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The attached PDF lists CEE faculty who are "open to conversation" about working with undergraduate researchers. If you're interested, reach out to one today.

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Spring 2026 CEE Undergraduate Research Award program

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Spring 2026 CEE Undergraduate Research Award program

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If you are a CEE undergraduate student who is currently doing research or interested in getting started, consider applying to the CEE Undergraduate Research Award program. Applications are due by February 23 and must be signed by your research sponsor/mentor. Click on the PDF for more information.

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Sustainable alternative pavement materials and innovative technologies

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Sustainable alternative pavement materials and innovative technologies

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Our research team investigates sustainable technologies for responsible recycling practices in the pavement industry. Asphalt is one of the most recycled materials in the world. Asphalt industry has a 60-years history of recycling old pavements and post-consumer products from other industries, with varying levels of success. Post-consumer rubber tires, asphalt shingles, slags, polymers, oils, and plastics are common materials recycled in asphalt pavements. However, recycling of these materials may not be the most sustainable solutions if it compromises pavement performance and service-life. This motivates our group to evaluate and further develop innovative technologies such as plastic compatibilizers, recycling agents (“rejuvenators”), bio-binders, reactive polymers, antioxidants, and warm-mix technologies to improve the durability and sustainability of transportation infrastructure. We are looking forward to recruiting undergraduate researchers from FAMU or FSU to conduct hands-on activities range from sample preparation and testing to data analysis and machine learning applications. If interested send your resume to Dr. Michael Elwardany

Contact: Michael Elwardany
Email: melwardany@eng.famu.fsu.edu
Phone: 850-410-6127

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Computational simulation of wind forces on buildings 

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Computational simulation of wind forces on buildings 

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We are looking for one undergraduate student to participate in research that will integrate machine learning (ML) algorithms to predict and enhance the wind performance of buildings. The student will extract recently collected and publicly available wind tunnel data and execute multi-fidelity computational wind simulation models in the High-Performance Computer Lab (HiPCLab) of the Resilient Infrastructure & Disaster Response (RIDER) Center. If interested, send your resume to Dr. Pedro Fernández-Cabán

Contact: Dr. Pedro Fernández-Cabán
Email: plfernandez@eng.famu.fsu.edu

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Small-scale demolition operation experiments for resilience and sustainability 

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Small-scale demolition operation experiments for resilience and sustainability 

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Debris removal operations are critical during post-disaster recovery. Speedy removal and collection of disaster debris enable searching for and rescuing potential survivors on time while expediting the overall recovery of affected communities. Meanwhile, careful separation and collection of materials from a mix of debris increase the possibility of material recycling and reuse (thereby minimizing environmental impacts) at the cost of productivity. Since heavy equipment (such as excavators) is mainly used in disaster debris operation, operators' skills and the design of excavator buckets have been known as critical factors for the successful operation of disaster debris. In this project, we will study the operation of disaster debris and test different designs of buckets by simulating different recovery scenarios with small-scale excavators and trucks. Motion data of heavy machines will be collected and analyzed to guide the operation of debris and the design of buckets. If interested, send your resume to Dr. Juyeong Choi.

Contact: Dr. Juyeong Choi
Email: jchoi@eng.famu.fsu.edu
Phone: 850-410-6190

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Simplifying the Double-Edge-Notched Tension (DENT) Test 

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Simplifying the Double-Edge-Notched Tension (DENT) Test 

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Liquid asphalt is a strong binding and waterproofing agent. Asphalt is mixed with sand and rocks (aggregates); the mixture is referred to as asphalt concrete, and is used to construct pavements. Fatigue cracking is one of the most common failure mechanisms in asphalt pavements. Researchers have proposed numerous tools to evaluate materials prone to fatigue cracking. The Double-edge-notched Tension (DENT) test was developed to evaluate asphalt binder resistance to ductile failure at intermediate temperatures (15 to 25°C). The DENT test is based on fundamental non-linear fracture mechanics theory. It was first developed by Andriescu et al. (Transportation Research Record, 2004) and the test results correlated well with cracking performance in the field. However, many stakeholders in the industry have concerns with the test's applicability, variability, sample preparation time, and sample size. Thus, further research efforts are needed to enhance and streamline the DENT test. DENT testing was conducted on a relatively large number of binder types at the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC). Working with FHWA, the research team will consult the literature and utilize this dataset to propose ideas to simplify the testing procedure. Additional experimental work to validate the simplified procedure will be conducted in the second phase of the project.

