Research Assistantships
University Transportation Center for Railway Safety is comprised of undergraduates and graduate students guided and supervised by a team of six faculty professors ranging in experience from instrumentation, thermal/fluid sciences, vibration and acoustics, finite element analysis, controls, materials science and technology, and electrical engineering. Every student involved with the group receives specialized learning and training opportunities through railroad industry sponsored projects. Involvement in these projects provides students exposure to research by having an active role in the improvement and advancements of mature technology or in the creation of innovative equipment for railroad operation. Collaborating professors provide support, guidance, knowledge, and wisdom every step of the way.
The students-faculty collaboration has been very successful and has produced twenty-four different publications in referred journals and rail conferences co-authored with students, and twenty-one Master's theses, all in the span of eight years. Moreover, the funded projects have enabled the training of more than 90 undergraduate and 50 graduate students in various railroad-related research activities. Of these students, two Master's students have joined ENSCO's railroad division team and have been involved in various research projects funded by the Federal Railroad Association (FRA); a fact that demonstrates workforce development. Two more Master's students continued their graduate studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) to pursue their PhD degrees; both involved in railroad funded research, and four undergraduate students are pursuing their Master's degrees at UNL and Texas A&M University (TAMU). The above are a few examples of the great opportunities that have been created through the efficient and effective partnership between UTRGV, TAMU, and UNL which facilitated collaborative railroad research efforts.