University of Massachusetts Amherst Institute of Transportation
University of Massachusetts Amherst Institute of Transportation Engineers 2014 - 2015 Annual Report Table of Contents Chapter Details………………………………………………………………... 2 A Letter from the Leadership………………...……………………………… 3 Student Presentations and Publications……………………………………... 4 Awards…………………………………………………………………………. 5 Seminar Speaker Series……………………………………………………..... 6 Tech Day and Student Symposium…..………………………………………. 7 Meetings and Conferences……………………………………...………….…. 8-9 Team Building………………………..………..………………………………. 10 TRB ………….……………………………………………………..…………. 11 SaferSim Collaboration………………….………………………………….... 12 Pedestrian Safety Projects…………..…………………………………….….. 13 #ITEYearInReview………………………………………………………….… 14 Appendix: Chapter Roster………………………………………………….... I. University of Massachusetts Amherst Institute of Transportation Engineers 1 2014 - 2015 Annual Report Chapter Details 1. STUDENT CHAPTER EXECUTIVE BOARD President: Cole Fitzpatrick Vice President: Craig Schneider Secretary: Donald Panjaitan Treasurer: Andrew Reeder Outreach Coordinator: Jon Freeman Undergraduate Liaison: Alyssa Ryan & Francis Tainter 2. STUDENT CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP Number of Student Chapter Members: 45 Number of Student Members of Institute: 14 Number of Students Eligible to be Student Members of the Institute: 45 Number of Faculty Members who are Current ITE Members: 2 3. INFORMATION ON TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING ENROLLMENT Number of Undergraduate Students in Civil and Environmental Engineering: 302 Does Curriculum Allow Undergraduate Students to Major or Minor in Transportation: No Number of Graduate Students in Transportation Engineering: 28 4. SUMMARY OF STUDENT CHAPTER ACTIVITIES See pages 3-14 5. ROSTER OF STUDENT CHAPTER MEMBERS See Appendix I. Report Submitted By: Content Approved By: Cole Fitzpatrick, UMass ITE President (503) 709-1727 cfitzpat@umass.edu Professor Michael A. Knodler, Jr. Ph.D. Student Chapter Advisor University of Massachusetts Amherst Institute of Transportation Engineers 2 2014 - 2015 Annual Report From the ITE Leadership The 2014-2015 year has been a year of transition from our previous leaders, Christina Dube and Curt Harrington. Through our research, our student chapter was able to attend and participate in the SaferSim Summit, TRB, and many other conferences across the country. These conferences have been a chance for us to become a closer group of colleagues and friends as well as helping us to professionally expand our professional network to other universities, student chapters and public/private agencies. UMassITE Student Chapter members have represented the program exquisitely, exceeding all of our goals and expectations for this year. In addition to our student’s accomplishments, the chapter was happy to become officially recognized as a Graduate Student Organization (GSO) which enables us to procure funds from the campus, which helped support our 16th Annual Tech Day which was held in conjunction with the Student Symposium. The event was a smashing success, which allowed professionals and students to enjoy a compelling technical program and a networking opportunity afterward at a fun trivia event. The next year will be exciting and challenging as the chapter will undergo yet another transition in leadership. We are supremely confident that under the mentorship of the outstanding faculty here at UMass, the new leaders will pick up right where we left off. Cole Fitzpatrick Craig Schneider UMass ITE President UMass ITE Vice-President University of Massachusetts Amherst Institute of Transportation Engineers 3 2014 - 2015 Annual Report Student Presentations and Publications We are pleased to announce these selected presentations and publications authored by our student chapter members. These presentations and publications showcase the great work being done at UMass. Hayley Carlotto - “Effect of Passenger Presence on Distracted Drivers Involved in Crashes.” TRB. Jing Ding - “Latent-Class Routing Policy Choice Model with Revealed-Preference Data.” TRB. “Adaptive Route Choice Models: Specification, Choice Set Generation, and Estimation - Case Study in Stockholm, Sweden.” 