Infrastructure monitoring using wireless smart sensors
Advisor: Shinae Jang
Expected hours: 10 hours per week for June and July (9 weeks)
Description: The goal of this project is to collect data from an in-service bridge in Connecticut using a novel wireless smart sensor to monitor the static and dynamic behaviors of infrastructure under environmental variations. The undergraduate student will work closely with the faculty advisor and graduate students to compare the measured data with hand calculations and the results from the finite element models and study how to improve the design of our infrastructure details, for example, selected from the superstructure parts (decks and girders), connections (expansion joints, bearings, and other connections), and substructures. The findings will be published in UConn’s Open Commons as a technical report at the end of the project.

Creation of a Bridge Information Model (BIM) of an in-service bridge
Advisor: Shinae Jang
Expected hours: 10 hours per week for 2 months (can be extended)
Description: The goal of this project is to create a sophisticated Bridge Information Model (BIM) using finite element software for an accurate representation of the actual structure. The undergraduate researcher will work with the faculty advisor and a graduate student 1) to get training on the specific software, MidasIT CIM, 2) visit the bridge site and investigate the details and current status of the bridge thoroughly, and 3) create a BIM model for the target bridge. The bridge model will be shared with the Connecticut Department of Transportation, and the results can be published as a technical report, as well as presentations with the DOT technical experts.

Non-proprietary Ultra-High Performance Concrete
Advisor: Kay Wille
Expected hours: 10 to 40 per week up to 10 weeks
URA duties and responsibilities: The URA will work with two graduate students to assist with material testing & characterization of Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) samples. Depending on the student's interest, this might include mixing of concrete and testing of fresh & hardened material properties, such as flowability, compressive strength, tensile strength, Modulus of Elasticity, hardness, or resonance frequency. It might also include data organization & analysis, as well as preparation of laboratory experiments at larger scale. 

Pyrrhotite Oxidation in Crumbling Concrete Foundations 
Advisor: Kay Wille, Marisa Chrysochoou
Expected hours: 10 to 40 per week up to 10 weeks
URA duties and responsibilities:The URA will work with a group of graduate and undergraduate students to assist with various laboratory analyses of concrete samples, as well as preparation and execution of laboratory experiments. Depending on the student's interest, this might include crushing, pulverizing & sieving of material, mixing of concrete, material mechanical characterization such as compressive strength, or material chemical characterization, such as total sulfur analysis. 

Applications of Physics-Informed Neural Networks for Material Behavior Modeling
Advisor: Vahid Morovati
Preferred Student Program: Civil Engineering
Total hours expected over the summer: 20-30 hours per week for 12 weeks
Hourly rate: $16/hr
Scope of work: The main objective of this study is to explore the applications of Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINN) for modeling material behavior. By incorporating physics-based knowledge into the neural network architecture, PINN can provide more accurate and efficient modeling compared to traditional finite element methods. The study highlights the advantages of using PINN for material behavior modeling, including better predictions of long-term deformation and material performance. In this part of the project, student will be trained to use NN to solve partial differential equations and use this knowledge to develop a simple model to predict viscoelastic behavior of elastomeric materials.
Date posted: 2023/03/17

Weather impact modeling
Advisor: Diego Cerrai
Preferred Student Program: Environmental Engineering
Total hours expected over the summer: 200
Hourly rate: $16/hr
Scope of work: The student selected for this project will be able to work with machine learning tools to predict the impact of weather on the infrastructure and on the natural environment. The student will work in the UConn Outage Prediction Modeling team. Possible projects include: Power Outage Prediction for the Electric Distribution System; Transmission System Damage Prediction; Wildfire Ignition Prediction; Power Grid Resilience Assessment.
Date posted: 2023/03/14

Electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) system development and novel electrode/membrane development
Advisor: Baikun Li
Preferred Student Program: Environmental Engineering
Total hours expected over the summer: 20 hours for 12 weeks
Hourly rate: $20/hr
Scope of work: The undergraduate will closely work with graduate students for hands-on experiments of CO2RR system development and electrode/membrane novel material development. The student will present in the weekly group meetings and participate in journal paper writing.
Date posted: 2023/03/18

Electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) system development and novel electrode/membrane development
Advisor: Nefeli Bompoti
Preferred Student Program: Environmental Engineering
Total hours expected over the summer: 240
Hourly rate: $17/hr
Date posted: 2023/03/20

Improving Traffic Operations and Equity in Connecticut Using Autonomous and Shared Autonomous Vehicles
Advisor: Fatemeh Fakhrmoosavi
Preferred Student Program: Civil Engineering
Total hours expected over the summer: 20 hours per week for 12 weeks
Hourly rate: $16/hr
Scope of work:The research team will be working on creating a transportation network for the state of Connecticut that is compatible with the POLARIS traffic simulation tool. OpenStreetMap data was used to extract transportation nodes and links. The research team will add complementary information to this data, such as intersection types, trip generation locations, and parking spots. Statewide Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) will be engaged at different steps of this research to share feedback and provide data for travel choice modeling, including but not limited to the mode choice, destination choice, vehicle ownership, trip purpose, and travel party size models. The developed network will be used as an input to the POLARIS traffic and activity simulator to simulate trips in the future when autonomous and shared autonomous vehicles are on the market and compare scenarios to improve mobility and equity. This part of the research will be mostly conducted on the QGIS platform and its plugins.
Date posted: 2023/03/14

Evaluating the Impacts of Real-Time Warnings and Variable Speed Limits on Safety and Travel Reliability during Weather Events
Advisor: John N. Ivan
Preferred Student Program: Civil Engineering
Total hours expected over the summer: up to 40 hours per week for 12 weeks
Hourly rate: $15/hr
Scope of work: The student researcher will assist in collecting data about vehicle speeds, weather conditions, and actual warnings and variable speed limit implementation before and during weather events. He/she will download the data from crowdsourcing and probe vehicle dta portals and archives from transportation agencies. After downloading the data he/she will format the data to compare vehicle speeds before and during weather events at locations with and without warning signs and/or variable speed limit implementation to compare driver response. 
Date posted: 2023/03/20

Equity in livability: An exploratory analysis of spatial equity in roadway safety and driver behavior using naturalistic driving data
Advisor: Davis Chacon-Hurtado
Preferred Student Program: CEE or Geography
Total hours expected over the summer: 120
Hourly rate: $15/hr
Date posted: 2023/03/20

Excess commuting burden: A metric to assess variations in journey-to-work across income categories
Advisor: Davis Chacon-Hurtado
Preferred Student Program: Civil Engineering
Total hours expected over the summer: 120
Hourly rate: $15/hr
Date posted: 2023/03/20