Transportation and Infrastructure Systems Engineering

As a branch of civil engineering, transportation engineering has a history that is long and illustrious and a future that is full of promise. The National Academy of Engineering has identified restoring urban infrastructure and implementing smart mobility as grand challenges. We need coordinated approaches to tackle transportation issues by integrating car, rail, bus, truck, walking and bicycling to meet sustainability goals. Currently, we see how smartphones have enabled ride sharing services such as Uber and Lyft, while taxis and GPS-equipped cars and trucks are providing massive amounts of data that was unimaginable a few years back. Before long, it may be common to have vehicles are talking to infrastructure (V2I) and vehicles talking to each other (V2V). Traffic flow with automated vehicles is expected to be much safer and more efficient than with human drivers.

The journey to that future will be fascinating and challenging. The safe and efficient movement of people and goods relies on infrastructure. Highways, airports, railroads, waterways and pipelines need to be planned, designed, operated, and maintained. Purdue's Transportation and Infrastructure Systems Engineering faculty offer a wide range of classes, research facilities, and experiences. Their efforts will have noticeable impacts on challenges such as:

  • Asset management
  • Data acquisition and analytics
  • Emergency response
  • Energy
  • Freight Transportation and Logistics
  • Environment
  • Smart Mobility
  • Sustainability
  • Urban infrastructure

The award-winning Purdue Student Chapter of the Institute of Transportation Engineers introduces students to the transportation profession and fosters a close association of students with practicing engineers, educators from other institutions, and local and national chapters of ITE.


Spotlights

November 29, 2024

39th Annual Civil Engineering Professional Development Seminar

Hundreds of civil engineering professionals from around the world gathered at Purdue University to attend the 39th Annual Civil Engineering Professional Development Seminar. The daylong event covered an array of topics from works zones and the visually impaired to repair strategies for steel bridges.
October 25, 2024

NGTS Conference held at Purdue University

Purdue University hosted the 4th Annual Conference on Next Generation Transportation Systems (NGTS-4) on September 21st and 22nd at the Purdue Discovery Park District in West Lafayette, Indiana.
September 19, 2024

Satish Ukkusuri selected as senior member of INFORMS

Satish V. Ukkusuri, Reilly Professor of Civil Engineering and director of the Urban Mobility Networks and Intelligence (UMNI) Lab at Purdue, has been selected to be part of the summer 2024 class of INFORMS Senior Members.
September 5, 2024

Yellow lights are inconsistent and chaotic. Here's why.

Researchers from Purdue's Joint Transportation Research Program (JTRP) and across the globe are employing data analytics, connected technologies and other innovations to help make intersections safer and more efficient.
August 28, 2024

We need to prepare our transport systems for heatwaves — here's how

In this recent article published in Nature magazine, Reilly Professor of Civil Engineering Satish Ukkusuri and his research collaborators outline best practices for implementing a comprehensive, strategic approach to combat the adverse effects of climate change on transport systems.
August 9, 2024

Deepak Benny joins panel discussion at ARTBA conference

Deepak Benny, CCE doctoral graduate student, was selected to participate in a national panel discussion at the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) "P3s in Transportation" conference held in Washington, DC, July 16-18, 2024.
August 2, 2024

CCE student, faculty take part in autonomous marine transportation challenge

Samuel Labi, Professor of Civil Engineering, and CCE student Jelin Sabu teamed up with members of the Purdue Polytechnic Institute to represent Purdue at the 1st Annual Artificial Intelligence Maritime Maneuver Indiana Collegiate Challenge (AIM ICC) held at the Pokagon State Park in Angola, IN, June 25-27, 2024.
July 24, 2024

Purdue ITE wins 2024 Traffic Bowl Grand Championship

Congratulations to the Purdue Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Traffic Bowl Team on winning the 2024 ITE International Collegiate Traffic Bowl Grand Championship! The traffic bowl is an annual competition among ITE student chapter teams, and uses transportation planning and engineering topics for the clues, questions and answers.
June 26, 2024

Mohammadhosein Pourgholamali receives Outstanding MS Thesis Award

CE grad student Mohammadhosein Pourgholamali received the Purdue University College of Engineering Outstanding MS Thesis Award for Spring 2024 for his thesis titled, "Robust design of electric charging infrastructure locations under travel demand uncertainty and driving range heterogeneity."
May 30, 2024

Nadia Gkritza named ELATES program fellow

Nadia Gkritza, Professor of Civil Engineering and Agricultural and Biological Engineering, will join the 2024 cohort of the Executive Leadership in Academic Technology, Engineering and Science (ELATES) fellowship program at Drexel University.
May 14, 2024

Purdue ITE receives 2024 Student Chapter Award

Congratulations to the Purdue University Student Chapter of Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) for being selected to receive the 2024 Student Chapter Award. The Student Chapter award recognizes a chapter that has provided an exemplary experience for its members with robust programming and outstanding administration.
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