Civil Engineering is a Key Partner in New Infrastructure, Transportation and Security Center
Civil Engineering secured a key role in the newly funded Infrastructure, Transportation, and Security Center (ITSC). Along with the Department of Computer Science, we will be collaborating with teams from Farmingdale State College, Maritime College, and Nassau Community College to strengthen the security of various infrastructure and transportation systems across Long Island.
Dr. Anil Yazici is one of the project’s leaders, and will work with our own Dr. Walker to develop programs that prepare civil engineering students for active roles in the transportation and infrastructure industries by providing research expertise in the fields of transportation, particularly transportation safety and security. The large-scale undertaking was funded by the new NYSUNY 2020 initiative, envisioned as a means for SUNY schools such as Stony Brook to become a catalyst for regional economic development.
The College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS), celebrated this award along with Civil Engineering. Dean Sotiropoulos commented, “This project exemplifies what we do best in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. We cut across traditional disciplinary boundaries to tackle major societal challenges. Civil engineers working with computer scientists to develop technology-based solutions for protecting our transportation infrastructure and educate the workforce of tomorrow is exactly what engineering innovation looks like.”
Students of this new civil engineering curriculum may be excited to learn that the ITSC will be collaborating closely with the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Aviation Administration, JFK International Airport, and aviation leaders. These partnerships will result from the ITSC’s collaboration with the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council, which provides career pathways in the STEM fields.
Affording civil engineering students the opportunity to transfer directly into the regional workforce, and on to the front lines of innovation, is an enormous victory for the department and their new role in this Center. Looking ahead, this project could lead to future joint projects that meet the needs of Long Island and the NYC metropolitan region, and result in more industry-academia partnerships.
This project will also strengthen ties between CEAS and the Long Island Forum for Technology (LIFT), which is the regional technology organization for the New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation, and also Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs).
Stony Brook University President Samuel L. Stanley, Jr., MD offered his praise, as well: “Our programs in computer science, information technology and the newly created Department of Civil Engineering are well-poised to translate new discoveries into innovative approaches that improve our transportation infrastructure.”
The engineering and security programs that will be offered through ITSC will include in-person and online courses, hands-on engineering experiments and computer simulation, and opportunities for disadvantaged and at-risk students. The initial phase of the project will include security of air, water, transportation and power grid infrastructure.