April 29, 2022

CE Undergrad Spotlight — Jack Bell

With an emphasis in Transportation Engineering, Lyles School of Civil Engineering undergrad Jack Bell says that he gained a great interest in micro-mobility and civil engineering as a whole upon coming to Purdue University, where he was able to join a research team and publish his own paper.

Hometown: South Bend, Indiana

Current year: Senior

Jack is the secretary for Purdue ASCE.
Jack is the secretary for Purdue ASCE.

Why I chose Purdue Civil Engineering

Growing up in Indiana and being involved in several engineering clubs in high school, I traveled to Purdue quite a few times for competitions and events. I loved the campus and atmosphere here and I knew if there was university where I could get a great engineering education it was here. It was during my freshman year when I learned more about civil engineering specifically that I discovered that this was the path for me.

Emphasis area

My emphasis area is in Transportation Engineering. When I first came to Purdue, I wasn’t sure exactly which engineering school I should choose. But then I saw the sudden arrival of all these electric scooters and that the Lyles School of Civil Engineering was behind a lot of the research regarding it. This really interested me, and the more I learned about it, the more confident I was that this is what I wanted to study.

As an undergraduate, Jack was part of a research team where he was able to publish and present his work.
As an undergraduate, Jack was part of a research team where he was able to publish and present his work.

Published as an undergraduate

One of the greatest opportunities I have had since becoming a civil engineering student was not only did I get to participate in faculty research, but I was able to publish and present my own paper on the research I did on speed distributions of different forms of micro-mobility. Basically, I collected speed data from bicycles, electric scooters, electric skateboards, and pedestrians on campus and I compared their speeds.

As an undergraduate, Jack was part of a research team where he was able to publish and present his work.
As an undergraduate, Jack was part of a research team where he was able to publish and present his work.

After I graduate

After I graduate, I plan to earn my Master’s degree here at Purdue through its 4+1 program. I chose to enroll in the program because I wanted to continue my study and research into transportation engineering and gain a greater understanding of civil engineering overall.

Jack's emphasis area is in Transportation Engineering and aims to earn his Master's degree at Purdue University through the 4+1 Program.
Jack's emphasis area is in Transportation Engineering and he aims to earn his Master's degree at Purdue University through the 4+1 Program.