Training Workforce for Infrastructure Construction and Engineering (TWICE) Project

Principal Investigator: Dr. Yong Bai (McShane Chair and Professor of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Marquette University)

Geographic Scope: Wisconsin

Lead Institution: Marquette University

A comprehensive grant for research and curriculum development in infrastructure construction and engineering. The project aims to educate future workforce with focus on undergraduate and graduate students while developing training materials for existing workforce and middle/high school students.

Key Partners

• Marquette University (lead)
• Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC)
• WRTP | BIG STEP (workforce development partner)
• Argonne National Laboratory

Project Goals

• Address civil infrastructure challenges in Wisconsin and the U.S.
• Develop innovative approach integrating research with teaching and training
• Address skilled workforce shortage in construction and engineering industries
• Diversify the construction workforce with underrepresented groups
• Expose middle and high school students to STEM careers

Five Research & Training Projects

Project 1: 3D Concrete Printing Technology

• Address existing challenges with 3D concrete printing
• Explore standardization of concrete mix design with local materials
• Develop courses and materials for undergraduate and graduate students
• Create 30-minute training sessions for younger students

Project 2: Public Housing Infrastructure Resilience

• Assess regional methodologies for public housing infrastructure resilience to natural hazards (earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding)
• Develop retrofit priorities for existing public housing
• Provide professional development training on natural hazard risk evaluation
• Create K-12 outreach modules on multi-hazard building design

Project 3: Stormwater Infrastructure Monitoring

• Apply drone and satellite remote sensing with AI/deep learning to identify maintenance needs
• Develop novel inspection methods for stormwater detention ponds
• Train workforce in both traditional and remote sensing inspection
• Create training materials for middle/high school students

Project 4: Smart Work Zones Training

• Develop training materials for workforce on Smart Work Zones (roadways with data/sensors from GPS and connected vehicles)
• Create training videos and presentations in collaboration with industry and transportation agencies
• Develop 30-minute STEM outreach for middle/high school students

Project 5: Pavement Workforce Training

• Develop training materials to bridge gap between state of knowledge and state of practice
• Create 150 minutes of presentation content broken into short segments
• Collaborate with industry organizations and transportation agencies
• Develop simplified outreach version for middle/high school students

Context

• Wisconsin infrastructure requires capacity upgrades or maintenance
• Construction/engineering industries face skilled workforce shortages
• Baby boomers and Generation X reaching retirement age
• Award from HUD's Economic Development Initiative Community Project Funding

Contact Information

Marquette University:

• Principal Investigator: Dr. Yong Bai
• Engineering Dean: Dr. Kristina Ropella
• Opus College of Engineering

WRTP | BIG STEP:

• Website: wrtp.org
• Phone: (414) 342-9787