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Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I hope you are all staying well as we head into the second half of the semester. With midterms behind us, there is so much activity on campus and beyond to look forward to. I hope you all are able to take some time to rest and relax over the Thanksgiving break at the end of this month before we bring the semester to a close.
Before we start thinking too far ahead, I’d like to talk about what’s happening now. Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor and ITS affiliate Kenichi Soga is building a new road-focused smart infrastructure initiative with CEE faculty Adda Athanasopoulos-Zekkos, Tracy Becker, Matthew DeJong, and Dimitrios Zekkos. This new initiative will focus on creating the roads of tomorrow by building smart roads and recognizing roads as a key component in the urban system. Research priorities include transforming capabilities of existing pavement infrastructure systems by equipping them with sensors and data acquisition technologies; gaining insights through the fusion of the real infrastructures, data feeds, and proven theories; connecting road-infrastructure-society space; making informed policies and operation strategies; supporting highway infrastructure adaptation to climate change and electric and automated vehicles loadings; enabling wireless charging of electric vehicles; and leading to equitable outcomes. We are excited to see how ITS, our Centers, and our affiliates will fit into this new initiative! Look for more information and opportunities to come.
Speaking of affiliates, I would like to take a moment to recognize the depth and achievements of outstanding affiliates. Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Professor Shankar Sastry’s pioneering work on Automated Highway Systems and lifetime achievements in automatic control was recognized with the 2021 Rufus T. Oldenburger Medal. CEE Professor Scott Moura’s outstanding contributions in estimation, learning, and optimization of energy systems was also recognized by the American Society of Mechanical Engineering with the 2021 Young Investigator Award. Professor of Energy Daniel Kammen’s dedication to and research on sustainability led him to being selected to serve as senior adviser for energy, climate and innovation for the U.S. Agency for International Development. On the topic of awards, I’d like to remind you that ITS Award nominations are still open through Nov. 4, 2021. This year, it is more important than ever to recognize our outstanding Faculty, Staff, Students, and Partners! If you know someone who should be recognized, please fill out and submit to this online Nomination Form. You may submit as many nominations as you like and are meant to be inclusive. Nominations are open to the entire campus, and all departments, units and centers, however they should demonstrate links to ITS and/or transportation. We are planning a virtual ITS awards ceremony this year, and we are looking forward to a great program!
While we are planning a virtual award ceremony, we hope you will Save the Date: Dec. 9, 2-3 p.m. We are creating a safe, compliant, and fun end of the year event for ITS and Center Faculty and Staff. We’ve reserved Sibley Auditorium to gather, say hello and a few words of thanks, and hold a rousing game of trivia with a professional host! We are excited for this unique event, and we look forward to presenting our community with a token of our appreciation! Please keep an eye out for official invitations for the Awards Ceremony and End of the Year Gathering!
As we look past the end of the semester, registration is now open for the TRB Annual Meeting, “the world’s largest transportation-research conference." TRB will be held January 9–13, 2022 in Washington, D.C. U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will be the keynote speaker at the Chair’s Plenary Session, a "fireside chat" on stage with TRB's Executive Committee Chair, Transportation Sustainability Research Center Co-Director Susan Shaheen, and the Vice Chair. We are excited to announce the ITS Berkeley reception at TRB is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 9, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Cuba Libre. Details, particularly any restrictions related to covid-19 protocols, to follow!
With so many exciting and varied events to look forward, I hope to see you soon! Until then, Go Bears!
Alexandre Bayen
Director of Institute of Transportation Studies
Liao-Cho Professor of Engineering
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