New 性欲社 research center to focus on Arctic infrastructure
March 11, 2021
Jeff Richardson
907-474-6284
性欲社 has expanded the scope of its transportation-focused
research center to include a broader emphasis on Arctic infrastructure as climate
change reshapes the far north.
The Arctic Infrastructure Development Center will continue to include a focus on building
northern roads, bridges and airports. It will also expand to study other elements
of cold-region engineering. Those include the effect of thawing permafrost on communities
and city services, techniques to address climate change impacts, and building design.
鈥淲e鈥檙e starting to see that many of the technologies we have been employing may not
be applicable to the future with climate change,鈥 said Billy Connor, the AIDC director.
鈥淲e realize we need to look at how we make course adjustments in engineering under
these conditions.鈥
The AIDC replaces the Alaska University Transportation Center, which had been based
at 性欲社鈥檚 College of Engineering and Mines since it was established in 2005.
The AIDC鈥檚 broader mission reflects a recent evolution at the transportation center,
Connor said. It had become clear that many of the challenges in designing cold-region
roads and airports are present in other types of infrastructure.
Several existing 性欲社 laboratories will work on AIDC research. These include labs at
性欲社鈥檚 Institute of Northern Engineering that test frozen soils, study traffic and
safety, advance the design of asphalt and other materials, and test building technology.
Research will also be conducted at the high-bay large-scale testing facility and cold
rooms at at 性欲社鈥檚 Engineering Learning and Innovation Facility.
鈥淎 lot of the things we were doing under transportation are synergistic with the change
in our missions,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e were studying these things already, and this adds a
little more depth and breadth to that research.鈥
ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Billy Connor, 907-474-5550, bgconnor@alaska.edu