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Prospering through Transportation research together

Transportation Research Immersive Program Group Picture

El ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ Community College (EPCC) and Early College High School (ECHS) students participated in the 2025 Transportation Research Immersive Program (TRIP), sponsored by the Southern Plains Transportation Center (SPTC), a USDOT Regional University Transportation Center.  This program aims to allow students to explore engineering through the lens of transportation, giving them the skills and knowledge to successfully pursue a degree in civil engineering or related fields. Hosted at ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ and organized with the support of CTIS research students, staff and faculty, the event introduced participants to hands-on transportation research activities, including:

🛠️ Asphalt mixing and compaction demonstrations, 
🛞 Hamburg Wheel Tracker and Overlay Testing (OT) machine demos,
🚧 Skid resistance using a Dynamic Friction Tester, 
💨 Air void content determination of asphalt mixes,
📈 Indirect Tensile Strength (IDT) testing using a Universal Testing Machine, and 
🚗 Accelerated pavement loading using a Model Mobile Load Simulator (MMLS), with real-time pavement response monitoring using distributed fiber optic sensing (DFOS).

 

Transportation Research Immersive Program Picture Compilation

Students also participated in a poster session organized by CTIS students, allowing EPCC participants to engage in conversations about opportunities and experiences in engineering and research at ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½.

Additionally, participants gained a foundational understanding of asphalt mix design, performed mix design calculations using spreadsheets, and were introduced to design tools used by Department of Transportations. 📊

A heartfelt thank you to the EPCC and early-college high school students who joined us, and to the CTIS graduate and undergraduate students who organized and led the activities, making this event a success.

Stay tuned for photos and stories from the program!