USU Uintah Basin Historian Brings History to ASPIRE Projects

VERNAL, Utah — There is a history behind just about everything — even the roadways of the United States. Amanda Katz, an assistant professor of history at Utah State University Uintah Basin, will use her knowledge and research of these roadways to assist the ASPIRE Research Center.

Funded by the National Science Foundation and headquartered at Utah State University, ASPIRE has been tasked by the State of Utah to lead the strategic planning and development of Utah’s intelligent electrified transportation statewide infrastructure and partner ecosystem, a goal which Katz is particularly well suited to support. Katz will participate in two ASPIRE projects aiming to bring electrified transportation research to reality.

“It’s kind of funny to think about me being involved in these projects because I’m not an engineer,” Katz said. “But I do study the history of highway engineering. What we have found is that my research on early experimental roadbuilding programs in the early 20th-century U.S. directly connects to the experimental (electrified) road construction programs of today. The process of experimentation, testing materials and engaging communities is eerily similar.”

Katz specializes in rural and municipal infrastructure, transportation equity and historical continuities among interconnected global communities. Her current research explores the development of American highway engineering in the early 20th century. With this knowledge of how the highway system was originally set up and the problems that were faced, Katz’s first project will help ASPIRE determine best practices and create an infrastructure that will be sustainable, accessible and equitable.

“This is very much applied history,” Katz said. “It highlights how, as the historian among engineers, I have something valuable to contribute. I can speak to the history behind a problem engineers are trying to solve: our failing infrastructure.”

Katz will also contribute to ASPIRE’s workforce development and community outreach project, Pathways, which aims to increase public awareness and knowledge related to electrified transportation. This is achieved through a variety of outreach events, engagement activities and communication materials appropriate for general audiences, promoting K-12 STEM education, career exploration and developing expert curriculum for professional training programs and higher education institutions alike. This project aims to help everyone understand how an electrified road infrastructure would work and the benefits it could provide, from increased air quality to lowered costs of transporting goods and people, creation and economic growth, and increased energy usage efficiency and resiliency.

“I will serve as a liaison to the public by creating educational materials for folks,” Katz said. “That is a great example of public history: helping folks understand.”

As part of her work with ASPIRE, Katz will also be a keynote speaker at the 8th Biennial International Conference on Electric Roads & Vehicles, which will take place on Feb. 9-11 in Park City, Utah, with a technology showcase on Feb. 12 in Logan at the ASPIRE lab. Katz will join some of the most prominent thought leaders from industry, policy, government and academia. CERV attendees actively exchange ideas and discovery across multiple industries, including lessons learned from the latest advanced technology pilots and demonstration projects.

ASPIRE is an NSF Engineering Research Center that conducts crucial research and development to pave the way for widespread adoption of electrified transportation. As beneficiary from ASPIRE’s NSF funding, Katz will conduct research and create learning materials. The funding will also allow Katz to hire undergraduate and graduate research assistants. Katz invites students interested in history and science & technology to reach out and get involved in this important research.

“I am looking to work with any students in the History Department certainly, but also students in CHaSS, or those in STEM who are studying other disciplines,” Katz said. “Any student interested in working on historical interpretations, implications, and applied research relating to highway transportation, transportation systems, and infrastructures should absolutely reach out to me.”

To learn more about Katz’s work on the ASPIRE projects, click here. To contact Katz about applying as a student assistant, email amanda.katz@usu.edu. To learn more about the ASPIRE Research Center and its leading role in Utah’s intelligent electrified transportation strategic planning, visit aspire.usu.edu.

Operating campuses in Vernal and Roosevelt for more than 50 years, Utah State University Uintah Basin gives students the personalized attention and small class sizes of a small-town college with the resources of a large university, all in the backdrop of the outdoor oasis that is the Uinta Mountains and Ashley National Forest. With degree options ranging from associate to doctorate degrees and more than 125 programs available, as well as access to the renowned Bingham Research Center, USU Uintah Basin offers programs that help fuel local economies and empower individuals and their communities. Learn more at uintahbasin.usu.edu.