2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The Resilient and Sustainable Infrastructure Systems in Smart Cities (RSISSC) REU Site grant was developed to bring a cohort of students to a large R-1 university to expose students to the critical role of civil engineers in serving society. Students participated in hands-on interdisciplinary research with faculty teams exploring innovations for Smart Cities, including new image analysis tools, sustainable materials analysis, technologies for quantifying indoor air quality and remediating water pollution, decision analysis tools, and strategies for autonomous navigation. Associated cohort programming helped students to build basic research skills (e.g. literature searches, data analysis, ethics considerations), to develop their career paths with emphasis on the preparation process for graduate studies, and to expose students to real-world applications of ‘smart’ technologies for resilient and sustainable infrastructure. The design of these enhancing activities was guided by the REU Site project evaluation framework that posits that guided immersive research experiences have measurable impacts on shifting students’ vision of career choices and that expanded personal networks, in this case through relationships with other researchers, are influential in converting student goals to actions. Evaluation assessments used a combination of surveys and interviews, personalized to the survey results.

The Resilient and Sustainable Infrastructure Systems in Smart Cities REU Site grant has met project goals in each of two years that the project has been active (2023, 2024). Evaluations findings from the first year informed adjustments to the program structure and organization for the second year. Across the two cohorts, the project engaged 20 undergraduate students (17 were not currently enrolled at the university) from a variety of majors to work on research questions in the fields of civil, environmental and geodetic engineering. Students were able to see relevance to Smart City innovations of their backgrounds in microbiology, biochemistry, physics, mechanical engineering, computer science, architecture and urban planning, and civil engineering. The student cohort diversity increased across the program years with the 2024 cohort having gender parity, one student from a Historically Black College and University, and two students from Puerto Rico. Students reported the most frequent skills they practiced throughout the program to be communication skills, creative problem-solving, professional and ethical responsibilities, shared leadership, and business and management principles (listed from most to least frequent). Students also developed social capital related to career exploration and the research process through the relationships developed with their graduate student mentors, faculty advisors and the program leadership. Overall, student participants reported positive program experiences, pride in the work results they showcased in a closing college-wide poster session, and greater clarity in their future academic and career plans.