Integration of Service-Learning into Civil and Environmental Engineering Curriculum

Service-learning is defined as integrating the community service experience of students with their academic study so that learning is enhanced. The level of student participation in community service is at an all time high as students feel the need to confront today\u27s technical and societal problems. However, service-learning is more than community service or volunteerism. Service-learning as defined above, integrates the community service experience with the student’s academic study (note the hyphen in service-learning means that both are considered equal). This enhances learning which is a fundamental goal of colleges and universities. Boyer highlights the need for service-learning stating that At no time in our history has the need been greater for connecting the work of the academy to the social and environmental changes beyond the campus. Service-learning is a campus wide learning pedagogy including a range of disciplines and has been implemented at over 600 institutions; however, not as widely implemented in engineering and science. A noteworthy contribution in the engineering education, is the Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) program at Purdue University (http://epics.ecn.purdue.edu) that partners undergraduate students and local community not-for-profit organizations to solve engineering-based problems in the community

Involving Undergraduate and High School Students in Research: Opportunities, Challenges, and Rewards

Historically student involvement in research at Universities and Colleges has primarily revolved around those in graduate programs. However, the NSF’s Research Experience for Undergraduates program and ABET’s evaluation criteria regarding undergraduate participation in research are examples of efforts and initiatives over the last decade to target and include undergraduate students in research efforts. Going one step further would be including high school students in such efforts. This paper summarizes efforts, experiences, and initiatives over the last six years at the UNLV Transportation Research Center to include undergraduate and high school students in research projects and lessons learned from the same – including examples of potential benefits and concerns. The paper also addresses innovative strategies and opportunities to fund high school students participating in research activities during the summer break

A Comparative Evaluation of the Safety Performance of Roundabouts and Traditional Intersection Controls

Because roundabouts eliminate conflict points and reduce vehicle speeds, they are often deployed to improve the safety characteristics of intersections. This paper summarizes the results of a safety analysis of the roundabouts located in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The evaluation compares traffic crashes in the proximity of roundabouts with those at comparable conventional STOP-controlled and signalized intersections. Traffic volumes were used to normalize the number of crashes. Five years of crash data were used for the study. The comparison of the intersection controls is done with respect to the time of the crash, contributing factors, type of crash, roadway conditions etc. Statistical tests were used to evaluate the significance of these results. The results indicate that roundabout control is safer that STOP/signal control at intersections with minor and medium levels of traffic volume. Although high volume intersections with signalized traffic controls appeared to be safer than the corresponding candidate roundabouts, the results were not statistically significant. Improved road design and public awareness could also increase intersection safety at such roundabouts

Estimating Reliability and Extent for the Las Vegas Area Congestion Management Systems

This paper presents a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) based methodology to estimate the extent and reliability of congestion using crash data. The crash data are geocoded using the street centerline coverage for the Las Vegas metropolitan area, The number of crashes on each link and the number of occupants involved in these crashes are estimated. Crash rates and average vehicle occupancy (AVO) rates are estimated. The extent is based on the link volumes and the estimated AVO rate from crash data. Reliability is computed based on the number of crashes and link volumes. These are disaggregated by time of the day, road functional class, and the area type

Using Genetic Algorithms to Evaluate Aircraft Ground Holding Policy Under Static Conditions

The U.S. airline industry is facing delays due to congestion problems in the air transportation network. These delays not only lead to increased costs, but they also have safety related implications. Some of the costs related to such delays could be minimized by holding aircraft on the ground at the originating airport when congestion-related delays are expected en route or at the destination airport. Aside from reducing operating costs, the ground holding policy (GHP) also has beneficial implications on some safety concerns, since it is generally felt that it is better to hold an aircraft on the ground than in the air. The GHP is formulated as an integer programming problem and solved using heuristic techniques. However, the presence of discrete and binary integer variables increases the complexity involved when solved using traditional algorithms. Genetic algorithms (GAs) offer a powerful alternative for efficiently solving such problems. A GA is a search and optimization technique based on natural genetics and selection. This paper presents a discussion of GAs and their applicability to evaluating the GHP. Specific examples are presented to illustrate such applications. Results obtained from the test problems are consistent with expectations, indicating that GA can be used as a solution technique. It is observed that the program run time was reasonably low

Evaluating Transit Market Potential and Selecting Locations of Transit Service Facilities Using GIS

Accessibility to transit service facility (TSF) locations plays a significant role in the success of public transportation systems. The ease with which the end-user can reach a TSF (e.g., bus stops, rail stations, or multimodal centers) plays prominently in the decision-making process of the individual. This article presents a working definition for transit market potential based on accessibility in terms of walking distance and walking time. Further, a measure is constructed to evaluate transit market potential for TSF locations for a transit system. The measure of transit potential is represented by an index value based on demographic criteria such as employment, household size, vehicle ownership, etc. This index can be used to identify locations of TSFs that increase a routes potential for ridership. A methodology is proposed to estimate the Index of Transit Potential for TSFs. This methodology involves (1) identifying the accessible network of streets around each TSF that is within an acceptable access threshold for a transit rider, and (2) estimating the transit market potential based on key demographic characteristics. The analytical and visualization capabilities of a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) program are utilized to help attain the objective. A case study is used to demonstrate the application of the methodology. In the case study, a portion of a route of the Las Vegas Citizens Area Transit (CAT) system is analyzed and the Index of Transit Potential is estimated. The index values are then used to locate TSFs along the route. This is compared with the existing stop locations for the route