3rd INFORMS Transportation Science and Logistics Society Workshop. Christina Dube - “An Observational Evaluation of Safety Resulting from Driver Distraction” New England Chronicle. Yashar Farid - “Person-Based Evaluation of Dedicated Bus Lanes and Queue Jumper Lanes at Signalized Intersection with Nearside Bus Stops.” TRB. Published in the Transportation Research Record. Cole Fitzpatrick - “An Overview of the SaferSim Consortium.” Northeastern Safety Conference. Foroogh Hajiseyedjavadi, Cole Fitzpatrick - “Application of Microsimulation to Model the Safety of Varied Lane Configurations at Toll Plazas.” TRB. Curt Harrington, Jon Freeman, Cole Fitzpatrick - “Conceptual Framework for Identification of Locations for Variable Speed Limit Implementation.” TRB. Farnoush Khalighi - “Emission-based Signal Timing Optimization for Isolated Intersections.” TRB. Published in the Transportation Research Record. Mahour Rahimi - “Systematic Evaluation of Zoning Strategies for Demand-Responsive Transit.” TRB. University of Massachusetts Amherst Institute of Transportation Engineers 4 2014 - 2015 Annual Report Awards The UMass ITE Student Chapter is pleased to announce the following awards won by our members. These awards are a testament to the quality of students that our involved in our student chapter. UMassITE Student Chapter - 2013-2014 Northeastern District Chapter of the Year Mahyar Amirgholy - International Road Federation (IRF) Traditional Fellowship Grant, NEITE Student Symposium Best Poster Award Jing Ding - University Transportation Center Student of the Year, WTS-Rhode Island Leadership Legacy Scholarship, Eno Fellow Cole Fitzpatrick - Eugene M. Isenberg Scholar, Thomas S. Desjardins Scholarship Nick Fournier - NEITE Student Symposium People’s Choice Poster Award Radhameris Gomez - WTS-Helene M. Overly/Ann Herhsfang Scholarship, Selig Fellowship Farnoush Khalighi - NEITE Student Symposium Best Poster Runner Up Mahour Rahimi - WTS-Claire Barrett Memorial Scholarship University of Massachusetts Amherst Institute of Transportation Engineers 5 2014 - 2015 Annual Report Transportation Seminar Series Recognizing the importance of professional development, the chapter had a great lineup of seminar speakers who provided exposure to topics not generally covered in the curriculum. Sustainability of Roundabouts: Driver Behavior, Emissions & Safety - Mr. Derek Roach Hazard Perception & Bicycle Hazards in the Netherlands - Dr. Willem Vlakveld Empirically Based Analyses of Driver Lane Changing Behavior - Mr. Enzo Jia The Electric Vehicle: Challenges and Opportunities - Ms. Karen Glitman Driver Behavior Evaluation of Variable Speed Limits and Conceptual Framework For Optimal VSL Location Identification - Mr. Curt P. Harrington The Tesla Electric Vehicle: An Owner's Perspective - Mr. Jeff Catlin Transportation Research Abroad & the Spanish Railroad System - Ms. Radhameris Gomez Future Transportation in a Connected World - Dr. Jeff Ban The Controls of Collisions - Dr. John Flach Playing Games at Marine Container Terminals - Dr. Mihalis M. Golias Roles and Responsibilities: A Look at the Day-to Day of a Junior Transportation Engineer Mr. Samuel W. Gregorio, PE Transportation Challenges Facing the Region and the Commonwealth - Mr. Tim Brennan Conflict Matrices to Evaluate North Station Terminal Operations Under Varied Conditions Mr. Bradford Kippen Transit Preferential Treatments at Signalized Intersections: Person-based Evaluation and Realtime Control - Mr. Yashar Farid A Feasibility Study to Rehabilitate the Tanzanian Narrow Gauge Railroad & the Development of a New Railway for Rwanda & Burundi - Mr. John W. Orrison Hatch Mott MacDonald Job Information & Pipeline Transportation - Mr. Chris Cockshaw US Air Traffic Control System: Present & Future - Mr. Dan Bergeron University of Massachusetts Amherst Institute of Transportation Engineers 6 2014 - 2015 Annual Report Tech Day and Student Symposium The 16th Annual Technical Day was combined with this year’s Student Symposium. Three schools from the New England area