KOLD interviews Yao-Jan Wu about Arizona's inaugural transportation institute
Arizona Transportation Institute Executive Director Yao-Jan Wu tells KOLD that AZTI will offer CAEM student research opportunities.
KOLD spoke with CAEM professor Yao-Jan Wu regarding the Arizona Department of Transportation's investment in the Arizona Transportation Institute (AZTI), a tri-university consortium that undertakes research vital to safety, sustainability and the economy.
In a story published on Dec. 11, Wu, also the executive director of AZTI, spoke about how the institute will incorporate university students.
"All of us can benefit from a big pool of experts, and the talented students, and the faculty members working together," he told KOLD.
The institute is based at the University of Arizona and research projects have already begun, which range from improving asphalt mixes to determining whether use of native plant landscaping following wildfires can reduce repair and maintenance costs for roadways.
“Arizona needs more engineers,” Wu said. “We don’t produce enough, so AZTI is going to produce more engineers for our state.”
The future of southern Arizona roads is now partly in the hands of CAEM students.