Accelerated Pavement Testing Research Assistant

University of North Florida•Gainesville, FL

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The OPS Research Assistants will monitor and oversee the HVS's operation and complete various research projects under the mentorship of UNF and FDOT engineers. This part-time position assists with engineering research in support of the Accelerated Pavement Testing program (APT) on-site at the Florida Department of Transportation State Materials Office (SMO) in Gainesville, Florida. Research assistants will operate and maintain research machinery, collect and analyze research data, and assist with hands-on research tasks. The APT uses two Heavy Vehicle Simulators (HVS) to simulate traffic loading on pavement test sections, applying up to a 32,000 lb load for up to 12,000 tire passes per day. This simulated load tests pavement designs and placement methods. On-board data acquisition systems collect real-time data including tire load, test speed, temperatures, hydraulic pressures, voltage, and current data, using vendor-supplied and in-house software. Pavement deformation and cracking information are also recorded by automated methods.

Requirements

High school diploma with relevant research/engineering work experience
Basic computer skills
Requires a background check
May require a credit check
Promptly report allegations of sexual misconduct, sexual violence, and child sexual abuse by or against any student, employee, contractor, or visitor to the University’s Title IX Administrator or any divisional Title IX Coordinator
Fully complete the Foreign Influence Review section of their application

Nice To Haves

LabVIEW experience
Engineering students are encouraged to apply

Responsibilities

Monitor and oversee the HVS's operation
Complete various research projects under the mentorship of UNF and FDOT engineers
Support the overall project effort by completing routine tasks such as initial data evaluation and developing presentation materials
Operate and maintain research machinery
Collect and analyze research data
Assist with hands-on research tasks
Operate and monitor the HVS equipment during testing
Log any malfunctions or errors
Report malfunctions or errors to the operations supervisor
Safely perform required maintenance tasks as directed (after appropriate training)
Assist in data analysis using computer software