attended the event: UConn, UMass Lowell and UMass Amherst. The day consisted of a student oriented program which kicked off with a professional and student interactive working lunch. The discussion specifically examined job skills to have for prospective entry positions within the field of transportation engineering. Two concurrent student research presentation sessions were given followed by a student poster competition. The program was topped off with the annual Boyer Lecture given by former UMass Amherst Alumni and current Virginia Tech Professor, Kevin Heaslip, as he presented his research on “How a Wirelessly Charged Driverless Car Can Change Everything.” The Jane F. Garvey/ UMass ITE Transportation Leadership Award was given to Ruth Bonsignore. Professor Heaslip received the Distinguished Alumni award and Vice-President, Craig Schneider, received the Student Service Award. The evening concluded with a networking event in which students, professors and professionals played transportation themed trivia at a local establishment. UMass ITE provided attending company representa- tives with flash drives containing resumes of students attending the event. University of Massachusetts Amherst Institute of Transportation Engineers 7 2014 - 2015 Annual Report Meetings and Conferences Massachusetts ITE/NEITE Joint Annual Meeting—September 17th in Waltham, MA UMass ITE was one of the few student chapters to be represented at this meeting. Members attended technical sessions pertaining to the “Systematic Safety Improvements in Massachusetts” and the “Current Practices Regarding the Flashing Yellow Arrow Permissive Indication”. Members stayed for dinner and the keynote speaker panel which discussed the Historic Boston Complete Streets Project. Current President, Cole Fitzpatrick, was awarded the Graduate Student Thomas E. Desjardins Scholarship for his outstanding achievements in transportation academia and extracurricular involvement. NEITE Annual Meeting—December 1st in Warwick, RI New UMass ITE leadership attended the NEITE executive board meeting to get familiar with current and future leadership for the section. The student chapter attended afternoon technical sessions and networking events before dinner. In addition to the bottle swap, ITE members competed to see who could sell the most 50-50 raffle tickets for NEITE. Student members were happy to congratulate recent alum and former Student Chapter Secretary, Keith Wenners, on his Emerging Professional Award. Vermont ITE/NEITE Joint Annual Meeting—January 21st in Somerset, VT Vice President Craig Schneider represented the student chapter at Vermont ITE’s annual meeting at Mount Snow Ski Resort. The meeting consisted of a morning of skiing with current members followed by the NEITE Board Meeting. UMass ITE announced their “Save the Date” for their 16th Annual Technical Day which was combined with the Student Symposium. The event concluded with an evening networking event. BSCE Meeting—February 5th in Springfield, MA Seven student members attended a meeting in Springfield, MA given by the Boston Chapter of ASCE. Students learned about the “Construction Implementation of the Knowledge Corridor” from three employees of Pan Am Railways. This meeting was a great opportunity to connect with another professional organization and network with professionals in the region. MassDOT Innovation Conference & Tech Transfer—March 11-12 in Worcester, MA Chapter members assisted in event operations for the two day event. Members worked the check-in/registration tables for attendees and scribed technical sessions in exchange for free registration. Students learned a vast array of information from pavement design to complete streets to the future of connected vehicles and much more. University of Massachusetts Amherst Institute of Transportation Engineers 8 2014 - 2015 Annual Report Meetings and Conferences Northeastern District ITE Annual Meeting—May 14-16 in Long Branch, NJ Twelve UMass Amherst ITE members attended this meeting and competed in the Student Poster Competition. Along with attending numerous technical sessions and networking events, UMass ITE members