UMD Team Awarded Grant to Support International Collaboration

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering faculty won a $60,000 grant to support international collaboration with the Politecnico di Torino in Torino, Italy. The team consists of Associate Professor Cinzia Cirillo, Associate Professor Dimitrios Goulias, and Professor Paul Shonfeld.

The project, "Advanced Models, Methods and Materials for Sustainable, Safe and Smart Infrastructures – MS," will be led by Professor Marco Bassani, who is visiting the University of Maryland from the Politecnico di Torino until the end of January 2014, and will include individuals from both institutions who have expertise in the areas of road, railway and airport engineering.

According to the team's proposal, there is currently a lack of economic resources and an increase in environmental constraints that are combining to limit the building of new transportation infrastructures. Increasing levels of congestion have also accentuated the need to manage transportation systems in a more effective way. Researchers and practitioners in the transportation field are working on innovative methodologies and new materials to realize sustainable, safe and smart transportation networks.

The team's project aims to promote and develop new planning tools, design methodologies and management skills in the field of transportation infrastructures. The use of innovative techniques and materials can lead to the effective management of existing (and future) transportation infrastructures, to a reduction in congestion and emissions, and to a reduction in the losses attributed to accidents.

Faculty and students from both schools will be hosted by the partner institution, and they will work on common research projects, organizing seminars and short graduate courses.

The team's proposal ranked second out of the 24 proposals submitted.

Published November 26, 2013