IMTrans launched its Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience (OURE) program with a call for applications in the spring of 2007. The objectives of the program are to:

• Expand opportunities for a more active form of learning by students,
• Encourage the interaction of undergraduate students with faculty,
• Expand the level of research activity at Jackson State,
• Help recruit superior students into our graduate program,
• Demonstrate that teaching and research are compatible and mutually reinforcing.

The following research/education projects were approved for funding:

Construction Monitoring of Paving Fabric Systems to Reduce Reflective Cracking

When an overlay is placed on existing pavement, physical tearing of the overlay occurs because of movement at the joint and cracks in the underlying pavement layer. The geotextile interlayer systems, known as the paving fabrics, can be used to reinforce asphalt overlays by environmental or traffic loading, and usually provide a waterproofing barrier. The objective of this project is to use paving fabrics to reduce reflective cracking

This project includes the construction monitoring of twelve 500-ft paving sections to ensure the paving fabric systems, to be constructed on the westbound of Highway 80 in Pearl/Brandon area in July thru August 2007, are installed according to the specifications.
As of August, research on the construction of the test sections has been completed.