put their transportation knowledge to the test and won the Northeastern District Traffic Bowl. It was here where UMass ITE leadership, Christina Dube & Curt Harrington, graciously accepted the 20132014 Student Chapter Award. ITE International Meeting & Exhibit—August 10-14 in Seattle, WA Members attended technical sessions, exhibits and networking opportunities throughout the week. The UMass Traffic Bowl team put on a valiant effort but was unfortunately defeated in quadruple overtime to the eventual champions, University of Texas. While in Seattle, the chapter did its best to explore the city by attending a Seattle Sounders FC soccer game, Seattle Mariners baseball game and visiting local landmarks such as the original Starbucks and Public Market Center. University of Massachusetts Amherst Institute of Transportation Engineers 9 2014 - 2015 Annual Report Team Building Traffic Bowl Practice Party—May 5th Fellow students tested their knowledge of ITE & transportation while battling it out for a chance to be on the regional traffic bowl team. The event was not all competitive as the day was Cinco de Mayo. Members participated in a Mexican themed burrito lunch before the jeopardy event kicked off. Adopt-a-Highway—September 30th UMass ITE members rallied together to pick up trash on Route 116 in Hadley, MA near the UMass campus. The student chapter has been responsible for Route 116 for over 10 years. Afterwards, participating members went to Chili’s for appetizers and drinks to celebrate a job well done. Caminito Argentinean Steakhouse Dinner—September 8th Members gathered in Northampton, MA to try out local restaurants in the Western Massachusetts area during Northampton’s Restaurant Week. This dinner also served as an informal setting for the outgoing leadership to discuss chapter events with the incoming leadership. Homecoming ITE Tailgate—September 27th The executive board invited current members and alumni to participate in welcoming our football team back to McGuirk Stadium, as the team had been playing in Foxbourgh as the stadium was being renovated. This event introduce prospective members to the current ITE leadership. ITE Holiday Party—December 4th The chapter wanted to celebrate another excellent year from its past leadership, professors, and members. The evening was topped off with a yankee swap be- tween members and welcomed our new executive board as we said goodbye to our graduating students. University of Massachusetts Amherst Institute of Transportation Engineers 10 2014 - 2015 Annual Report Student Chapter Goes to TRB UMass ITE sent 23 active members to Washington, D.C., to the 94th Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting. Students attended numerous technical and poster sessions and had the opportunity to hear Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx speak. This year 11 students presented their research in poster sessions: Hayley Carlotto, Jing Ding, Yashar Farid, Cole Fitzpatrick, Jon Freeman, Curt Harrington, Foroogh Hajiseyedjavadi, Farnoush Khalighi, Mahour Rahimi, Derek Roach, and Yue Tang. In addition to attending the student chapter reception at ITE Headquarters, UMass ITE held its 3rd Annual TRB Reception at Penn Social. Each year this event has improved on the previous experience while increasing its attendees. This year’s event was packed with domestic and international professionals, student and professors. The reception provided a great venue and opportunity for all to interact professionally in a casual environment. University of Massachusetts Amherst Institute of Transportation Engineers 11 2014 - 2015 Annual Report SaferSim Collaboration SaferSim University Transportation Center—Amherst, MA - September 19-20 and San Juan, PR February 25th - 27th The SaferSim University Transportation Center (UTC) is dedicated to promoting interdisciplinary research using simulation techniques to address the safety issues prioritized by the US Department of Transportation. It has promoted the interaction between universities by giving students and professors a forum to discuss research topics and projects while growing professional relationships. This