Work Order Management System Using GIS

Typical public works departments around the world, at present, record complaints, work requests, and work orders related to their transportation infrastructure in a hard copy (paper) format. Further, the same format is used to assign work orders to staff. This is not only a tedious but also a time consuming process, often resulting in an inefficient and ineffective management of the resources. The goal, thus, is to look for avenues and explore the advancements in technology to improve the working process, and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the infrastructure management process. This paper presents a framework for a computerized tool to manage and utilize resources for roadway infrastructure management. The computerized tool is developed using ESRI ArcPad Software, which is installed on portable or handheld computing devices. The development of the tool consists of three main processes: 1) data collection, 2) data storage, and 3) data distribution (or assignment). Data (complaints, work request, work orders) can be collected either over the Internet, by telephone, or in the field using a handheld or a tablet PC. Applications are to be developed to collect and store data in a comprehensive database for retrieval and processing at a later stage. Distribution (or assignment) of work orders mainly depends on the priority of the work order. Priority of the work order can be classified as emergency, urgent, routine and special. To make better use of the tool, spatial distribution of the work orders also need to be taken into account in the process of assignment

Evaluating the effectiveness of turning traffic must yield to pedestrians (R10-15)

The countermeasure Turning traffic must yield to pedestrians (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) code sign R10-15) is used to address problems such as pedestrians not waiting for signals or an acceptable gap before crossing the streets resulting in conflicts between right turning vehicles and pedestrians. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of this installation. Various measures of effectiveness (MOEs) were identified. These MOEs are pedestrian / vehicle conflict, presence of pedestrians in the crosswalk during the flashing DON\u27T WALK and during the all red, percent of vehicles blocking the crosswalk, percent of right turn on red drivers coming to a complete stop, percent of turning drivers yielding to pedestrians, percent of pedestrians who look at the start of WALK signal for turning vehicles, pedestrian delay, and vehicle delay. The study site is Harmon Avenue / Paradise Road intersection located in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. A before-and-after data collection strategy was applied to test any significant difference in the identified MOEs between the two study periods. Data were collected during AM and PM peak hours. Statistical tests, test for two proportions and two-sample t-test, were used to test the significance of differences in MOEs during the two study periods. The result shows that motorists yielding behavior while turning either on red or green increased during the after study period. A significant reduction was observed in vehicles blocking the crosswalk while a significant increase in vehicles stopped completely before turning on red (P \u3c 0.001). Average pedestrian delay increased during the after study period from 44 sec/pedestrian to 61 sec/pedestrian whereas the average vehicle delay increased from 67 sec/vehicle to 76 sec/vehicle. The installation of R10-15 effective increases the yielding behavior of turning traffic at green in presence of pedestrians which also leads to increase in both pedestrian and vehicle delay

Identification and Ranking of High Pedestrian Crash Zones Using GIS

Identification of high risk zones is important to develop and implement strategies to enhance pedestrian safety. While the analysis of motor vehicle related crashes has seen the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), pedestrian related safety analyses have not taken as much advantage of the capabilities afforded by GIS programs. The objectives of this research are to present a methodology to identify and rank high pedestrian crash zones, and to introduce a GIS based tool based on the methodology. Capabilities of the tool include the following: identify spatial concentration patterns, select high pedestrian crash zones, extract crash and demographic characteristics of the selected zones, compute crash rates, and rank the high crash zones. Data from crashes and incidents reported by law enforcement personnel and street network characteristics are used by the tool. The tool has user friendly interfaces for data input and customizes various repetitive tasks. While the application of the tool is illustrated using data from Carson City, Nevada, it is readily adaptable for analysis of data for any other location

Development of spatial data tools to manage transportation networks

This paper presents a summary of a process used to develop a spatial data system to help manage transportation networks. Issues related to the system architecture, and identification and integration of software and hardware elements are addressed. Commercial off-the-shelf software and hardware, along with customized interfaces are used to develop the system. Hardware considered includes portable digital assistants, Tablet PC, and Laptop. Key aspects that were considered in selecting the hardware include the ease with which they can be used in the field, their durability, effectiveness, and portability. Compatibility and ability to integrate with other application software were also critical considerations. The software is selected based on the ease with which they can be used and integrated with web authoring software, thus enhancing collection, processing, and dissemination of data. In addition, the compatibility of the software with various data formats (i.e., prior versions of databases), and the potential for such compatibility to continue into the future is also important. Software considered and tested includes Autodesk MapGuide, ESRI ArcIMS, ESRI ArcPad, and Terrasync software. Using selected hardware and software, a pilot project is used to demonstrate the use of the system to assimilate, manage, process, and communicate transportation infrastructure related data