2019 News

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FMRI's advisory board member to chair Autonomous Florida Program December 5, 2019, Florida FMRI's advisory board member Beth Kigel was announced by the Florida Chamber of Commerce to chair its Autonomous Florida Program. Kigel will work closely with Autonomous Florida Director Christopher Emmanuel and business leaders from across Florida in advocating to make Florida’s business climate ready for the autonomous revolution and the technology development that comes with it. “I am excited to build on the successes of Autonomous Florida and take it to the next level,” Kigel said. “Through collaboration and partnerships, we can position Florida as the global leader in transportation innovation.”
FMRI Visits FAU High School November 22, 2019, Boca Raton, FL The FMRI research group visited the FAU High School to inform students about the research activities developed in the transportation laboratory. Students from the school attended different presentations about the profession of a transportation engineer, the importance of the area, how the research improves the everyday way of living, and what is the role of FMRI in this scenario.
FMRI Attends the 2019 FAV Summit in Miami November 20 - 22, 2019, Miami, FL FMRI's director, Dr. Evangelos Kaisar, and FMRI researchers attended the 7th Annual Florida Automated Vehicles Summit in Miami, FL. The event hosted several demonstrations of automated vehicles and last technologies of from different companies. In the agenda, participants attended general sessions on the present and future of Automated Vehicles, and breakout sessions on different topics.
FMRI At 2019 Florida Puerto Rico ITE District Annual Meeting November 6 - 8, 2019, San Juan, Puerto Rico The FAU graduate student and FAU ITE student chapter president Panagiota Goulianou attended the FSITE Annual Meeting. In the student poster session, she presented the poster titled “Assessing the Regional Impact of Hurricanes: A Predictive Port Resilience Tool”. Furthermore, she was given the opportunity to network and discuss with other ITE chapters of the Florida Puerto Rico ITE District, about further involvement in future ITE meetings and events.
FMRI workshop at the IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Conference - ITSC 2019 October 27, 2019, Auckland, New Zealand The FMRI sponsored a workshop on Smart Initiatives and Intelligent Freight Transportation at the IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Conference 2019, Auckland, New Zealand. This workshop addressed critical issues affecting planning, design, operation, and safety of the nation’s intermodal freight transportation systems, to strengthen nation’s economic competitiveness through efficient freight mobility. The Director of FMRI and Dr. Petros Ioannou, from the University of Southern California, were the organizers of the workshop. Dr. Kaisar presented about Improving Freight Operations on Urban Multi-modal Corridors through Freight Signal Priorities. In the same workshop, the FMRI's Associate Director of Research, Dr. Hourdos, presented about Optimization of Winter Maintenance Station Location for Safe and Efficient Freight Transportation.
FMRI visits the Bulim Bus Depot in Singapore October 23, 2019, Singapore The director of FMRI, Dr. Evangelos Kaisar, and other members of the FMRI's Executive Committee visited the Bulim Bus Depot in Singapore. This was the first bus depot built by the Land Transport Authority in Singapore. The depot is currently occupied by the Tower Transit Singapore under the Bus Contracting Model (BCM), under the Bulim Bus Package. The visit to the depot facilities also covered information regarding transit operations and freight and bus depots. Participants had a round table discussion about technology transfer and the importance of ITS technologies on multimodal corridors.
FMRI at the 26th Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress October 21 - 25, 2019, Singapore The FMRI participated in the 26th Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress in Singapore, themed "Smart Mobility, Empowering Cities". The FMRI Director and the Associate Director of Research participated in various ITS events at the conference and were involved in various discussion about freight platooning and automated trucks. The congress five-day programm was centered around eight broad themes, such as connected/autonomous vehicles, sustainable and smart cities, safety, policies, standards, pricing and travel management, and cybersecurity and data privacy.
FMRI at the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) Annual Meeting October 20 - 23, 2019, Seattle, WA FMRI faculty, postdoctoral researcher Dr. Dan Liu, and Ph.D student Stephen Span from University of Florida, attended the 2019 INFORMS Annual Meeting in Seattle, WA. As the world's largest professional association, INFORMS and its members work to improve operational and decision-making processes, and outcomes. The 2019 INFORMS Annual Meeting provided numerous opportunities to connect and network with more than 6,000 INFORMS members, students, prospective employers and employees, and academic and industry experts. Dr. Dan Liu from FAU presented the research on “Integration of Autonomous Delivery Vehicle in Sustainable Urban E-Grocery Distribution Network”.
