Professional Development Seminar

The neutral plane method for evaluating downdrag on deep foundations has been gaining popularity over the past few years. It is a powerful tool that, in many situations, can all but eliminate downdrag concerns on deep foundations. INDOT has allowed its use recently and adapted its forms to accommodate this method. The presentation will cover the theory behind the method and how it can be applied in bridge design. We will then demonstrate how to incorporate the method into the INDOT workflow, and we’ll show a couple real-life examples where the neutral plane method saved the day.

Curbless By Design: Revitalizing Downtown Infrastructure For Pedestrians, Alex Duran, Steve Cherry

Civil Engineering Professional Development Seminar

This presentation will discuss the design of a curbless, pedestrian-focused corridor as part of a small-town downtown reconstruction in Sylvania, Ohio. The project team will share how they balanced community goals, accessibility, and utility coordination, along with considerations for drainage, hardscape, lighting, and power. The session will also highlight early construction lessons learned from Phase 1.

Guardrail Design And Placement 101, Katherine Smutzer

Civil Engineering Professional Development Seminar

Not all “guardrail” is created equal. Within the last 10 years INDOT has adopted the MASH-compliant Midwest Guardrail System (MGS). While similar to the previous standard w-beam guardrail, there are nuances that aren’t well understood by designers. The presentation would reinforce the fundamentals of guardrail as a safety barrier, explain the function of various components of a guardrail system, and review important design considerations.

Mass Timber Construction: Products, Performance And Design, Anthony Harvey

Civil Engineering Professional Development Seminar

Due to their high strength, dimensional stability and positive environmental performance, mass timber building products are quickly becoming materials of choice for sustainably‐minded designers. This presentation will provide a detailed look at the variety of mass timber products available, including glue‐laminated timber (glulam), cross laminated timber (CLT), nail laminated timber (NLT), heavy timber decking, and other engineered and composite systems. Applications for the use of these products under modern building codes will be discussed, and examples of their use in U.S. projects reviewed. Mass timber’s ability to act as both structure and exposed finish will also be highlighted, as will …

Non-Destructive Strength Monitoring Of Air-Entrained Concrete Via Electromechanical Impedance Technology, Xiangrui Kong, Rui He

Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship

Accurate monitoring of concrete strength during curing is crucial, particularly in regions subject to harsh weather conditions, such as freeze-thaw cycles in Indiana. Air entrainment is crucial for durability, yet it can significantly reduce concrete strength, making timely and precise strength assessments vital. The primary objective of this study is to develop a non-destructive and real-time monitoring framework for evaluating mortar strength using electromechanical impedance (EMI) sensors and ultrasonic scanning technology.

This research holds significant value as it addresses the critical need for continuous, reliable concrete strength monitoring, potentially reducing reliance on destructive testing methods, which are costly and time-consuming. …

Stormwater Treatment Practices - Guidance For Maintenance And Targeting Pollutants, Peter T. Weiss

Stormwater Drainage Conference

Stormwater Drainage Conference

Biochar-Based Filtration And Barrier Systems For Urban Stormwater Treatment, Krishna R. Reddy

Stormwater Drainage Conference

Conference that deals a wide range of issues dealing with stormwater drainage. Professor Krishna Reddy of University of Illinois Chicago presented an invited talk titled "Biochar-Based Filtration and Barrier Systems for Urban Stormwater Treatment"

Pros And Cons Of Preservation Treatments, Buzz Powell

Local Transportation Asset Management Conference

No abstract provided.

Travel Behavior Study On Shared Micromobility Service, Yixiang Teng

Lyles School of Civil Engineering Graduate Student Reports

This study investigates the travel behavior on the shared micromobility service around Purdue University West Lafayette campus area. It aims to understand the shared micromobility user patterns and identify the barriers of adoption. The study was enlightened by the influence of pandemic on transportation choices and the shift on transportation habits, and the gap identified was the understanding of the college related population. The research method was a constructed survey distributed among Purdue University’s students, faculties and staffs. A total of 143 valid responses were collected, comprising 73 current users and 70 non-users. Results indicate that shared micromobility is primarily …

Advancements In Pavement Marking Practice And Standards, Joseph Bruno

Purdue Road School

This Road School presentation details INDOT's initiative to improve road user safety through upgrades to pavement marking practices and standards. The presentation also discusses other recent changes to INDOT pavement marking standards and design guidance.

Mentoring To Retain Engineering Students And Graduates, Carly Schiene, Thomas Ford, Gail Lee

Purdue Road School

ITE has identified work force development as one of three key issues facing engineering firms today; yet, as many as 50% of all graduate engineers may leave the engineering profession within 10 years of graduation. Mentors and mentees will discuss the role that mentorship can play in engineering student and graduate engineer retention in the work force.

Low Cost And Systemic Safety Treatments For Local Governments, Taylor Ruble, Daniel Mccoy

Purdue Road School

The INDOT Traffic Engineering team WILL discuss lowcost safety options that can be used by local governments with or without dedicated safety funding. We’ll dive into the details and specifics of these treatments and discuss when they are appropriate for use. This interactive workshop is a great way for city and county engineers and local elected officials to gain a better understanding of systemic safety treatments.