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Centers and Institutes

Kentucky Transportation Center

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.

Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute

The Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute (KWRRI) 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.  KWRRI 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. KWRRI manages a wide variety of research projects, provides technical support to its stakeholders, and educates and trains the next generation of water resource experts.

University of Kentucky Superfund Research Center

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. We 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. 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.

Kentucky Geological Survey

The Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS) traces its roots back to 1838 and has been part of the University of Kentucky since 1948.

Our mission is to support the sustainable prosperity of the Commonwealth, the vitality of its flagship university, and the welfare of its people. We do this by conducting research and providing unbiased information about the geology and natural resources of Kentucky.

We focus on issues relevant to the economic prosperity, environmental quality, and practical well-being of the Commonwealth and its people: the things that can make Kentucky a compelling place to live, work, and do business.