Sharmin Sultana, M.S.
Graduate Research Assistant, Civil Engineering
Kansas State University

Project: Extending Asphalt Pavement Life Using Thin Whitetopping

Sharmin Sultana is a graduate research assistant working under the supervision of Dr. Mustaque Hossain. She is modeling thin whitetopping overlays over existing asphalt concrete pavements using the finite element software ANSYS. She is also comparing results obtained from the finite element analysis with the test data generated in an Accelerated Pavement Testing (APT) of a whitetopping project at Kansas State University. Her work is expected to result in a design catalog for thin whitetopping.

Umar Firman, B.S.
Undergraduate Research Assistant, Mechanical Engineering
Kansas University

Project: Estimating Highway Pavement Damage Costs Attributed to Truck Traffic

Mr. Firman, an undergraduate student, assisted in the literature review and the collection of pavement cost data.

Sean Parks, M.S.
Graduate Research Assistant, Civil Engineering
University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Project: Design of High Tension Cable Post Bases

Working on "Design of High Tension Cable Post Bases" for Dr. Rohde was an enlightening experience. My task was to search the literature concerning frost susceptibility in soils, which is not taught in classes. Frost heave has three major components that influence it: temperature, water, and soil type. I have found that during my research, to really understand a document, you need to read its sources and sometimes the sources' sources. This can branch out very quickly and can become overwhelming. The project required me to work independently, keep myself focused, and set goals for when I wanted certain work to be completed. I enjoyed that I was in charge of my part of the research and that I could decide on its direction and boundaries. I also enjoyed that what I researched did not have a definitive answer to it, which made me realize that there will not always be a solution to every problem.