This arrangement provides opportunities for graduate students to conduct advanced study and research, usually supported by assistantships financed by project grants. The ITS Computer Systems Unit in McLaughlin Hall is the center for transportation-related computer activities. The unit provides programming, data processing and other systems support to ITS researchers and staff. Systems unit personnel maintain and enhance the Institute's collection of software applications and databases, as well as a transportation computer lab where a wide assortment of computers and peripherals are available. Facilities at the Systems Unit, with the combined resources of ITS and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, are available to students in transportation as well as to the ITS research staff.
Peripheral equipment includes laser printers, digitizers, and digital plotters.
The Systems Unit also maintains an extensive library of transportation programs and data files, most of which are available for student use. The Geotechnical Engineering Laboratories on campus and the Soil Mechanics and Bituminous Materials Laboratory situated at the Richmond Field Station provide extensive facilities for research on soil and rock properties, soil and rock mechanics, foundation engineering, and the behavior and properties of asphalts and asphaltic mixtures. Graduate students working toward master's or doctoral degrees in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering conduct individual research in these laboratories, usually as a part of a continuing program of research conducted by faculty members. The laboratories provide special facilities for work in these areas, in addition to equipment for standard tests on soils, rocks, asphalts and asphaltic mixtures. Earthquake Engineering Research Center Earthquake engineering research is coordinated in the Earthquake Engineering Research Center at the Richmond Field Station.