Tag: MTU engineering

Bridge Design Course Added for Spring 2025

The Houghton lift bridge on a cloudy, yet sunny, day.

You can drive over a failed roadway. Failed bridges, though, are a different story–one that qualified structural engineers are responsible for preventing through good design practices and thorough bridge inspection, evaluation, and management.

Dr. Chris Gilbertson

Dr. Chris Gilbertson, PE, knows, lives bridges. Really respects their importance, too, in keeping us safe and getting us where we need to go. He is bringing his significant experience, expertise, and passion to Michigan Tech. He is teaching the Spring 2025 hybrid online/on-campus course CEE 5261, Bridge Construction and Design for CEGE. This course runs from January 6 to April 18.

Get an Overview AASHTO Bridge Design Specifications.

This fundamental course, required for Michigan Tech’s bridge analysis and design certificate, will provide an overview of the AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) bridge design specifications. These specifications include loading and load effects, as well as the design of steel and concrete superstructure and substructure components. CEE 5261 also introduces students to related bridge-management topics, such as inspection, load rating, and asset management.

If you haven’t heard of AASHTO, it “is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing highway and transportation departments in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.” Although AASHTO covers all transportation modes, “its primary goal is to foster the development, operation, and maintenance of an integrated national transportation system.” It is a leader in setting standards for the design, construction, and maintenance of highways and materials.

“Most structural engineering curricula are focused on aspects of building design. This course will provide content focused on bridge design and the AASHTO specifications for both bridge design and evaluation,” Gilberston confirmed. Another unique aspect of CEE 5261 is the focus on bridge management. Bridge management is complex; it involves the inspection, load rating, and asset management that goes into maintaining an agency’s bridge network.

Students will gain real-world experience through a class project involving a local case study. That is, they will take a set of plans from a bridge located in the Western Upper Peninsula. Next, they will use those plans and inspection reports to produce a load rating. Finally, they will determine the safe load carrying capacity of the structure as it stands, deterioration and all.

Learn About Bridge Design from an Experienced Instructor.

Dr. Chris Gilbertson, PE., is not only an adjunct associate professor for the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering (CEGE), but also an associate director at CEGE’s Center for Technology and Training.

An expert in bridge design, load rating, and asset management, Gilbertson is a versatile, seasoned instructor who has taught college, practitioner-level, and high school audiences. Pre-college outreach is also his passion. In particular, he is active in the AASHTO’s hands-on TRAC (Transportation and Civil Engineering) outreach program. This innovative program integrates real-world engineering problems into 7th-12th grade STEM curriculum. For instance, previous students have designed bridges and analyzed the environmental and economic effects of building highways.

Gilbertson is also involved with NSTI (National Summer Transportation Institute), an interactive program that introduces students to STEM-based transportation careers.

Use the Bridge Analysis and Design Certificate to Launch into Graduate Study.

After completing the required CEE 5261 course, students can then broaden their knowledge. They will take two additional structural design elective courses to complete the certificate: Bridge Analysis and Design. They may choose from three options: Prestressed Concrete Design, Steel Design II, or Concrete and Masonry Building Systems. These three electives provided material that is of related depth.

The Bridge Analysis and Design certificate was also developed to introduce engineers to the AASHTO LRFD (Load Resistance Factor Design) bridge design specification.

This certificate is flexible, too. Graduates can stop after earning it, using the credential to help them progress in their careers. Whether they work in structural engineering, transportation, bridge project management, and more, this certificate will be an asset.

Alternatively, graduates may use this certificate to launch into a master’s program. That is, they can stack their bridge design credential with other structural engineering certificates, such as Advanced Analysis, to build a customizable master’s degree in civil engineering.

Chart demonstrating how students can stack their bridge design certificate with others to create a master's degree in structural engineering.
Examples of how students can stack their bridge building and design certificate with others to create an online master’s degree in civil engineering.

Get Training for Pressing Infrastructure Challenges.

Whether students choose to earn only the certificate or advance to a master’s, they should know that structural engineers with advanced education are needed now more than ever. First, the world needs engineers who can develop solutions for the effects of natural hazards, increasing extreme-weather events, and climate change.

And in the US, especially, there is a demand for engineers who can contend with infrastructure deterioration and maintenance. Bridges are a critical piece of infrastructure that must be designed safely and sustainably.

In their 2021 report card, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) gave US infrastructure the overall grade of C-. This grade, at the bottom end of average, reflected the poor condition and performance of American roads, levees, parks, transit, inland waters, ports, rail, and more.

Whereas rail had the highest grade (B), and transit the lowest (D-), that for bridges was a C. Of the over 617,000 bridges in the United States, 42% of them are at least 50 years old. And 7.5% (or 46,154) are considered structurally deficient, or in poor condition. The ASCE report card also revealed a 2.5 trillion-dollar funding gap in US infrastructure.

However, the situation in Michigan is bleaker. In Michigan’s last ASCE Report Card, the bridge grade was D+. In 2022, the state had 11,314 bridges, with 11% being in poor condition, which is higher than the national average (7.5%). These bridges include heavily traveled structures, such as I-696’s overpass and ramps with I-75.  And only 34% of these structures are in good condition, which is a drop from 43.5% in 2018.

According to Gilbertson, the condition of these bridges is largely due to limited availability of funding, what the ASCE refers to as chronic underinvestment in infrastructure.

Learn More About Making a Difference in Bridge Construction and Design.

