Kimberly Vachal named director of NDSU’s Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute. Vachal will begin as director on November 2. She has been with UGPTI for nearly three decades conducting research focused on agricultural safety and traffic safety. She succeeds Denver Tolliver who is retiring after more than 40 years at NDSU, including 14 years as UGPTI’s director.
Truck platooning offers a promising approach to reducing fuel consumption and emissions while increasing freight transport capacity, yet its adaptability to varied roadway infrastructure remains a critical research gap. This webinar examines a project that addresses this need through the design and prototyping of a dynamic truck platooning regulatory system. Presenter Yu “Fred” Song, PhD, whose research centers on traffic operations and safety, driver behavior, intelligent transportation systems, and vehicle automation, will share insights from this work. Before joining the University of Wyoming, Dr. Song conducted research at the Connecticut Transportation Institute at the University of Connecticut.
Accurate pavement assessments are critical for effective maintenance and asset management. However, traditional methods can be time-consuming and labor-intensive. This research explores an innovative approach using AI, deep learning, and advanced imaging to automate distress detection, severity estimation, and pavement condition evaluation. The goal is to improve efficiency and deliver clear reports to support informed maintenance and investment decisions.
This webinar discusses a framework developed to identify gaps in transportation infrastructure needs data. Though 311 complaints are a key mechanism to identify areas in need, researchers argue that the types and rates of complaints vary by location data. Therefore, some places may end up with worse infrastructure simply because not enough complaints are generated there. The gaps framework is intended to help public-sector engineers and planners.
