a.k.a. DR. TRAFFIC // ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
+ CYCLING FANATIC + PHOTOGRAPHER + HOBBY FARMER
WHO
I AM
I grew up in a small town in rural Maine in a house built in the late 1700s on a 20 acre plot of land still inhabited by my parents. I am a first-generation college student. In 2013, I moved to Alaska to pursue a career in academia and experience what The Last Frontier had to offer. My research vision is born out of countless hours and miles spent commuting and recreating on a bicycle and having spent a significant amount of time in rural towns and villages where cars as a mode of transport are the exception. I prefer traditional means of "making" and "doing" and spend much of my free time in the nooks and crannies of wilderness spaces where the footprint of mankind is almost non-existent. I live in the foothills outside of Fairbanks and manage a hobby farm with my amazing partner, Teal, and our two fur babies, Hatcher and Flynn.
I teach courses on transportation, highway design, applications of statistics in practice, and geographic information systems. I motivate students to think critically and question the fundamentals, the very nature of an answer and not take it blindly from an equation or a computer. I encourage creativity and the pursuit of making, creating, and finding out for oneself as there are lessons to be had in both success and failure. I prefer the hard way because it is rich with culture and tradition and for that reason will always be more satisfying than the modern way. I volunteer because it gives me a sense of belonging and benefits my community. I explore because it fills a part of my soul that nothing else can. I grow, harvest, and forage my own food because nothing else compares to preparing a meal, presenting it to a friend, and saying "nothing in front of you came from a grocery store." I ride a bike because it's fun, practical, and good for the environment.
WHAT
I DO
MY
VISION
I believe that everyone deserves a fair and equal chance at a higher education and those that want it more typically work harder and contribute much more energy and insight to the classroom. I believe that our transportation network and transportation culture should avail a person the opportunity to choose any mode of travel they prefer and can reasonably expect to get where they need to go and return home in one piece. I believe that incorporating sustainability and conservation into transportation practices is the only way we will be able to solve our infrastructure, mobility, and safety issues. I believe providing well-planned and executed transportation alternatives are key to a successful transportation system. Reliance on or planning of a system for a single mode makes it susceptible to failure. I believe that conservation-type practices alone will not solve the issues currently plaguing society and that it is critical we incorporate sustainable practices into all threads of our lives. I believe we need to do a better job of respecting ourselves and respecting our environment.
APPOINTMENTS / PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION
University of Maine
B.S., Civil Engineering
2002
2006
University of Maine
M.S., Civil Engineering (Transportation)
2006
2008
University of Vermont
Ph.D., Civil Engineering (Transportation)
2008
2013
University of Alaska
Assistant Professor, Civil Engineering (Transportation)
2013
2019
University of Alaska
Associate Professor, Civil Engineering (Transportation)
2019
PRESENT
CONTACT ME
NATHAN P. BELZ, Ph.D.
Civil, Geological, and Environmental Engineering
University of Alaska Fairbanks
1764 Tanana Loop, 128 ELIF, Fairbanks, AK 99775
phone: 907.474.5765
email: npbelz[at]alaska[dot]edu