Contact: Dr. Michael Elwardany
E-mail: melwardany@eng.famu.fsu.edu
Phone: 850-410-6127

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The Resilient Infrastructure & Disaster Response (RIDER) Center (http://rider.engineer/) offers research opportunities to undergraduate students. Students will be mentored by a RIDER faculty to conduct a research project related to one of the RIDER’s primary focus areas ranging from disaster management and response to connected and automated vehicles, from waste management to infrastructure resilience, and from flood and wind modeling to sustainable materials. If interested, send your resume to RIDER's Director of Communications Mehmet Oztan.

Contact: Mehmet Oztan

Email: moztan@eng.famu.fsu.edu

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Operations research applications in transportation engineering 

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Operations research applications in transportation engineering 

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The Laboratory for Advanced Operations Research and Resilience Applications (LAORA) at the RIDER Center (http://rider.engineer/) has several undergraduate research positions available in advanced operations research applications for transportation systems. Currently, LAORA is working on a large-scale research project sponsored by the Florida Department of Transportation related to safety improvements at highway-rail grade crossings, where highway segments intersect a railroad at the same elevation (i.e., level crossings). This project aims to develop a new optimization model and effective solution algorithms to select level crossings for closures, with the objective of maximizing the total benefits from these closures (such as safety benefits, reduction in delays, reduction in operational and maintenance costs, etc.). Undergraduate researchers will closely work with the LAORA PhD candidates and postdocs to explore the capabilities of advanced optimization algorithms to solve the most challenging decision problems in rail transportation and other applications. For more information regarding the available positions, please contact Dr. Maxim A. Dulebenets

Contact: Dr. Maxim Dulebenets
Email: mdulebenets@eng.famu.fsu.edu

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Vulnerable population groups (e.g., aging adults, individuals with disabilities) represent a significant portion of the entire population in the United States. It is essential to understand the factors that may influence driving performance of vulnerable population groups when designing transportation infrastructure. This project aims to design customized driving simulation models to better understand how driving performance of different population groups might be affected under normal and inclement weather conditions (e.g., storm, fog, limited visibility, etc.). The primary research tool will be a high-fidelity driving simulator.  Students may be involved in tasks ranging from programming roadway features and driving scenarios, to assisting with volunteer drivers, to analyzing data.

Contact: Dr. Maxim Dulebenets, Asst. Prof.
E-mail: mdulebenets@eng.famu.fsu.edu
Phone: 850-410-6621

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Additive manufacturing or 3D printing of concrete is an emerging construction technology that offers many advantages over conventional building methods, including more geometry design freedom, less waste of material, faster construction speed, and lower cost. However, this emerging technology also experiences some major drawbacks. In 3D printing, the concrete is extruded and deposited layer by layer to construct the final structure. Due to the layered construction of 3D printed structures, the presence of weak interfaces may adversely affect the mechanical properties of printed structures. This hands-on project focus on characterizing the mechanical properties of 3D printed structures with different layer structures, interfacial treatment, and printing patterns, and exploring how these factors affect their mechanical performance. By working on this project, students will obtain hands-on experience with concrete materials, explore 3D printing technology in the lab setting, receive training in mechanical testing, and also enhance their understanding of mechanics of materials.

Contact:  Dr. Qian Zhang, Asst. Professor
E-mail: qzhang@eng.famu.fsu.edu
Phone: 850-410-6260