FMRI at the International Urban Freight Conference October 15 - 18, 2019, Long Beach, California The FMRI participated in the International Urban Freight Conference in Long Beach, California. FMRI's advisory board Caitlin Hughes, FMRI Director Dr. Kaisar, FMRI faculty researcher Dr. Figliozzi, and students participated as keynote speakers, presenters, and panelists. It was a great opportunity for the center to demonstrate their research in Freight Signal Priority, automated vehicles, drone delivery, freight transportation operations, and much more.
FMRI Visited by Dr. Anusha from APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University October 14, 2019, Boca Raton, FL Dr. Anusha is an assistant professor at Kerala, India, with a Ph.D. in Transportation Engineering. She visited the FMRI laboratory facilities after her presentation on automated sensor data for development of estimation models for traffic variables, and students discussed about their current research. Her areas of interest are Intelligent Transportation Systems, Signalized Intersections, Bus Arrival Time Predictions, and Vehicular Emissions. She has several publications in both national and international journals and has completed two projects funded by the Transportation Research Centre (CET).
FMRI Visited by Director of the NCDOT Office of Logistics and Freight October 9, 2019, Boca Raton, FL The director of the NCDOT Office of Logistics and Freight Charles Edwards visited the FMRI laboratory and talked to the students about their current research. The lab tour occurred after his presentation in the ITE Lecture Series about "Examining the impacts and challenges associated with e-Commerce shipments on predicting traffic flows and designing appropriate urban infrastructure". Mr. Edwards joined the North Carolina Department of Transportation in March 2016 as the Director of Logistics Strategy. His work includes freight logistics planning, working with planners on freight related issues, and developing logistics solutions for North Carolina companies.
FMRI's Director Meets CEO of Mobile Dock and COO from Bestrane September 18, 2019, Boca Raton, FL The Director of FMRI, Dr. Evangelos Kaisar, met with Richard Miller, Partner & CEO of Mobile Dock, Chris Mason, COO from Bestrane, and Michael Miller, from FAU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science. Mr. Miller and Mr. Mason visited FMRI facilities at FAU and they discussed about Smart Solutions for freight problems of urbanization.
FMRI's Postdoc Researcher Participates in Florida Freight Advisory Committee July 26, 2019, Orlando, FL FMRI Postdoctoral Researcher, Dr. Dan Liu, attended the Florida Freight Advisory Committee (FLFAC) Meeting as an advisor in MetroPlan Orlando. During the meeting, Dr. Liu was involved in the discussion on Florida's Freight Mobility and Trade Plan (FMTP) and the objectives validation of FMTP. She gave comments on last-mile delivery and forecasting congestion/bottlenecks of freight corridor, as well as leveraging multi-source data and technologies to improve safety and security of the freight system.
FMRI in the Upward Bound Transportation Engineering Program July 17, 2019, Boca Raton, FL The FMRI offered a workshop to provide high school students information regarding Transportation Planning and Traffic Engineering. Under the Upward Bound program, high school students are mostly from low-income families and from families in which neither the parent holds a bachelor's degree. Postdoctoral Researcher Dr. Dan Liu and Graduate Research Assistant Taraneh Ardalan presented about the fundamentals of transportation planning, traffic engineering, and the key role of transportation engineers. The lecture, lasting over 3 hours, provided students a glimpse of Civil Engineering, with a focus on Transportation Engineering and Freight Movements.
FMRI Advisory Board Member from ATRI Promoted June 11, 2019, Arlington, VA The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) announced that Dan Murray has been promoted to senior vice president. Murray, who has been with ATRI since 1994, most recently served as ATRI's vice president. As senior vice president, Murray will continue to lead ATRI's portfolio of sponsored research as well as provide strategic direction and management of ATRI's top research priorities. ATRI is the trucking industry's 501c3 non-profit research organization, engaging in critical research relating to freight transportation's essential role in maintaining a safe, secure and efficient transportation system.
