Research

Research Facilities

• CE Structures Area Laboratories

The CE Materials and Structures Laboratories are for both teaching and research. Equipment in these labs support concrete and asphalt tests, universal tension and compression and torsion testing, fatigue and creep measurements, pendulum impact testing, hardness tests, structural mechanics experiments as well  as  load  frame measurements of structural response. The CE Structures Research laboratory, which includes a 6DOF seismic simulator (CBEIS 121) and strong‐floor, strong‐wall facility, supports research and contracts in seismic testing and simulation, structural dynamics and control,  materials  characterization  and  behavior,  and  advanced  macro‐  and  micromechanics;  with  advanced displacement (including 3D noncontact)  measurement tools, sensors and actuators of various types, and data acquisition and control systems. The structures area laboratories are also supported by a Student Projects Lab with welding, cutting, drilling, and various tools for fabrication of small and large articles, including a five-axis machining center.

• CE Environmental Research Laboratories

Environmental research in the Department of Civil Engineering focuses on the identification of chemical pollutants in water and wastewater, development of innovative physical, chemical and biological treatment processes, along with the necessary management and decision support strategies for establishing green infrastructure to mitigate impacts that threaten our water resources. Our academic and research programs also build upon Morgan’s strong interdisciplinary focus on studying the resilience of existing and future water infrastructure, and protection of the ecological services yielded by the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.  

• CE Geotechnical Research Laboratory

This lab focuses on experimental investigation of soil property, in particular, on mechanical behavior of soil, such as deformation and failure under different types of loads.   Various factors are considered in design of various experimental investigations for various types of soils, such as frozen and defrost soils, soils physically reinforced with geofiber, soils chemically stabilized with fly ash or lime, etc.  Various tests with different testing conditions can be conducted, such as saturation and consolidation tests, dynamic and static loading test, resilient modulus tests, resonant column tests, etc.  Dynamic loading systems can simulate various types of forces inducted by traffic loads, wind blow, sea waves, earthquakes, foundation vibration, etc. Static loading systems can be applied to various experiments with either stress or strain control to investigate stress-strain relation, soil failure, elastic modulus, and other soil properties.  This lab has six new testing systems, including a solid consolidation device, a static triaxial apparatus, two dynamic triaxial testing systems, a soil resonant column, and a triaxial-torsional shear system.

• Center for Advanced Transportation and Infrastructure Engineering Research (CATIER)

CATIER seeks solutions to complex engineering problems primarily dealing with optimization in the areas of transportation and infrastructure engineering, with a recent focus in interactions among transportation, energy, and environment. Over the last 10 years, the center has conducted research related to highway design, infrastructure maintenance, traffic engineering, asset management system, and transportation security.

• CE Fluid Mechanics Research Laboratory

This lab will host research focusing on Fracture Mechanics (fracture growth and failure in airplane parts and materials), Plasma Aerodynamics (modeling and simulation), and Heavy Lift (space travel assistance) activities.

Recently Granted Projects

1. NSF CREST-DPSI(S): Expanding a PhD Program in Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure Engineering ($2,000,000; 1/2025-12/2029; PI/Co-PIs: Yi Liu, Zhuping Sheng, James Hunter, Oludare Owolabi, Donghee Kang)
2. NSF NRT AI: Artificial intelligence for Changing Climate and Environmental Sustainability (ACCESS) ($3,000,495; 7/2023-6/2028; PI/Co-PIs: Samendra Sherchan, Chunlei Fan, Kofi Nyarko, Md Rahman, Donghee Kang)
3. NSF DRK-12: Youth Learning Science and Engineering while Developing Community-based Agency through Resourceful Engagement in STEM (Youth CARES) ($554,600; 7/2024-6/2028; PI/Co-PIs: James Hunter)
4. NSF Collaborative Research BPE track 3: Minority Mentoring for Advancement and Participation in Engineering Hub ($430,000; 10/2022-9/2027; PI/Co-PIs: Steve Efe)
5. NSF EiR: Identification of absolute sea level rise and land subsidence from long-term tide gauge records along coasts of the Gulf of Mexico and the Chesapeake Bay ($549,616; 7/1/2021-6/2026; PI/Co-PIs: Yi Liu, Jiang Li)
6. NSF EiR: System Oriented Research and Environmental Impact of Poultry Litter Conversion Process into Biochar ($500,047; 7/2022-6/2025; PI/Co-PIs: Seong Lee, Gbekeloluwa Oguntimein, Donghee Kang, Xuejun Qian)
7. NSF Collaborative Research: Track 4: Developing Equity- Minded Engineering Practitioners (DEEP) ($400,000; 8/23/2023-7/2025; PI/Co-PIs: Onyema Osuagwu, Oscar Barton, Cliston Cole, Oludare Owolabi)
8. DoE: Baltimore Social-Environmental Collaborative IFL ($5,000,000; 9/2022-8/2027; PI/Co-PIs: James Hunter, Donghee Kang, Yi Liu et al.)
9. DOT: Improve highway safety by reducing the risks of Landslides ($1,500,000; 6/2023-5/2028; PI/Co-PIs: Zhuping Sheng, Oludare Owolabi, Yi Liu)
10. NOAA: Mid-Atlantic Regional Integrated Science and Assessments (MARISA) - Rebid ($595,000; 9/2021-8/2026; PI/Co-PIs: James Hunter)
11. NASA: Stress Testing and Hardening the NAS for Safe, Efficient, and Resilient Growth ($345,000; 7/2024-9/2027; PI/Co-PIs: Oludare Owolabi)
12. EPA: Training and Technical Assistance for Rural, Small and Tribal Municipalities and Wastewater Treatment Systems for Clean Water Act Prevention, Reduction, and Elimination of Pollution, Priority Area 1 ($298,702; 9/2023-07/2026; PI/Co-PIs: Donghee Kang, Zhuping Sheng)
13. DOT: Development of Bridge Deterioration Predictive Models Using Machine Learning ($300,735; 02/2023 - 07/2025; PI: Mehdi Shokouhian)
14. DOT: Improving Freeze-thaw Resistance and Fatigue Resistance of Recycled Aggregate Concrete – Competitive ($301,730; 01/2022 – 07/2025; PI/Co-PIs: Aleksandra Radlinska, Mehdi Shokouhian)
15. DOT: Investigation of Self-Healing Characteristics of Bacteria-Based Concrete ($285,738; 10/2021 -07/2025; PI: Mehdi Shokouhian)
16. DOT: Machine Learning-Driven Bridge Health Condition Assessment: Lessons Learned from the Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse ($35,000; 11/2024-08/2025; PI/Co-PIs: Mehdi Shokouhian, Zeinab Bandpey)
17. DOHUD: Collapse Risk Index: Measuring Lifecycle of Vacant Building Structures to Predict Likelihood of Collapse ($93,800; 9/2023-9/2025; PI/Co-PIs: Tonya Sanders, Mehdi Shokouhian)