*Source: FHWA.*

The Long-Term Infrastructure Performance (LTIP) Student Data Analysis Contest Encourages Undergraduate and Graduate Students To Use Pavement or Bridge Data To Research Topics in These Areas and Explore a Career in Pavement or Bridge Engineering.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is pleased to announce the LTIP Student Data Analysis Contest. The contest is designed to encourage university students to use pavement or bridge performance data to study the various factors affecting pavement and bridge lifecycles and to develop a technical paper to document their research.

Contest Details

The contest’s goal is to encourage university students to use data from the Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) web portal, LTPP InfoPaveTM, or the Long-Term Bridge Performance (LTBP) web portal, LTBP InfoBridgeTM, for the analysis. The intent is to introduce potential future transportation engineering professionals to using quality performance data, applying that data by using appropriate research methods to derive recommendations, and using that data to make informed decisions.

Eligibility and Guidelines

The LTIP Student Data Analysis Contest is open to undergraduate and graduate students who are enrolled in degreegranting programs that support pavement or bridge curricula and research, including, engineering, planning, statistics, materials, computer science, and economics.

All students making submissions to the contest must meet the following requirements.

**Eligibility**

The student(s) must be enrolled in a 2- or 4-year college or university in the United States as an undergraduate or graduate student during the current contest year. Individuals who graduate within 6 months before the submission deadline are also eligible to participate.

**Data Sources**

Current undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to prepare a technical paper for the competition based primarily on the use of InfoPave or InfoBridge data. The pavement or bridge data may be supplemented with data from FHWA InfoMaterialsTM, another FHWA web portal. Each portal may be accessed using its individual link or from FHWA InfoHighwayTM. Students may also use data from other sources—such as State departments of transportation (DOTs), local government agencies, and transportation research institutions—to support their analyses. However, InfoPave or InfoBridge must be the primary source of data used to perform the analyses.

**Topic**

Students are encouraged to come up with their own ideas to investigate topics that may advance long-term pavement or bridge performance. Suggested topics include the following:

“Concerns Faced by a Region or State.”

“Multidisciplinary Approach To Address Transportation Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability.”

“Condition Forecasting Models.”

“Role of Preservation in Extending Service Life of Highway Infrastructure Assets.”

**Original Research**

At least 75 percent of the paper’s content shall be new and original. The remaining 25 percent of the content may be referenced or reproduced with proper attribution to previously published work.

**Individual or Group Work**

Submissions by individual students or groups of students will be considered. Teams must define one lead student and all coauthors for the project, when applicable. Students are also encouraged to partner with State DOTs and private consultants; however, the student(s) must conduct the analysis, and the lead author must be a student. Faculty members may participate in an advisory role and be listed as coauthors of the paper.

Note: Most of the *InfoPave* and *InfoBridge* data can be directly downloaded. Some data will need to be requested from the *LTIP Customer Support Service Center*. The turnaround time for the requested data is normally less than 1 week; however, the time needed to conduct an analysis of the data may vary per project. Please be sure to plan accordingly and in advance of the paper submission deadline.

Contest Recognition

The following table lists the recognition that will be given to the student winners for each of the pavement and bridge paper submittals. Travel reimbursement and Transportation Research Board (TRB) conference registration are subject to FHWA rules, regulations, and approval at the time of the contest.

Paper Requirements and Deadline

The length of each paper must not exceed 7,500 words, including the abstract, text, references, and tables. Each table counts as 250 words. Papers must be in Adobe® AcrobatTM PDF file format. The formatting details are available on the InfoPave and InfoBridge web portals. Papers not meeting the requirements may be rejected without review.

Submit papers by email to ltipstudentcontest@dot.gov by August 1 at 11:59 p.m. EDT of the contest year.

**Resources**

The LTPP InfoPave and LTBP InfoBridge web portals have short videos that describe how to navigate the portals. In addition, the following links (also on the portals) provide historical and current information about the LTPP and LTBP programs:

· About LTPP InfoPave.

· About LTBP InfoBridge.

· LTPP Program Book.

· LTPP Program Brochure.

· LTBP Program Brochure.

· Winning Papers and Authors of Previous Contests (InfoPave or InfoBridge).

**For Inquiries, Please Contact**

Deborah Walker (Pavement) | Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center, Long-Term Infrastructure Performance Team (HRDI-30) | 6300 Georgetown Pike, McLean, VA 22101-2296

Phone: 202–493–3068	Email: deborah.walker@dot.gov

Shri Bhidé (Bridge) | Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center, Long-Term Infrastructure Performance Team (HRDI-30) | 6300 Georgetown Pike, McLean, VA 22101-2296

Phone: 202–493–3302	Email: shri.bhide@dot.gov

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