September 2019
UFTI Welcomes New Faculty Member, Dr. Xilei Zhao
Dr. Xilei Zhao has joined UF as an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering. Dr. Zhao received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the Southeast University in China in 2013 and her master's degree in civil engineering and applied mathematics and statistics from Johns Hopkins University (JHU) in 2016 and 2017, respectively. In 2017, she received her doctoral degree in civil engineering from JHU. Dr. Zhao specializes in applying data science (data analytics, machine learning, optimization and simulation), complex systems modeling and risk assessment to tackle challenging problems in transportation and resilience.
Dr. Rui Guo Joins UF as Lecturer in Transportation Engineering
Dr. Rui Guo has joined UF as a Lecturer in Transportation Engineering under the new Department of Engineering Education in the UF Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. Before joining UF, she worked as an instructor from 2017 to 2019 in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering at Texas Tech University. She also worked as a research associate from 2015 to 2016 in the ITS and Safety program at the Center for Urban Transportation Research, University of South Florida. In 2008, Dr. Guo received her bachelor's degree from Southeast University in China and graduated with a Ph.D. from the University of South Florida in 2015. Her research interests include multimodal traffic safety, sustainable transportation, air transportation, and engineering education. She has conducted more than 10 funded research projects funded by state DOTs as well as national agencies. She has presented her work in several conferences and published research papers in major peer-reviewed journals.
Pruthvi Manjunatha Appointed as I-STREET Manager
Dr. Pruthvi Manjunatha was appointed I-STREET Testbed Manager. Prior to this position, Dr. Manjunatha was a Post-Doctoral Associate in the Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering. Dr. Manjunatha has 8 years of experience in transportation engineering, which includes teaching, research and working in the industry. Dr. Manjunatha received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering in 2018 from UF.
" It was a great learning experience as a post-doc at UFTI working with Dr. Letter and Dr. Lily on various I-STREET projects," Dr. Manjunatha said. "It gave me an opportunity to understand the breadth of the interdisciplinary nature of the program and get to know the stakeholders involved. The role as I-STREET Testbed Manager comes as a natural transition. I am excited to collaborate with researchers in the I-STREET program and foster relations with other institutions and industry."
Congratulations to Our Graduates!
From left to right: Dr. Abraham Yarney, Dr. Marian Ankomah, Dr. Siva Srinivasan and Dr. Khajonsak Jermprapai.
Congratulations to Dr. Marian Ankomah, Dr. Khajonsak Jermprapai and Dr. Abraham Yarney for completing their doctoral program. All three graduated in August 2019 with degrees in Civil Engineering. Dr. Siva Srinivasan served as their faculty adviser.
Click on the thumbnail above to view Zachary Jerome's SURF recap video
UFTI SURF Student: Zachary Jerome
Zachary Jerome, a civil engineering student with a transportation focus at the University of Tennessee, was the UFTI's 2019 Summer Undergraduate Research at Florida (SURF) student. Jerome worked on two projects under Dr. Lily Elefteriadou.

Dr. Pruthvi Manjunatha, who worked closely with Jerome over the summer, said, "Zachary made a quick transition into our AVIAN project and was able to show results in a short time. He also volunteered to be at our booth at AVS in Orlando. We hope to have him back as our graduate student."
UFTI Student Marilo Martin-Gasulla Wins Scholarship from WTS Central Chapter
UFTI student Marilo Martin-Gasulla was awarded the 2019 Frankee Hellinger “Graduate Leadership Scholarship” by the Women's Transportation Seminar Central Florida Chapter! Scholarships through WTS are awarded to women pursuing careers in transportation through undergraduate and graduate academic programs. This scholarship is competitive and was based on specific transportation goals, academic record and transportation-related activities or job skills. 
Congratulations Marilo!
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