This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award funds the acquisition of an advanced time-of-flight terrestrial Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) system to expand research opportunities, and to integrate cutting edge technology into the engineering and sciences classrooms at Lafayette College. Time-of-flight LIDAR uses laser pulses to capture the position and reflectivity of objects and surfaces in three-dimensional space. The new generation of LIDAR technology and associated post-processing software are far more capable and user friendly than previous generations. This particular LIDAR system is sturdy enough for hands-on use by undergraduate students and is equipped with full waveform processing to explore entirely new ways of visualizing and characterizing objects and terrain. The movement of LIDAR technology toward the mainstream is creating a revolution in how engineers and scientists sense, map, and record the natural and built environment. This revolution extends beyond the sciences and into fields of historical preservation, law enforcement, and art. In the foreseeable future, even personal vehicles will utilize LIDAR for autonomous navigation. Therefore, it is essential to introduce students at an undergraduate level to LIDAR, and assist them in identifying new and creative uses of this technology. The LIDAR system and the research it will enable will be used for: the training of future engineers and scientists through research and pedagogy that embraces new technology; the development of new collaborations and partnerships between academia and industry; and the significant enhancement of the capability to perform leading edge research at Lafayette College. Lafayette students involved in undergraduate research are typically inspired to pursue advanced degrees and research-related professions in both academia and industry. LIDAR is a versatile tool that will not only expand the research infrastructure at Lafayette but also provide new experimental experiences in the engineering and science curricula. The LIDAR system will support at least nine courses at Lafayette College as well as research intensive independent study and honors thesis courses, with approximately 400 student contacts per year. The high tech nature and portability of the LIDAR lends itself well to conducting outreach demonstrations for local high school students, many of whom are underrepresented minorities, to generate excitement about the STEM fields. The PI and Co-PIs have strong records mentoring women students and will take advantage of new efforts that are underway at Lafayette to recruit additional members of underrepresented groups into their research program
The intellectual merit of this project is centered on creating new knowledge and enhancing the research opportunities for faculty and undergraduate students at Lafayette College. The LIDAR system will have the immediate impact of enabling the PI, Co-PIs, research students, and outside collaborators in academia and industry to conduct research in the following areas: 1) transportation infrastructure, 2) slope stability and erosional processes, 3) hydrology and sediment transport, and 4) application of remote sensing to soil characterization. The projects in these areas directly address important issues and questions related to the built and natural environments at a local and national level. Specifically, the LIDAR system will enable research activities with the following impacts: development of best practices for using LIDAR to measure performance of Geosynthetic-Reinforced Soil Integrated Bridge Systems (GRS-IBS); movement toward consensus on how to efficiently design Column-Supported Embankments (CSEs); advancement in understanding of the complex soil-structure interaction that exists in slopes stabilized with slender reinforcing elements; characterization of the factors leading to instability of slopes near Lafayette College formed in the Franklin Formation; examination of the effects of bedrock geology and long-term dam operation on channel morphology along rivers and streams; and development of an innovative concept to characterize key properties of compacted soil by leveraging data from remote sensing instruments.
