UPDATED: November 28, 2018 at 5:43 p.m.

Syracuse University’s new Infrastructure Institute hopes to train a new generation of students on socially responsible infrastructure and its interdisciplinary applications.

The institute plans to bring together students from all schools and colleges at SU to deal with current infrastructure problems across the nation and meet the capacity demands of the country and the world, said Laura Steinberg, one of the founders of the institute.

Steinberg, former dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, co-founded the institute in early November with Steven Charney, a Whitman alumnus and chairman of the Peckar & Abramson construction law firm.

She said socially responsible infrastructure is resilient to future environmental conditions, is consistent with the needs and desires of the community and makes the most efficient use of public funds.

Steinberg and Charney said they want to emphasize interdisciplinary work because of the many areas of expertise that relate to infrastructure. Similar programs at other universities use some combination of business, public administration and engineering, but SU’s institute will involve all disciplines, Steinberg said.

Charney said the institute is working on creating educational opportunities for students, including new courses and research projects.

SU’s “highly collaborative schools and deans” make it a good location for the institute, Steinberg said.

SU’s institute could shift the academic community’s attention to infrastructure, Charney said. It also has the potential for global impact, he added.

“The institute could eventually help find ways to deliver water treatment facilities in third world countries,” he said.

Steinberg said she’s frustrated that the country hasn’t gotten far with efforts to improve its infrastructure, and she said SU’s institute may be able to solve those issues.

“I want to help train students to manage, design, finance and plan infrastructure that addresses the crumbling state of our infrastructure,” she said. “We’re in an infrastructure crisis in this country, and I want to do something about it.”

CORRECTION: In a previous version of this post, the Infrastructure Institute was incorrectly associated with the Martin J. Whitman School of Management. The Daily Orange regrets this error. 

Published on November 27, 2018 at 9:45 pm

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