Campus Construction as a Research Laboratory: Model for Intracampus Collaboration

Capital construction projects on university campuses produce experience opportunities and archived data. Meanwhile, construction engineering faculty seeks research projects and funding for graduate students who, in turn, seek additional practical experience. In response, symbiotic relationships, between an academic department with construction engineering proficiency and the administrative office that oversees campus construction, have formed at both The University of Alabama (UA) and The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State). At each institution, the intracampus collaboration provides funded opportunities and access to projects, which enable graduate students to successfully complete thesis research (M.S. and Ph.D.). Further, campus construction offices at both institutions are also realizing benefits from the collaboration, including a connection to academia, and have committed to continuing the relationship indefinitely. Aimed at helping other institutions establish and benefit from similar collaboration, this paper describes a model for research partnerships made possible by campus construction. The development of a model for intracampus construction collaboration is explained using separate experiences from UA and Penn State. Both positive results and lessons learned are shared.