FMRI Partners Tour BNSF & the International Port of Memphis May 17, 2019, Memphis, TN The University of Memphis hosted an FMRI Advisory Board meeting that included tours of the BNSF Railway, and the International Port of Memphis. The BNSF tour was given by Douglas Gage, senior manager Hub Operations of Business Unit Operations & Support. The tour highlighted intermodal yard logistics and operations, as well as special equipment and machinery applications. The port tour was directed by Randy Richardson, executive director of the County Port Commission, and highlighted the port companies and the logistics used to work with the changing water levels of the Mississippi River.
FMRI Partner Institution Hosts Advisory Board Meeting May 16 - 17, 2019, Memphis, TN The FMRI advisory board members and consortium members held their annual physical meeting at the University of Memphis's FedEx Institute of Technology. The agenda included center activity updates, year two project presentations, educational initiatives, and year three plans. Attendees also took a tour of the FedEx World Hub facility - the largest facility in the FedEx network, providing overnight service to the entire nation and serving 95% of the global economy on a 24 to 48-hour basis.
FMRI Faculty Director Recognized by Broward County's Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance May 8, 2019, Fort Lauderdale, FL Dr. Evangelos Kaisar, FMRI Director and Associate Professor at Florida Atlantic University, was the recipient of the 2019 Alliance World Class Faculty award for his work in transportation and logistics. His award winner acts helped connect locals with high-wage jobs and supported neighborhood business growth. The Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance helped Broward businesses secure more than $216 million in capital investment and create and retain nearly 1,500 jobs since October. View Video
FMRI Discusses Collaborations with Visiting FIU Director May 2, 2019, Boca Raton, FL Dr. Evangelos Kaisar, director of the FMRI, met with Dr. Atorod Azizinamini, director of the Accelerated Bridge Construction University Transportation Center and chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at FIU, to discuss possible research collaborations. Dr. Azizinamini also met with Dr. Javad Hashemi, associate dean for research at the FAU College of Engineering and Computer Science, and toured the FAU facilities.
FMRI Director Presents at 2nd Annual Nat'l Mobility Summit of the USDOT UTCs April 11, 2019, Washington, DC Dr. Evangelos Kaisar, director of the FMRI, spoke at the USDOT summit on the center research titled "Modeling Adoption of Autonomous Vehicles by Freight Organizations". The summit was attended by industry, community, workforce, government, academia, and directors from university transportation centers around the country. The topics of discussion were real-world transportation challenges, technological innovations, policy approaches, successful deployments, workforce training needs, and lessons learned. Photo: Dr. Wei (David) Fan, director of the Center for Advanced Multimodal Mobility Solutions and Education, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and Dr. Evangelos Kaisar, director of FMRI at FAU.
FMRI Director Participates in the Standing Committee on Freight Transportation Data and AASHTO April 9 - 10, 2019, Irvine, CA Dr. Evangelos Kaisar, director of the FMRI, attended the Innovations in Freight Data Workshop organized by the Transportation Research Board. During the workshop, he participated in the Standing Committee on Freight Transportation Data and AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials). The workshop aimed to bring together the community of freight data users to share, discuss, and learn about the latest applications of emerging data sources and data fusion methods, freight data tools, and transferable methods of data collection, analysis, and visualization to meet planning and performance measurement and requirements.
FMRI Consortium Partner Visits FAU April 3, 2019, Boca Raton, FL Dr. John Hourdos, FMRI associate director of research and research associate professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo-engineering at the University of Minnesota visited FAU. He presented his research titled, "Talking, Robot, or Talking Robot Cars?" at the FMRI ITE Student Chapter Lecture Series. Dr. Evangelos Kaisar and Hourdos also discussed research proposal initiatives for the third year, guidelines for the consortium, and future meetings with the advisory board and consortium.
