AIDC Mission Statement

The mission of AIDC is to develop sound environmentally and socio-culturally appropriate designs for infrastructure in Alaska and other cold regions. There are five (5) focus areas of cold regions research addressed by AIDC:

1. Transportation including highway, aviation, rail and pipelines.
2. Utility infrastructure such as gas distribution systems.
3. Vertical infrastructure including residential and commercial buildings.
4. Community planning including understanding the impact of thawing permafrost on communities in the arctic and sub-arctic.
5. Development of techniques to address the impacts of climate change on infrastructure.

Within the overarching goal to conduct responsible research that benefits the state and nation, there are five (5) pillars to the AIDC vision:

• Outfitting the ELIF High Bay with current technology and equipment while increasing research use of this space.
• Advancing the Frozen Soil Testing (FROST) Laboratory led by Professor Margaret Darrow.
• Advancing the asphalt and materials labs led by AIDC Director Billy Connor and Assistant Professor Augusto Falchetto.
• Advancing the traffic and safety laboratory managed by Nathan Belz.
• Investing in student engagement opportunities (e.g. Ice Arch, Steel Bridge, Concrete Canoe, etc.).