UTEP CTIS - Center for Transportation Infrastructure Systems

🎉Congratulations to Pedro Chavez🎉

CTIS is proud to congratulate Pedro Chavez on being selected as a recipient of the 2026 Lynne S. Burt Scholarship awarded by NAWIC El Paso Chapter #248.

Pedro's dedication to academic excellence, research, and professional growth has made him a valued member of the CTIS community. This well-deserved recognition reflects his hard work, commitment, and passion for making a positive impact through engineering.

Please join us in celebrating this outstanding achievement and wishing Pedro continued success in his educational and professional journey!

Good luck to Emilio Torres and the entire UTEP Bridge Team as they head into the Student Bridge Competition National Finals 2026! 🏗️⛏️

As part of the CTIS team and a dedicated undergraduate researcher at UTEP, Emilio has continuously shown leadership, commitment, and passion both inside and outside the lab. We’re proud to see him representing UTEP as captain of the Bridge Team and competing on the national stage alongside his team after months of hard work and preparation.

📍 University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)
📅 May 22–23, 2026

Bring the title home, Miners! 🧡💙

From advanced research to innovative problem-solving, the CTIS graduate students of 2026 have demonstrated what it means to lead with knowledge, resilience, and purpose. 🎓

This year, we celebrate a group of scholars whose work reflects the future of engineering and infrastructure development at UTEP and beyond.

👏 Congratulations to our graduate degree recipients:

▪️ Adrian Morales — M.S. in Computer Engineering
▪️ Carlos D. Ortiz — M.S. in Software Engineering
▪️ Dr. Sandeep Reddy Gottam — Ph.D. in Civil Engineering
▪️ Dr. Suhail Rashid Vaid — Ph.D. in Civil Engineering

Your achievements are the result of years of commitment, research, and determination, and the CTIS community is honored to celebrate this milestone with you.

Here’s to new opportunities, impactful careers, and continued success. ⛏️🧡💙

🎓✨ Congratulations to the CTIS Class of 2026! ✨🎓

Today, we proudly celebrate the hard work, dedication, and perseverance of our graduating students as they begin an exciting new chapter. Your commitment to excellence has made a lasting impact on the CTIS community, and we cannot wait to see all that you accomplish in the future.

Please join us in congratulating:

🔹 Jesus Macias — B.S. in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
🔹 Andrea Sanchez — B.S. in Industrial, Manufacturing and Systems Engineering
🔹 Jorge Melendez — B.S. in Civil Engineering
🔹 Sergio Valles — B.S. in Civil Engineering
🔹 Daren Perez — B.S. in Civil Engineering

From all of us at CTIS, we are incredibly proud of you and wish you continued success in every step ahead. 💙⛏️🧡

Congratulations to our CTIS researcher, Reza Kamalizadeh, on successfully presenting his dissertation proposal! 👏🎓

Reza is pursuing his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering at UTEP, where his research focuses on improving how transportation agencies evaluate the structural health of roads using Traffic Speed Deflection Devices (TSDDs) 🚛🛣️

Instead of relying only on visible surface damage like cracks or roughness, his work helps agencies better understand what’s happening beneath the pavement while collecting data at highway speeds without disrupting traffic. This can support smarter maintenance decisions and more efficient use of infrastructure budgets.

Since joining CTIS in 2024, Reza has contributed to research in pavement engineering and transportation infrastructure systems that can benefit highway agencies and road users across the country.

We are proud to see the impact our researchers continue to make through innovative work at CTIS! 🔬👏

🚨 NOW HIRING 🚨

The Center for Transportation Infrastructure Systems (CTIS) at UTEP is seeking applicants for the position of:

Associate Research Professor
Transportation Infrastructure, Materials & Intelligent Systems

Join a rapidly growing research program focused on innovative, real-world solutions in transportation infrastructure, intelligent systems, sustainability, and infrastructure performance.

📍 El Paso, Texas
📌 Full-Time Position
📅 Open Until Filled

Scan the QR code on the flyer to learn more and apply.

CTIS faculty and students will be representing UTEP at the 2026 CCT/TxDOT Concrete Conference in Austin, Texas! 👷‍♂️🧪

This year’s conference, focused on “Building Durable Infrastructure for Texas Growth,” brings together professionals and researchers from across the state to discuss innovation in concrete infrastructure.

Dr. Rajib Mallick will be presenting research on Full Depth Reclamation (FDR) with Cement, while student researchers Pedro Chavez and Emilio Torres Casas will showcase their research posters on concrete pavement performance and transportation technologies.

We’re excited to see our CTIS team represent UTEP, share their work, and connect with others in the industry. 🚧🤘

April Recap 🌉🔧

From April 17–19, 2026, undergraduate students Ricardo Labrado and Emilio Torres, part of the CTIS research team, represented UTEP at the ASCE Student Symposium in Corpus Christi, TX, competing in the Steel Bridge Competition.

This competition is the result of months of work—teams design and fabricate a full-scale steel bridge throughout the year, then bring it to competition where everything comes down to performance under pressure. Bridges must be assembled as fast as possible while following strict rules, penalties, and cost constraints.

Every aspect is evaluated, from design efficiency (construction economy), to build time (construction speed), and overall structural performance. It’s a hands-on experience that combines engineering, fabrication, and teamwork in a fast-paced environment.

As part of the team, Ricardo and Emilio contributed to a strong performance, earning:
🥉 3rd Place – Construction Economy
🥉 3rd Place – Construction Speed

A great example of CTIS undergraduate researchers applying their skills beyond the classroom 👏

We had a great meeting with our CTIS undergraduate students, joined by our Associate Professor of Research, Cesar Tirado, our Business Manager, Ana Licon, and our Center Director, Imad Abdullah 🙌

We shared updates, ideas, and what’s ahead for our community. As we continue to grow, our lab is also moving to a new location—marking the start of an exciting new chapter for CTIS.

Big changes are coming, and they’re all positive 🚀 Stay tuned!