Welcome from the Interim Director:
The newly instituted, interdisciplinary program in
Infrastructure and Environmental Systems seeks to increase our understanding of
the complex interactions between infrastructure and environmental systems. The
program is a combined effort of several departments across the UNC Charlotte
campus. Chief among those are the Department of Civil Engineering and the
Department of Geography and Earth Sciences. Important contributions also are
made by the Departments of Biology, Chemistry and Engineering Management.
The educational objectives of the program are
to provide students with educational
opportunities in science, engineering, and management, culminating in an
interdisciplinary research-based Ph.D. in Infrastructure and Environmental
Systems;
to prepare students for careers as
doctoral-level research scientists, engineers, and resource and systems
managers who will lead in developing the next generation of infrastructure and
environmental technology;
to involve students in the support and expansion
of the base of research in rapidly growing fields related to infrastructure and
environmental systems in the Charlotte region, North Carolina, and across the
nation and world;
to enhance the educational experience in science
and engineering for all students, graduate and undergraduate, at UNC Charlotte;
and
to expand the educational experience of students
by participating in the activities of interdisciplinary institutes at UNC
Charlotte such as the Global Institute for Environmental and Energy Systems
(GIEES), the Center for Transportation Policy Studies, and the UNC Charlotte
Urban Institute.
Areas of
potential student research include: biogeochemistry, applied
climatology, coastal processes, contaminant transport, engineering
geology, environmental geology, fluvial processes, geochemistry, geotechnical
engineering, surface and groundwater hydrology, landfill design, tropical
meteorology, mineralogy, Quaternary geology, sedimentology,
stratigraphy, site remediation, slope
stability, soil geomorphology, structural geology, surficial
processes, vadose zone processes, waste containment in soils, watershed analysis and numerical weather prediction.
Students have access to extensive field and analytical equipment and facilities
including IC, ICPMS, XRD, XRF, GPR, grain size analysis and GIS laboratories.
Students
who apply to our program have baccalaureate or masters degrees from programs
both within the U.S. and abroad. We expect applicants to have the academic
preparation required of our own undergraduate and masters students in such
departments as Civil Engineering and Geography and Earth Sciences. For examples
of our expectations, see descriptions of the Earth Sciences Undergraduate Program and
the Earth Sciences Graduate Program.
Currently there are about 12 Ph.D.
students enrolled in the Infrastructure and Environmental Systems program. All
of the full time Ph.D. students are receiving financial support. Financial aide
includes and TA and RA opportunities. Class sizes are small and students enjoy
close interaction with the program faculty. Any of our faculty would be happy to answer questions that you may have, or
you may contact me directly at dyoung@uncc.edu. Our office is
located in Room 264 of the Smith Building on the UNC Charlotte campus.
For more information about the program, click on one of the
following links
We hope to see you soon.
David Young
Interim Director of INES
Records
& Registration