Research Projects
Current Research Projects
Minnesota Department of Transportation, "A Synthesis of Usage and Performance of Daylighted Bases in Comparison to Edge Drains", 2022-2023
Minnesota Department of Transportation, "Evaluation of Gravel Stabilizer Used on Gravel Roads and Gravel Shoulders", 2022-2024
Nebraska Department of Transportation, "Gravel Road Performance Enhancements", 2022-2024
Iowa Highway Research Board, "Base Stabilization of Iowa Granular Roads Using Recycled Plastics", 2022-2025
Illinois Tollway, "Phase Change Material in Pavement and Other Innovative Methods to Reduce Chloride Deicer Usage", 2022-2023
National Science Foundation, "Collaborative Research: NNA Research: Responding to Energy Insecurity in Arctic Housing Using a Community-Based Participatory Research", 2023-2028
National Science Foundation, "Collaborative Research: NNA Research: Towards resilient water infrastructure in Alaska Native communities through knowledge co-production", 2023-2028
Iowa Highway Research Board, "Introducing Smart Materials in Granular Roadway and Pavement Foundation Systems for Mitigating Freeze-Thaw Damage", 2022-2023
National Road Research Alliance, "Performance Evaluation of Wicking Geotextiles for Improving Drainage and Stiffness of Road Foundation", 2022-2025
Iowa Highway Research Board, "TR-780 Advanced Testing and Characterization of Iowa Soils and Geomaterials –Additional Scope", 2019-2023
Minnesota Department of Transportation, "Examination of Innovative Cold-In-Place Recycling Sections for Leachates", 2021-2024
Iowa Highway Research Board, "Feasibility of Granular Road and Shoulder Recycling-Phase II", 2021-2023
Wisconsin Department of Transportation, "Weight-Volume Relationships and Conversion Factors for Soils and Aggregates of Wisconsin", 2021-2023
Iowa Department of Transportation, "Field and Laboratory Evaluation of Roadside Soil Quality Restoration Practices", 2021-2024
Michigan Department of Transportation, "Evaluation of MDOT’s Methodologies for both Quantifying Pavement Distress and Modeling Pavement Performance for Life-Cycle Cost", 2021-2023
Minnesota Department of Transportation, "Evaluation of Proprietary Rejuvenators", 2021-2024
Minnesota Department of Transportation, "BMP for Issues with Asphalt Centerline Joint and Intelligent Compaction for Local Agencies", 2021-2023
Minnesota Department of Transportation, "MnDOT Haul/Detour Routes – Impacts on local roads", 2021-2024
Minnesota Department of Transportation, "Comparison of Compost and Proprietary Soil Amendments for Vegetation Establishment", 2021-2024
Michigan Department of Transportation, "Testing Protocol, Data Storage, and Recalibration for Pavement-ME Design", 2019-2023
Completed Research Projects
National Road Research Alliance, "Improve Material Inputs into Mechanistic Design Properties for Reclaimed HMA & Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA) Roadways", 2020-2021
National Road Research Alliance, "Environmental Impacts on the Performance of Pavement Foundation Layers-Phase I", 2020-2021
National Science Foundation, "NNA Track 2: Responding to the Housing Crisis in the Arctic: A Transdisciplinary Approach Across Physical, Natural and Social Systems", 2019-2022
Iowa Highway Research Board, "Use of Concrete Grinding Residue as a Soil Amendment – Phase 2", 2018-2022
The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Department of Interior, “Remediation of Coal Mine Drainage with Industrial Byproducts”, 2018-2020
Iowa Department of Transportation, “Development of Granular Road Asset Management,” 2017-2019
National Road Research Allegiance, “Determining Pavement Design Criteria for Recycled Aggregate Base and Large Stone Subbase,” 2017-2020
Recycled Materials Resource Center-FHWA, “Use of Concrete Grinding Residue as Concrete and Soil Amendment-Phase I,” , 2018-2018
Recycled Materials Resource Center-FHWA & Iowa Department of Transportation, “Use of Waste Quarry Fines as a Binding Material in Unpaved Roads,” 2018-2020
Iowa Department of Transportation, “Coarse Aggregate Deterioration in Granular Surface and Shoulders”, 2018-2020
Recycled Materials Resource Center-FHWA, “Use of Concrete Grinding Residue as Concrete and Soil Amendment-Phase II,”2018-2020
Iowa Department of Transportation, “Performance Based Evaluation of Cost Effective Aggregate Options for Granular Roadways,” 2016-2019
Federal Aviation Administration, “Full-Scale Demonstration of Heated Portland Cement Concrete Pavement System,” 2016-2019
National Science Foundation, “Collaborative Research: Bridging the Gap Between Academia and Industry in Approaches for Solving Ill-Structured Problems,” 2017-2020
Iowa Department of Transportation, “Evaluation of Alternative Abutment Piling for Low Volume Road Bridges,” 2016-2019
Iowa Department of Transportation, “Low-Cost Rural Surface Alternatives Phase III: Demonstration Project,” 2017-2019,
Iowa Department of Transportation, “Low-Cost Rural Surface Alternatives Phase IV: Frost Depth Monitoring and Prediction,” 2017-2019
Iowa Department of Transportation, “Self-Heating Electrically Conductive Concrete Demonstration Project,”2017-2020
Iowa Department of Transportation, “Field Monitoring of Erosion and Sediment Control Practices and Development of Additional Iowa DOT Design Manual Guidance,” 2017-2020
Iowa Department of Transportation, “Investigation on Pavement ME Design Reflective Cracking, Faulting, IRI Prediction Models, Concrete Overlays Design Tool, and Performance Threshold Levels for Iowa Pavement Systems”, 2018-2021
Nebraska Department of Transportation, “Field and Laboratory Testing for Installation Enhancement of Erosion and Sediment Control Practices”, 2019-2021
Midwest Transportation Center, “Evaluation of the Mechanical and Environmental Performance of Biofuel Co-Product Stabilized Unpaved Roads,” 2016-2017
Midwest Transportation Center, “Use of Biocementation for Slope Stabilization of Levees,” 2016-2018
Georgia Department of Transportation, “Improvement of Climate Data for Use in MEPDG Calibration and Other Pavement Analysis,” 2016-2018
Environmental Protection Agency, “Sustainability Analysis of Unpaved Road Construction with Recycled Materials in Council Bluffs, IA,”2016-2017
South Dakota Department of Transportation, “Climate and Groundwater Data to Support Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design in South Dakota,” 2013-2014
Department of Energy, “Preliminary Evaluation of Shale Media for Use as a Nuclear Waste Repository Site,” 2012-2014
The South Dakota Board of Regents- Competitive Research Grant Program, “Remediation of Acid Mine Drainages and Mine Tailings with High Carbon Fly Ash,” 2013-2014
The South Dakota Board of Regents-Competitive Research Grant Program, “Integration of Multimedia Active Learning Tools into Laboratory Engineering Courses,” 2013-2014
RESPEC Consulting and Services, “Remediation of Mine Tailings,” 2013-2014
Nelson Research Grant, “Groundwater Impacts of Roadways Built with Recycled Concrete Materials,” 2013-2014
Virginia Department of Transportation, “Evaluation of Use of Recycled Concrete as an Additive to Subbase/Base Coarse Material,” 2013-2015
Minnesota Department of Transportation, “Optimum RAP Content for Minnesota Gravel Roads,” 2015-2017
Minnesota Department of Transportation, “Concrete Grinding Residue: It’s Effect on Roadside Vegetation and Soil Properties,” 2016-2018