REU Site: Smart and Sustainable Infrastructure Using Rail as a Living Laboratory

The United States faces growing challenges in maintaining and modernizing transportation infrastructure while addressing workforce shortages and rapidly evolving technologies. Rail transportation, one of the most energy-efficient and sustainable modes of freight and passenger movement, plays a critical role in supporting economic growth, national defense, and environmental sustainability. These challenges highlight the need for engineers equipped with interdisciplinary skills and knowledge of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, structural materials, smart sensing systems, and data-driven infrastructure management. This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site at The Pennsylvania State University, Altoona will support 10 undergraduate students each year in a 10-week summer research program focused on smart and sustainable transportation infrastructure. Leveraging the nation’s only ABET-accredited bachelor’s degree program in Rail Transportation Engineering (RTE), the program uses rail systems as living laboratories to provide interdisciplinary research experiences spanning civil, mechanical, electrical, computer, and transportation engineering. Participants will work with faculty mentors, industry partners, and researchers affiliated with the Rail Center for Research Enhancing Shortline Transportation (Rail CREST), a federally funded initiative focused on strengthening shortline rail infrastructure and workforce development. Through mentored research, professional development, and industry engagement, this program will build a diverse talent pipeline and advance national priorities in infrastructure modernization and sustainable transportation. The REU Site will engage students in research organized around three thrust areas: intelligent infrastructure for safety and risk mitigation using smart sensing and AI-enabled monitoring; sustainable materials and structural performance for rail and multimodal transportation systems; and data-driven monitoring, digital twins, and predictive maintenance using machine learning and data analytics. Students will conduct research using laboratory experimentation, computational modeling, and data-driven analysis supported by Penn State Altoona’s rail transportation engineering facilities and partnerships with industry and the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum. Integration with Rail CREST activities will provide opportunities to investigate real-world shortline rail challenges and infrastructure performance. The program includes structured mentoring, research seminars, and professional development activities, culminating in technical presentations and written reports. This REU Site will prepare undergraduate students with interdisciplinary skills to advance smart, resilient, and sustainable transportation infrastructure systems. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.