The Infrastructure Technology Institute's 2005 Student of the Year is Brandon Hughes.

At Northwestern, Brandon is working on research with Professor Charles Dowding supported by the Infrastructure Technology Institute (ITI) while earning his MS degree in Geotechnical Engineering. His research, conducted with the assistance of ITI, concentrates on technology transfer of autonomous crack monitoring, which demonstrates the likely source of cracking in buildings near aggregate quarrying or other infrastructure construction activities. Brandon's research has included both lab and field testing of commercial systems. During testing he has worked closely with ITI research engineers to successfully validate the commercial autonomous crack monitoring systems.

Currently, Brandon is working with Professor Dowding and Civil Data Systems a company incubated by ITI, on the installation of a commercial crack monitoring device. This project includes the implementation of a remote controlled and internet viewable commercial crack monitoring device, validated through his research.

Brandon is from Hobart, Indiana. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University Calumet, in December 2003. At Purdue Brandon worked with Professor George Nnanna to design and build a refrigerant based system for cooling high density electronics. While pursuing his Bachelor's Degree, Brandon worked as an Intern at Thatcher Engineering Corporation, where he performed field testing and was involved in construction project management. Thatcher Engineering Corporation designs and constructs temporary support systems and deep foundations critical for construction and maintenance of the transportation infrastructure.

After completing his MS degree at Northwestern University, Brandon plans to work for Thatcher Engineering Corporation in the Chicago region. He hopes to continue his career as a geotechnical engineer focusing on deep foundation and braced excavation design.