UD, Army Corps R&D Center sign strategic partnership

The director's objectives were clear as he spoke to Prof. Art Trembanis' graduate-level class on Environmental Field Robotics last week at the University of Delaware. David Pittman, director of the Engineer Research and Development Center for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, wants more engineers and scientists from UD to work with - or for - the center.

It's no small call to action. The ERDC is a $2 billion research operation that works to address a staggering array of challenges in both military and civil projects, as well as questions of fundamental research. It has seven laboratories in four states, manages five supercomputer resource centers and addresses projects in military engineering, geospatial research and engineering, civil works and water resources, and environmental quality and installations.

Pittman visited UD as part of a two-day ERDC campus visit, which culminated in a new, five-year Education Partnership Agreement with UD, designed to enhance education in science, mathematics and engineering, with a particular focus on coastal engineering.

The pact, signed Wednesday, Sept. 11 by Pittman and UD President Dennis Assanis, was struck "in recognition of the importance of science and technology education to the future political and economic well-being of the nation as well as the importance of UD to the business, industrial and government institutions in this region."

The agreement brings a broad menu of practical benefits for UD students and researchers, including access to defense laboratory facilities, surplus equipment, instruction by defense laboratory personnel, involvement in research and technology transfer projects, along with academic and career advice.

UD, in turn, brings world-class expertise in environmental and coastal research, disaster research, water quality, soil sciences, engineering and much more of interest to ERDC. It will provide academic credit for students and enhanced education and research in science, mathematics and computer science, sharing materials, publications and information.

UD's research muscle ranks at the highest level of the Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education, where it is among the top 3% of institutions with "very high" research activity. This new partnership expands the reach of that research and further strengthens UD students' preparation for work in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields.

"I am so excited," Assanis said during a brief signing ceremony at UD's Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus. "I look forward to this collaboration. We're going to do great things together, great things for the STEM workforce, for diversity in our STEM workforce and provide more experiences for our students."

Partnerships are extremely important to the entire Corps of Engineers, Pittman said. These mutually beneficial relationships are essential to the success of every project.

"We do world-class work, but we can't do it without partnerships," Pittman said to Assanis. "We need you, sir. "We need your students, we need your faculty, we need your research capability.

"I can't thank you enough for this day and especially for the future, when our organizations will come together to solve some of the world's toughest challenges."

Assanis said he looks forward to a "partnership on steroids."

The UD-ERDC partnership will be managed by UD Vice President for Research, Scholarship and Innovation Miguel Garcia-Diaz and by Edmond Russo, director of ERDC's Environmental Laboratory.

The synergistic energy of such collaborations often generates opportunities that no one could have envisioned. And students will make connections that could lead to scholarship programs, internships, employment and further research.

The signing ceremony also included a brief video message from U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, celebrating the agreement. As chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Delaware's senior senator has been instrumental in developing the biennial Water Resources Development Act, which authorizes projects of the Army Corps of Engineers. In 2022, the WRDA included provisions for expanded academic research collaborations between ERDC and four universities, including UD.

Much work to do

The reach of ERDC's work is expansive. Though the majority of its employees are civilians, the work they do supports the Department of Defense in both military and civil projects and also benefits communities and industry.

Among the primary areas of study: airfields and pavements, compliance and conservation, environmental impacts, environmental quality, facilities engineering, flood control, geotechnical engineering and geosciences, geospatial data, hydropower, installation restoration, information technology, mapping, materials, mobility, navigation, oceanography, protective structures, recreation, regulatory functions, structural engineering, sustainment engineering, topography, and winter climate conditions.