Research from the CESI area has led to the formation of two companies, which continue to provide hands-on experience for students involved in related research projects.
Greenroads Foundation »
Led by faculty member Steve Muench, more than 30 students and faculty contributed to the research that led to the creation of the Greenroads Foundation in 2012. A private non-profit corporation, the Greenroads Foundation is changing the way roads are built by challenging the transportation industry to go above and beyond outdated standard practices through an innovative sustainability rating system. In acknowledgment of Greenroads’ positive impact, the organization was recognized by the Obama White House as a Champion of Change in May 2013. The Executive Director for the Greenroads Foundation is Jeralee Anderson (UW CEE Ph.D. ‘12) who completed her doctoral research on the subject and has successfully expanded the company’s reach both nationally and internationally.
Students interested in sustainability are encouraged to join the Greenroads Research Group, which focuses on research projects related to sustainability and its application to the design and construction of roadways.
HeadLight »
Based on research by faculty members Joe Mahoney and Steve Muench and CEE Research Engineer George White, HeadLight (formerly Pavia Systems) was founded in 2005 as a software technology company specializing in the transportation infrastructure industry. Their award-winning solutions provide clients with the tools they need to implement projects electronically. Their flagship product, HeadLight, is a cloud-based enterprise solution used to manage infrastructure projects through inspection, communications, pay items, reporting, dashboard analytics and system integration. Clients include large departments of transportation, engineering and inspection firms, contractors, equipment manufacturers and industry related materials companies. Since 2015, the company has closed $7 million in funding to accelerate the deployment of HeadLight. Students are frequently employed to work part-time on associated projects.