FMRI Holds Supply Chain Sustainability and Transportation Resilience Workshop March 29, 2019, Dania Beach, FL The FMRI, with the assistance of Dr. Manhar Dhanak, chair of the FAU Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering, held a Supply Chain Sustainability and Transportation Resilience Workshop. The event brought together academia, government, and industry to discuss local research-based sustainability and resiliency in the South Florida region. The agenda gave attendees a chance to learn about updated local government activities and research information in panel sessions, presentations, and working group discussions.
FMRI Director Attends Smart and Connected Initiative Workshop March 27, 2019, Riviera Beach, FL Dr. Evangelos Kaisar, director of the FMRI, attended the Smart and Connected Initiative Workshop. The event covered economic development, workforce development and education, and access to opportunity under the Palm Beach North Strategic Planning.
New Certificate Program Offered in the Area of Transportation, Logistics and Supply Chain Management 2019, FAU Boca Raton, FL To provide students with the knowledge necessary in the age of connected supply chains, the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatics Engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and the Department of Information Technology and Operations Management in the College of Business is offering a jointly designed certificate in Transportation, Logistics and Supply Chain Management. This 12-credit certificate permits graduate students to expand their knowledge on the technical skills of transportation engineering and the analytical business decision-making skills of supply chain management. Read More
FMRI Co-sponsors Florida Supply Chain Summit February 6-7, 2019, Orlando, FL The summit was attended by members of businesses and universities that came together to discuss the needs of innovation and personnel in supply chain efforts for Florida industries. Companies that participated included Amazon, C.H. Robinson, Florida East Coast Railway, Port Everglades, Port of Miami, Port of Tampa Bay, Enterprise Florida, and Florida Makes.
FMRI Hosts Advisory Board Meeting January 14, 2019, Washington, DC The FMRI Advisory Board Meeting covered updates on first- and second- year research and education projects, reporting criteria and report guidelines, and future research and educational initiatives under the center. The meeting was attended by special guest, Amy Stearns from USDOT, who is a grant manager.
FMRI Consortium Member's Research Recognized at TRB Event January 14, 2019, Washington, DC Dr. Miguel Figliozzi, FMRI consortium member and faculty at the Portland State University, was recognized for his presentation titled, "A Study of Autonomous Delivery Robots and Their Potential Impacts on Freight Efficiency and Travel" at the TRB 98th Annual Meeting Workshop 1135. The theme of the event was "Automation, Crowdsourcing, and Home Deliveries". Figliozzi's presentation revealed last-mile issues and introduced SADRs (sidewalk autonomous delivery robots) to help combat heavier items that cannot be transported by drones. Read More
FMRI Hosts Networking Event in Washington January 13, 2019, Washington, DC FMRI hosted a networking reception for faculty, staff, and student researchers in transportation fields from various universities. The event provided an opportunity to discuss future research endeavors and collaborations with those who have expertise in different fields of transportation engineering to further develop synergistic projects for the advancement of freight mobility.
FMRI Co-hosts the 98th Annual TRB Meeting Workshop 1090 January 13, 2019, Washington, DC Dr. Evangelos Kaisar, director of the FMRI, and Dr. Kuilin Zhang, assistant professor at the Michigan Technological University, hosted the TRB 98th Annual Meeting Workshop 1090. The theme of the event was "Smart Initiatives and Intelligent Transportation Systems Applications for Efficient and Sustainable Freight Mobility". The workshop explored emerging logistics and supply chain initiatives, methods for last-mile deliveries, multimodal freight mobility, port resiliency and logistics terminals operations. FMRI partner university, University of Memphis, and Florida Atlantic University presented their research titled, "Modeling Adoption of Autonomous Vehicle Technologies by Freight Organizations". Meeting Agenda Read More
FMRI Graduate Student Receives Award January 12, 2019, Washington, DC FMRI graduate research assistant, Anastasios Charisis, received the 2018 Student of the Year Award and a $1,000 scholarship for his research in urban logistics delivery and maritime logistics. Charisis graduated fall 2018 from FAU with a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering. Charisis helped with many projects involving the Florida Department of Transportation, and published three papers title "Multiobjective Location-Allocation Model for Urban Logistics Delivery Facilities", "Containership Routing and Scheduling Model with Multiple Time Windows", and "Container Shipping Route and Schedule Design with Port Time Windows and Coordinated Arrivals".