This involvement is key to moving technologies from the laboratory to field applications in a reasonable amount of time. An interdisciplinary center within the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, ITI taps the research interests of faculty across McCormick. The departments of civil, materials, environmental and mechanical engineering and specialty centers in concrete, transportation, nondestructive testing and traffic boast faculty at the forefront of their fields who are developing innovative infrastructure technologies. Others at Kellogg Graduate School of Management and Medill School of Journalism also provide expertise. Faculty that play key roles in the institute's work include materials scientist Morris Fine and civil engineers Jan Achenbach, Zdenek Bazant, Charles Dowding, Richard Finno, Ahmad Hadavi, Raymond Krizek, Brian Moran, Howard Reeves, Bruce Rittmann, Joseph Schofer, Surendra Shah and Thanasis Ziliaskopoulos.
Education is also an important part of the institute's work.
Early on, working with the University Library, Schulz helped fashion the Infrastructure Knowledge Services program. Sarah Eadie, ITI's infrastructure knowledge manager, not only updates and expands ITI's Web site but also works with other knowledge professionals around the world to promote better understanding and sharing of infrastructure information. Schulz also created Northwestern's first course in public infrastructure management, which he teaches once a year. ITI encourages a hands-on approach to learning, offering interested Northwestern faculty and students the opportunity to participate in research activities, including accompanying researchers into the field whether it be in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin or California. Twice a year transportation engineers from the states of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Wisconsin come together with Northwestern researchers and people from other Midwestern universities to discuss information on current practices and research related to bridge inspection and maintenance.