Assistant Professor Lauryn Spearing joined Tufts University’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering this semester. Spearing obtained her bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and doctorate degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, and, she was an assistant professor at the University of Illinois Chicago before joining Tufts. The Daily sat down with Spearing to discuss her transition, research and goals.
Spearing first commented on what excited her about joining Tufts.
“One of the biggest things was the low barrier to interdisciplinary collaboration, which I think is really unique to Tufts and a great asset to the university,” Spearing said. “Within the civil engineering department, [we] work across disciplines … focusing on things like sustainability, resilience, public health. That makes it easy to collaborate within the civil [engineering] department, and also across campus.”
Collaboration across disciplines is a key focus for Spearing, both in her teaching role at Tufts and in her research. This is because Spearing uses her civil engineering background in an interdisciplinary field called systems engineering. A systems engineer is like a problem-solving architect for complex projects. They design, manage and coordinate all the moving parts of a system — whether it’s a new transportation network, a spacecraft or a software platform — ensuring that everything works together. They focus on finding efficient solutions and making sure the final product meets the needs of its users. As such, Spearing takes a broad approach to problem solving, emphasizing the importance of involving voices from multiple fields and communities.
Spearing’s transition from UIC to Tufts has been smooth in part because of the engineering department’s support. Spearing is a part of a climate cluster hire at Tufts, “bringing together Tufts’ unique strengths in engineering, humanities, nutrition, and policy to address equity and racial justice through the lens of Climate.” Spearing, along with new hires in other departments, meets with the Office of the Provost biweekly to get fully integrated and settled into her new role. “That has been really amazing to help the transition,” she said.
Spearing’s research focuses on bridging social and technical systems to improve infrastructure management. In one project, she is focusing on the challenge of providing water to rural areas in Alaska, which are often isolated and experience intense arctic climates. Unlike traditional public water supply systems that distribute water through underground pipes managed by municipal utilities, water in these villages is often delivered by truck. This issue inspired Spearing to propose further research on infrastructure interdependencies, such as the connections between water and road systems, exploring how road conditions directly affect water delivery. By studying these interdependencies, she aims to understand how systems can support each other during disruptions or create problems when one fails.
Spearing also wants to foster student engagement in research here at Tufts. She currently has several graduate research assistants working on multiple research projects and is always excited to work with undergraduate students as well. Her long-term vision at Tufts is to establish collaborations across campus and target the needs of the Boston area with “community-based research approaches” to understand the challenges that need to be overcome.
“I try not to come into a community saying ‘I want to study this,’ but instead build connections with local communities and figure out what they need,” Spearing said. “What are their big infrastructure challenges? What are the gaps there?”
Beyond her academic role, Spearing is eager to immerse herself in her new surroundings.
“One of my big goals is to … build connections with community groups and organizations, and start getting more involved in my new community,” she said.
Outside of work, she’s also excited to explore the natural beauty of the region, with hiking at the top of her list. Having already tackled Mount Monroe in New Hampshire with her dog, she looks forward to more adventures.
