Journey from Undergraduate to Graduate Student Gabriela Perales - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Journey from Undergraduate to Graduate Student Gabriela Perales

Outline Research: • Structural Health Monitoring System • Long Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) • Research Experience for Undergraduates (UTCRS) • Illinois Center for Transportation Internships: • Texas Department of Transportation Graduate school: • University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Structural Health Monitoring System • Greatly reduces risk of catastrophic failure. • Provides advance warning of growing structural problems. • Causes: • Corrosion degradation • Materials degradation

Micron Optics • Temperature • Strain

Arsenal Bridge • Government Bridge • Connects Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa • Goal → to monitor integrity and behavior of structure, and effects due to high traffic and heavy truck loads

7

Texas Department of Transportation • Summer 2013 • Encino, Texas

Long Term Pavement Performance

LTPP

LTPP

University Transportation for Railway Safety (UTCRS) • Vehicle Violations • Sensors • Smartsensor Advance • Smartsensor HD • Autoscope kit

UTCRS Research

Investigation of Relationships Between AIMS Shape Properties and VST Friction Values • Illinois Center for Transportation • Objective: analysis of second-generation Aggregate Imaging System (AIMS-II) and Micro-Deval (MD) shape properties and variable speed test (VST) friction data • Statistical analysis on aggregates to obtain threshold for classifying aggregate angularity and texture into acceptable and non-acceptable zones • Clusters used: • K-means cluster analysis • Two-step cluster analysis

Continuation

Publication • Mahmoud, Enad, and Gabriela Perales. Investigation of Relationships Between AIMS Shape Properties and VST Friction Values . Tech. no. FHWA-ICT-15-006. Illinois Center for Transportation, Feb. 2015. Web. Mar. 2015.

Extracurricular Activities • HESTEC • Undergraduate Research Initiative Conference • Society of Woman Engineers, Secretary • American Society of Civil Engineers • Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers • Student Think-Tank for Innovation and Research

Why pursue a masters degree? • Intellectual growth • More job opportunities • “Free” education • Detailed course work • Higher starting salary

Grad Student Achievements • Mentor the new UTCRS students. • Meet US Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx and Nebraska Senator Deb Fischer. • Attended the International Highway Engineering Experience Program (IHEEP) conference as a student presenter. (September 2015) • Attended the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association(AREMA) conference. (October 2015) • Currently working on my thesis • Awards: Student of the Year

Gabriela Perales Research Assistant Phone: (956) 624-2543 Email: gperales@huskers.unl.edu