The 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 and Environmental 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, water quality modeling, solid waste management, structural materials behavior detenoration, physical protection of buildings and bridges, evaluation of existing structures and foundation, soil behavior and human factors in transportation. 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 and Environmental Engineering and Geography and Earth Sciences. For examples of our expectations, see descriptions of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Undergraduate Program, Civil and Environmental Engineering Graduate Program, Earth Sciences Undergraduate Program and the Earth Sciences Graduate Program.

Currently there are more than 40 Ph.D. students enrolled in the Infrastructure and Environmental Systems program. All of the full time Ph.D.students are receiving financial support. Financial aid includes tuition waiver, health benefits 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 130 of the Cameron Building on the UNC Charlotte campus.

We hope to see you soon.

David Young

Director of INES