All structures rely upon their component materials to provide structural integrity and durability. While structures can vary from bridges to sky-scrapers to pavements, the job of a materials engineer is to successfully develop and apply new technologies that will make these structures safer and more cost-effective. More specifically, pavement engineering encompasses all aspects of designing, building and maintaining pavement structures. This work is critical to the success of our national transportation infrastructure. The pavement engineer must have in-depth knowledge regarding the engineering behavior of paving materials, the production of these materials in addition to how they will deteriorate under the combined effects of traffic and the environment. Beyond the core courses required for all civil engineering undergraduate students, courses related to foundation engineering, geosynthetics, pavement design, concrete materials and asphalt mix design are offered.

Graduate study

The graduate program offers masters and doctoral degrees in pavement and materials engineering. The graduate program is focused on practical research related to advancing knowledge in paving materials, construction, maintenance, testing and design. Students get hands-on experience working on projects funded by state departments of transportation, the Federal Highway Administration and private corporations. Many research projects are conducted at the National Center for Asphalt Technology laboratory (www.ncat.us) or the NCAT Test Track (www.pavetrack.com). Courses related to the advanced pavement design, advanced material characterization, materials testing, pavement construction and pavement maintenance/rehabilitation are offered at the graduate level.

Faculty in pavement and materials

• Benjamin Bowers, assistant professor
• Anton Schindler, professor and director of the Highway Research Center
• David Timm, professor
• Randy West, director and research professor of NCAT
• Carolina Rodezno, associate research professor of NCAT
• Nam Tran, research professor of NCAT
• Adriana Vargas, assistant research professor of NCAT
• Fan Yin, assistant research professor of NCAT
• Raquel Moraes, assistant research professor of NCAT