Featured Initiatives
ATIC shares expertise and facilities for collaboration on specific focus areas.
Supported by UND's College of Engineering & Mines, research collaborations are expected to create unique engineering research and education capabilities in transportation infrastructure.
Transportation Technology Research Institute (TTRI)
The Transportation Technology Research Institute (TTRI) is a formal research partnership between the University of North Dakota and the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT), officially dedicated on February 27, 2023. The institute brings together researchers, educators, professional engineers and students in a multi-pronged initiative to develop and maintain a modern transportation system while training a skilled workforce for North Dakota’s future.
The TTRI is organized into two areas: technology development/demonstration and workforce development.
TTRI Technologies
TTRI research has focused on two core technology areas. The first is unmanned aerial systems (UAS), which have been applied across several infrastructure use cases including stockpile inventory management, construction progress monitoring and bridge evaluation using both visual and thermal sensing. UAS-collected data is also used to generate 3D models and digital representations of infrastructure assets, supporting the broader goal of civil infrastructure digitalization.
The second technology area is additive construction of concrete (ACC), commonly known as concrete 3D printing. ATIC has successfully applied ACC to the construction of centerline pipe culverts and as permanent formwork for box culverts, demonstrating the technology’s potential to reduce construction timelines and labor demands for transportation infrastructure across North Dakota.
Student Design Center (SDC)
The SDC puts engineering students to work on real-world transportation designs and engineering issues. The SDC interns gain hands-on training and design experience as they work under the direction of NDDOT engineers to prepare studies, plans and estimates for NDDOT projects. SDC interns are in demand by the NDDOT as well as other agencies, consultants and other employers as they recognize SDC students have a head start in skills to join the workforce. The SDC is conveniently located on campus, allowing students to work between classes.
DOTSC Internships
The Student Design Center (SDC), in partnership with the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT), the Transportation Technology Research Initiative (TTRI) and UND, puts students to work on real-world transportation designs and engineering issues.
Students work under the direction of NDDOT engineers to prepare studies, plans and estimates for NDDOT projects.
Experience
Students work on real-world projects while learning:
- The NDDOT project development and design process,
- The roles and responsibilities of transportation engineers, and
- Design skills learned through producing designs and reports for current NDDOT projects.
Flexibility
The center operates under normal work day hours. Students work 10-20 hours per week during the semester depending on their school schedule. In the summer, 40 hours are worked per week.
A Head Start
Student design assistants are in demand by the NDDOT, other departments of transportation, engineering consultants and other employers. Employers recognize that SDC students have skills that set them apart from other applicants. Job offers and starting pay reflect this increased demand.
- Learn MicroStation and ORD design software
- Design software used by a majority of state DOTs.
- Work on environmental documents
- Write reports that explore options for projects and help upper management make decisions on how projects should proceed.
- Develop plan sheets
- Put together a complete set of plans to be used for construction in the field. Projects include:
- Preventative maintenance projects—extend pavement life and increase ride quality.
- Structural overlays—provide increased load carrying ca-pacity.
- Concrete pavement repair projects—rehabilitate concrete pavements by replacing bad sections of concrete and cutting in load transfer devices.
- Reconstruction projects—completely remove the existing roadway and build a new roadway.
Shadow an Engineer
To provide a balanced look at all the opportunities that NDDOT has to offer, students that work during the summer may shadow a field engineer and take tours of active con-struction projects.
U.S. 2 Intersection Improvements, U.S. 85 Williston to Montana Border
- Installation of turn lanes, bypass lanes, illumination or destination lighting and other intersection improvements.
I-94 PCC Pavement and Ramp Revisions from I-29 to 25th St., Fargo
- Adding an auxiliary lane from the I-29 SB to I-94 EB entrance ramp (tri-level) to the 25th St. exit and expanding the exit ramp to a two lane exit to address congestion.
N.D. 8 Structural Overlay, East of New Town to Stanley
- Mill and asphalt overlay to remove surfacing issues and restore the pavement structure. Adding passing lanes and a bypass lane to improve operations along N.D. 8.
N.D. 13 and N.D. 32 Roundabout, Gwinner
- Intersection improvements to address speed, operations and crash issues includes a roundabout retrofit and illumination lighting at N.D. 13 and N.D. 32 near Gwinner.
Search for SDC student design assistant openings on the UND Careers Website. SDC continuously accepts resumes and application letters from interested students in the fields of civil engineering and related engineering disciplines.
- rfrolek@ND.gov
- 701.239.8937
Center for Transformative Infrastructure Preservation and Sustainability (CTIPS)
The Center for Transformative Infrastructure Preservation and Sustainability (CTIPS) is a multi-university research consortium with a mission to modernize how existing transportation systems are preserved and maintained. The center integrates advanced sensing technologies and automation into data collection and analysis, with a particular focus on underserved communities.
A defining priority of CTIPS is addressing systemic equity in transportation infrastructure, specifically targeting the relatively poor road conditions affecting Tribal and rural communities in the region. UND is one of eleven consortium members spanning the Mountain West and Northern Plains.
Key highlights include:
- Focuses on preservation of existing transportation systems rather than new construction
- Combines advanced sensing and automated data tools to improve inspection and analysis
- Directly addresses infrastructure equity gaps for tribal nations and rural areas
- Brings together a broad 11-member university consortium with regional expertise
Consortium members include Colorado State University, Fort Lewis College, North Dakota State University, South Dakota State University, United Tribes Technical College, University of Colorado Denver, University of Denver, University of North Dakota, University of Utah, University of Wyoming and Utah State University.