Project story
From question to working system.
This ongoing study examines the changing skills, roles, and institutional needs of the civil-engineering and transportation workforce as retirement pressures, infrastructure investment, and emerging technologies reshape practice.
Parallel surveys captured 47 employer perspectives and 917 practitioner perspectives. Descriptive statistics and Latent Dirichlet Allocation topic modeling connect quantitative priorities with themes in open-ended responses, creating a two-sided view of hiring, retention, succession, education, and skill gaps.
The findings point toward hands-on learning, internships and apprenticeships, stronger industry–academia collaboration, and earlier exposure to tools such as AI-enhanced design and LiDAR surveying. They directly inform my teaching philosophy: engineering education should be accessible and inclusive while preparing students for the technologies and public responsibilities they will encounter.
