2015 AASHTO RAC MeetingPortland, Oregon
Martin Pietrucha, DirectorLarson Institute, Penn State
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A Conversation onPairing Training and Career:
A University-based Education Perspective
Summary
• University curricula are changing– Undergraduate– Graduate
• Are they changing the “right” way?• Are they changing quickly enough (and can
they continue to change as needed)?
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Changing University Curricula
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Changing University Curricula• Undergraduate
– ASCE’s Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge for the 21st Century• Foundational
– Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Humanities, Social Sciences• Technical
– Materials Science, Mechanics, Experiments, Problem Recognition and Solving, Design, Sustainability, Contemporary Issues and Historical Perspectives, Risk and Uncertainty, Project Management, Breadth in Civil Engineering Areas, Technical Specialization
• Professional– Communication, Public Policy, Business and Public
Administration, Globalization, Leadership, Teamwork, Attitudes, Lifelong Learning, Professional and Ethical Responsibility
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Changing University Curricula• Undergraduate
– The reality• Fewer required math, physics, and chemistry courses• Elimination of Surveying, Basic Circuits, Thermodynamics• Some
– Sustainability (coming slowly)– Leadership (strong presence; but not required)– Globalization (indirectly through study abroad, EWB, BTP)– Lifelong Learning (through osmosis)– Professional and Ethical Responsibility (inoculation only)
• None– Contemporary Issues and Historical Perspectives– Risk and Uncertainty– Public Policy– Business and Public Administration– Attitudes
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Changing University Curricula• Undergraduate
– Is the civil engineering degree the right entry level degree for a transportation professional?
– Is there finally a need for an undergraduate transportation engineering degree separate from civil engineering (like industrial broke off from mechanical in the early 1900s or environmental differentiated itself from civil in the 1960s/70s)?
– Can we do it “off the rack” by moving transportation from civil to industrial engineering?
– Or do we need to “custom tailor” a new curriculum for transportation engineering?
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Traditional Civil Engineer• Construction• Environmental• Geotechnical• Hydrology/Hydraulics• Materials• Structures• Surveying and Mapping• Transportation
Typical Transportation Engineer
• Design (Highway)• Operations (Highway)• Planning (Car/Truck/Transit?)
• Other Modes? (Peds? Bikes? Transit?)• Other Operating Schemes? (ITS? Supply Chain
Management?)
Engineering Knowledge Gaps
• Users– Needs, Wants, and Desires– Capabilities and Limitations
• Vehicles– Capabilities and Limitations
• Operating Environment– Weather/Surface Conditions– Lighting
Beyond Tradition
• Mechanical Engineering• Electrical Engineering• Computer Engineering• Computer Science• Industrial Engineering• Supply Chain Management
Business Requirements
• Speaking• Writing• Working on a team• Resolving conflicts• Handling the media• Managing resources (e.g. budgets, personnel,
facilities, equipment, etc.)
Transportation Engineerof the Future 1
• Construction ---> Facilities Management• Environmental• Geotechnical• Hydrology/Hydraulics• Materials• Structures• Surveying and Mapping• Transportation
Transportation Engineerof the Future 2
Planning, Design, and Operations
• Peds• Bikes• Cars• Trucks• Buses• Rail Transit
• Streets/Highways• Fixed Guideway• Air• Water• Pipelines• Telecommunication
s
Transportation Engineerof the Future 3
• Machine design• Tribology/meteorology• Command, control, communications, and
intelligence (C3I)• Lighting• Operations research• Human factors/ergonomics• Supply chain management
Transportation Engineerof the Future 4
• Speech communications• Technical writing• Human resource management• Media relations• Mediation• Marketing
Transportation Engineerof the Future 5
• 5th Semester– Transportation Systems Engineering– Contemporary Skills for Business Professionals– Supply Chain Management– Human Factors Engineering– Mechanical Systems Design
Transportation Engineerof the Future 6
• 6th Semester– Highway Engineering– Transportation Planning– Urban Transportation– Vehicle Road Dynamics– Automatic Control Systems
Transportation Engineerof the Future 7
• 7th Semester– Traffic Operations– Introduction to Operations Research– Introduction to Embedded Microcontrollers– Non-Motorized Transportation– Introduction to Air, Rail, and Water Transport
Transportation Engineerof the Future 8
• 8th Semester– Transportation Design– Fundamentals of Computer Vision– Fundamentals of Air Pollution– Computer Aided Lighting Design and Analysis– Management and Organization
Changing University Curricula• Graduate
– ABET accreditation for MS in applied science (engineering) programs– The reality
• Only 36 (of 544) universities have accredited MS programs– AFIT – 9 programs– Clemson – Environmental Engineering and Science– Colorado State – Environmental Health, Health Physics– Hunter College – Environmental and Occupational Health
Science– Idaho State - Health Physics– USF – Industrial Hygiene– Purdue – Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences– Michigan – Environmental Health Sciences/Industrial Hygiene
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Changing University Curricula• Graduate– The reality• Faculty drive what constitutes the degree program– Credits (primarily for PHD)– Required Courses
• 3 Types of Transportation Graduate Programs– Basic/Analytical– Applied/Empirical– Hybrid
• How does this curricular structure (and associated graduate product) match up with industry needs?
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If you really want to blow your mind• April 30, 2012 New Yorker– Get Rich U.• http
://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/04/30/get-rich-u
• July 23, 2015 New York Times– The Fundamental Way That Universities Are an Illusion• http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/24/upshot/the-fund
amental-way-that-universities-are-an-illusion.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share
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