MTTI Faculty Profiles
Dr. Ahlborn specializes in concrete materials related to prestressed concrete bridges, including high performance and ultra-high performance concretes (UHPC) applications for structural durability. Current projects include: UHPC structural durability performance, condition assessment and repair of adjacent box-beam bridges, and rapid repair solutions for prefabricated (decked) prestressed beams.
Dr. Alkire is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Michigan Tech and is the Director of the Tribal Technical Assistance Program. He has over 10 years of experience in technology transfer. He has provided technology transfer to tribal governments since 1992 and works with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to provide transportation related assistance to tribes located in the Eastern part of the United States. He is well acquainted with the federal and state government contracting process and has completed several contracts associated with the Local Technical Assistance Program sponsored by the FHWA.
Dr. Alkire's experience in design includes 6 years with the Michigan Department of Transportation as a Road Design Engineer and 30 years teaching highway design courses. He has conducted geotechnical research in frost penetration in road subbase materials.
Dr. Dewey's teaching interests include civil engineering materials, structural analysis and design. His research interests include freeze-thaw durability of concrete, classification of fly ash for use in concrete, and the microscopic characterization of construction materials.
Dr. Hiller's research focuses on pavement mechanics and the interaction between materials, analysis and performance. Current research includes the efficient use of recycled concrete in transportation infrastructure.
Dr. Hodek's research interests include soil mechanics and foundational engineering with an emphasis on deep foundations. In addition to teaching and research, Dr Hodek has been actively involved in professional organizations. He is a past chairmen of the Michigan Board of Professional Engineers, and has chaired the executive committee of the ASCE Technical Council on Cold Weather Engineering. Additionally, Dr. Hodek is a Fellow of ASCE and is a program visitor for the Educational Activities Commission of ABET.
An Analysis of Michigan Roadway Aggregate Materials by the Resilient Modulus Method (pdf)
Dr. Li's research interests include structural reliability analysis, probabilistic design, natural and man-made hazard mitigation, structural load modeling, bridge engineering, and performance-based engineering. Dr. Li is currently involved in several research projects that range from Multi-hazard Risk Assessment and Mitigation for Transportation Infrastructure to structural monitoring to structural solutions to for rapid construction projects.
Dr. Mattila's research focuses on the delivery of education for construction management training and the development of a Service System Engineering undergraduate curriculum at Michigan Tech.
Dr. Sutter's research focuses on concrete durabilty and materials characterization. This includes the effects of deicing chemicals on pavement materials and the use of fly ash and other recovered industrial materials in pavements.
Dr. Vitton concentrates his research efforts on the applied area of geomechanics. He has 8 years of experience with the Shell Oil Company enabling him to bring an industry perspective to his various field based projects. His primary focus is on the mechanics of seismic signals generated from hydrodynamic phenomena, an example of which is the interaction of tornadoes with the ground.
Dr. You's focus of research is asphalt materials characterization and mix design as well as performance evaluation and rehabilitation of asphalt materials, concentrating on micromechanical modeling of asphalt mixtures and numerical analysis of asphalt pavements.
Recycled Concrete Aggregates (RCA): A Sustainable Material for Asphalt Highway Pavement (pdf)
Determining Presence and Amount of Recycled Asphalt Pavement (RAP) Material for Flexible Pavements (pdf)