The Department of Civil Engineering has a long-standing collaborative partnership with the Kentucky Transportation Center, the research arm of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Faculty and students in transportation engineering maintain close ties with the center, conducting research projects of mutual interest and leading professional development programs. The physical materials used by civil engineers have long been a major focus of research in the center. Emerging research concerns ways to strengthen transportation infrastructure and security.
The Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) supports Civil Engineering graduate and undergraduate students by providing numerous transportation research opportunities. Emphasizing multidisciplinary research, the Center helps students and young professionals develop a broad set of skills that will benefit them as they enter the workforce or pursue graduate studies. KTC shares office and laboratory space with the Department of Civil Engineering, and many professors collaborate with KTC on research projects that deliver transportation solutions. The Transportation Education Program Manager is Dr. Reginald Souleyrette.
The Kentucky Water Resources Institute is part of a nationwide association of 54 federally authorized water resource institutes and centers located at land grant universities throughout the United States and its territories. KWRI has over 50 years of involvement in water resources issues and has established itself as an important link between water-related personnel at academic institutions, government agencies, and the private sector. KWRI manages a wide variety of research projects, provides technical support to its stakeholders, and educates and trains the next generation of water resource experts.
The KWRI was originally started in the Department of Civil Engineering (CE) in 1964 because of a proposal originally submitted by two CE faculty: Dr Douglas James and Dr. Robert Lauderdale. Dr. Lindell Ormsbee served as its longest director from 2004 to 2022. Several CE faculty continue to serve as affiliate members of the KWRRI. The institute administers a USGS federal grant problem that provides funding for water and environmental research in civil engineering.
The University of Kentucky Superfund Research Center (UKSRC), funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), integrates multidisciplinary research, training, and stakeholder engagement around a common theme: reducing health risks posed by environmental contaminants in communities. The center is currently housed in Civil Engineering and is directed by Dr. Kelly Pennell. Several CE students are currently funded on projects supported by the Center.
Researchers and students affiliated with the Center investigate the impact of persistent halogenated organics (e.g. PCBs, PCE, TCE, and PFAS), aim to reduce the toxic effects of these chemicals, and seek to promote health equity in communities. The UKSRC uses an intervention and prevention paradigm that fosters healthy lifestyles (i.e., healthful nutrition and increased physical activity) to reduce the disease risks associated with exposure to Superfund pollutants and designs engineered solutions to reduce exposures through innovative sensing, remediation and fate and transport science.
The Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS) traces its roots back to 1838 and has been part of the University of Kentucky since 1948.
Its mission is to support the sustainable prosperity of the Commonwealth, the vitality of its flagship university, and the welfare of its people. It does this by conducting research and providing unbiased information about the geology (including geohazards) and natural resources of Kentucky (including groundwater water and karst hydrology).
The KGS maintains an extensive seismic network across Kentucky and manages one of the most comprehensive geospatial geologic databases in the country.
Professional staff of the Survey collaborate with various faculty and students in civil engineering and teach water related graduate courses in hydrogeology and groundwater modeling and geological courses related to geologic hazards.
