Linkages between Construction Engineering Education and Research
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 137, Issue 10
Abstract
The needs of the construction industry require that an appropriate balance be provided between construction engineering topics and management topics in both education and research. Because construction is less mature as a research area compared to other areas in civil engineering, limitations on research funding have made the investigation of construction management topics more feasible in comparison to construction engineering topics. Because faculty members are drawn from the pool of Ph.D. students who have primarily researched management topics, there has been a tendency for them to continue emphasis on management topics in both education and research. Other civil engineering disciplines form their research programs around the needs of design codes and standards’ development, and academic participation is high. Similar efforts exist within construction engineering; however, there is less academic participation. It is suggested that greater effort be invested in the improvement of construction process standards and specifications so that construction engineering research efforts can advance construction process standards and stimulate increased engineering educational exposure. It is also suggested that academics who are interested in construction engineering research should consider participating in the specification improvement processes that occur at the national and state levels. A process for wider participation in construction engineering research and standards development is recommended.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank Dr. Edward Jaselskis and Dr. Jesus de la Garza for organizing the Construction Engineering Conference, and Dr. Donn Hancher’s 1997 address as the Peurifoy Award recipient in which he suggested that transportation facility construction research be sponsored at federal, state, and local levels as a method of entry into construction engineering research and as a satisfying career focus. We gratefully acknowledge his leadership as an advocate for construction engineering.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 137 • Issue 10 • October 2011
Pages: 887 - 894
Copyright
© 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 6, 2010
Accepted: Dec 22, 2010
Published online: Sep 15, 2011
Published in print: Oct 1, 2011
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