University-Industry Collaboration in the Underground Construction and Tunneling Field

摘要

The underground construction and tunneling (UC&T) industry is rapidly expanding to meetrnglobal needs.[1] This expansion is a direct response for the pursuit of major infrastructure improvements inrnareas such as public transportation, water supply and storage, wastewater transmission and mining. Examplesrnof this growth include the East Side Access project in NYC[2], the Chicago Deep Tunnel project[3], and thernAlaskan Way Viaduct Replacement project in Seattle, Washington.[4] As with any rapidly expanding industrialrnfield, a primary concern is meeting the demand for qualified and trained personnel. Any technical industryrnlooks to the academic community to fulfill this need, and the UC&T industry is no exception. Consistent withrnthe literature [5], [6], [7], [8], this paper presents findings from a series of interviews with both industry andrnacademic players suggests that academia is not meeting this demand. Therefore, the focus of this paper is tornexplore the barriers and opportunities that affect prospects for increasing collaboration between academia andrnindustry in the field of UC&T.rnInvestigation of the relationship between universities and the UC&T industry indicates potential problems.rnAnalysis of how new graduates are hired, how the industry fosters academic contributions and howrnthere are a limited number of venues that encourage student participation suggests that the lack of collaborationrnbetween academia and industry is failing to create adequate pathways to provide trained personnel andrnis potentially hindering innovation in the United States UC&T industry. As such, the goal of this paper is torninvestigate the barriers and opportunities that drive potential collaboration between academia and industry inrnthe field of UC&T.