Civil engineers who specialize in infrastructure, then, definitely have their hands full. They must find innovative solutions to fixing, maintaining, and increasing the lifespan of existing structures, such as bridges, roads, and buildings. And while designing and enacting these solutions, they must make difficult decisions about priorities and budgets while preserving safety and improving functionality. Tough jobs indeed!

Michigan Tech’s CEE 5261 course and certificate in Bridge Analysis and Design can educate civil engineers to meet these upcoming challenges.

To get more information about the certificate and master’s degree in structural engineering, visit their corresponding pages in Global Campus. To ask specific questions about any of the structural engineering programs, contact cege@mtu.edu or use the Request Information Button Below.

Structural engineering underpins wealth creation; it provides a bedrock of infrastructure that supports civilized living: homes for people to live in, places to work, and the lifeline systems we all need.

Allan Mann, 2011

Calumet Electronics and Michigan Tech Praised

Calumet Electronics in Calumet, Michigan, with the help of incredible engineers from the Michigan Technological University up in Houghton, is doing incredible work on advanced packaging, particularly by making very advanced circuit boards for defense applications. And they’re expanding their capacity. 

Senator Gary Peters
Senator Peters, who spoke at the CHIPS and Science Implementation and Oversight Committee, praised Michigan Tech and Calumet Electronics for their semiconductor initiatives.
Senator Peters speaks at the hearing.

Gary Peters (D), Michigan’s United States senator, recently gave a well-deserved shout-out to both Michigan Technological University and Calumet Electronics. Peters spoke at the US Senate’s full committee hearing on “CHIPS and Science Act Implementation and Oversight,” held on October 4, 2023.

The hearing focused “on the implementation and oversight of the CHIPS and Science Act by the Department of Commerce and the National Science Foundation.” In short, it summarized the rollout of programs, research and development, and other semiconductor manufacturing initiatives.

The senator recalled that one of the main goals of the CHIPS and Science Act is onshoring semiconductor production. Then, he asserted the need for dedicating some of the Act’s R & D funds to supporting the advanced packaging industry. This industry is essential to securing the supply chain.

He pointed to Calumet Electronics as crucial to meeting US semiconductor advanced packaging needs. That is, Calumet Electronics is using the great alumni from Michigan Tech (engineering graduates) to grow this industry on-shore, right here in the UP. 

Calumet Electronics: Leading in Advanced Packaging

If you haven’t heard of Calumet Electronics, it is a leading commercial and non-traditional defense contractor. CE specializes in the research, design, engineering, and manufacturing of high-quality printed circuit boards (PCBs) and, more recently, organic substrates.

As an award-winning American-owned and operated company, Calumet is known for its thought leadership and innovative engineering and manufacturing. Also, CE is an SBA HUBZone certified small business that conducts all its operations domestically. Furthermore, it has established itself as a pure play manufacturer with a focus to support and grow its local economy and the surrounding communities in Michigan’s rural Upper Peninsula.

Calumet Electronics applauds Senator Peters for his ongoing commitment to domestic semiconductor chip manufacturing. During the recent Commerce Committee hearing, he cited the ‘incredible engineers’ of Calumet Electronics and our partnership with Michigan Tech in making advanced PCBs for defense applications. We’re very grateful for his confidence and support, and his tireless efforts to prioritize additional funding for this critical work.

Meredith Labeau, PhD, CTO of Calumet Electronics

Labeau continued, “Calumet Electronics and Michigan Tech have forged a remarkable partnership, producing a synergy that showcases the exceptional quality of engineers they graduate. Together, we are shaping the future of innovation and electronics right here in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.”

David Lawrence, vice president for Global Campus and continuing education, recently visited Calumet Electronic, and was impressed by its facilities. He affirmed that “Michigan Tech’s relationship with Calumet Electronics is robust and the future is bright. We continue to work with industry partners to support the semiconductor initiatives.”

Securing US-Based Semiconductor Production

At the hearing, Secretary Gina Raimondo (U.S. Department of Commerce) and witness, acknowledged that keeping advanced packaging in the US is crucial. In short, it is important not only to the supply chain but also to National Security. Accordingly, the committee, which has “a plan in the works,” will soon release an advanced packaging strategy.

This hearing occurred just over a year after the US government rolled out the bipartisan 2022 CHIPS and Science Act . The Act implemented previous programs under the 2021 CHIPS for America Act (January 2021). Also, it authorized nearly $250 billion in semiconductors and scientific research and development.

The CHIPS and Science Act responded to both the decline in American microchip fabrication and semiconductor shortages. These shortages caused serious supply chain problems, especially for Michigan’s automotive industry. 

Responding to the semiconductor shortage, Michigan Tech has taken on projects that focus on onshoring semiconductor production. For instance, in 2022, MTU collaborated with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) on the Semiconductor Talent Action Team (TAT). The TAT had several goals: developing Michigan-created semiconductors, onshoring both legacy and advanced semiconductor systems, creating well-paying manufacturing jobs, reducing semiconductor shortages, and securing the supply chain.

During this hearing, Senator Raimondo reinforced that the US government is committed to stimulating both R & D and job training in semiconductors. Our goal is to have “a whole ecosystem that we want to deepen in the United States.” And a significant part of this ecosystem is the advanced packaging for which Calumet Electronics is known and respected.

We look forward to seeing Michigan Tech and Calumet Electronics as vital components of and important players in this ecosystem.