research committee consists of 5 universities: University of Central Florida, University of Iowa, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez and the University of WisconsinMadison. Each summit has been hosted by one of the universities with the first conference being hosted by UMass Amherst in September and most recently hosted by the University of Puerto in San Juan this past February. University of Massachusetts Amherst Institute of Transportation Engineers 12 2014 - 2015 Annual Report Pedestrian Safety Projects As of the 2013-2014 report, the UMass student chapter was in first place in a national competition sponsored by Carmanah Traffic, that encouraged universities to upload a picture or video to their Facebook page with a caption that explained why the pictured crosswalk was dangerous. The winner of this contest would receive a free solar rectangular rapid flashing beacon crosswalk system. After becoming 1 of 3 finalists, UMassITE won the final round of voting and received the flashing beacon crosswalk system. Physical Plant installed the signage after the end of the 2014 school year. The campus was so happy with how the system was being used that they installed a second one before the beginning of the 2015 school year at their own expense. The campus is considering installing more but is being careful not to install too many that drivers will no longer respect them. In addition to the crosswalk project, the student chapter assisted a group called “Walk This Way” in data collection. The group seeks to reduce noise and litter by students specifically in the neighborhood near the Southwest Residential Area. The student chapter continues to seek ways to leverage their expertise for the benefit of the campus. University of Massachusetts Amherst Institute of Transportation Engineers 13 2014- 2015 Annual Report #ITEYearInReview The student chapter has fully embraced social media and has used it to connect students with alumni, professionals, and organizations. By staying active on Twitter and on other social media fronts, UMass ITE has been able to stay current on real-time transportation news, jobs, contests, and more; it also allows us to chronologically store and recall important information and events for our group. Below are some of the highlights from our #ITEYearInReview. University of Massachusetts Amherst Institute of Transportation Engineers 14 2014 - 2015 Annual Report Chapter Roster STUDENT NAME DEGREE GRAD/EXP GRAD DATE Amirgholy, Mahyar Ph.D. CE Spring 2017 Anderson, Josh* BSCE Spring 2015 Baidy, Myles* BSCE Spring 2015 Berthaume, Andrew* Ph.D. CE Fall 2014 Buchalter, Cody BSCE Spring 2015 Carlotto, Hayley BSCE Spring 2015 Copoulos, George MSCE Spring 2015 Ding, Jing* Ph.D. CE Spring 2015 Dube, Christina* MSCE Fall 2014 Ebacher, Beth Ph.D. CE Spring 2015 Farid, Yashar Ph.D. CE Fall 2015 Favalora, Christian BSCE Spring 2015 Fitzpatrick, Cole* Ph.D. CE Spring 2017 Freeman, Jonathan* MSCE Spring 2015 Garmroudi, Somaye MSCE Spring 2016 Gauvin, Jayson BSCE Spring 2015 Gómez, Radhameris* Ph.D. CE Fall 2015 Hajiseyedjavodi, Foroogh Ph.D. CE Spring 2017 Harrington, Curt* MSCE Fall 2014 Jia, Chaoqun Ph.D. CE Spring 2015 Keegan, Aaron MSCE Spring 2016 Khalighi, Farnoush Ph.D. CE Spring 2017 Kippen, Bradford BSCE Fall 2014 Louis, Marie Ph.D. CE Spring 2017 Maloof, David BSCE Spring 2015 Martai, Balazs MSCE Fall 2015 McGinnis, Russell BSCE Spring 2015 Minott, Ethan MSCE Spring 2014 Moser, Jonathan BSCE Spring 2015 Muench, Eric BSCE Spring 2015 Panjaitan, Donald MSCE Spring 2015 Posner, David MSCE Spring 2014 Rahimi, Mahour Ph.D. CE Spring 2017 Reddy, Bhavana MSCE Spring 2016 Reeder, Andrew* BSCE Spring 2015 Roach, Derek MSCE Fall 2014 Ryan, Alyssa BSCE Spring 2018 Samaha, Maher BSCE Spring 2015 Schneider, Craig* MSCE Summer 2015 Tainter, Francis* BSCE Spring 2015 Tang, Yue Ph.D. CE Spring 2015 Tierney, Patrick* MSCE Spring 2014 Trubey, Mason* BSCE Spring 2015 Young, Derek MSCE Spring 2015 Young, Jared Ph.D. CE Spring 2017 * Denotes ITE Member University of Massachusetts Amherst Institute of Transportation Engineers I.
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