In the Conch Republic, UF researchers and Key West locals join forces for a safer paradise

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The streets of Key West always buzz with life. On any given day, you’ll see tourists pedaling past charming pastel-colored cottages, tourists stepping off sunbaked cruise ships wandering about, and roosters – yes, roosters – strutting confidently around town. But beneath all that charm is a serious concern shared by those who live in the City of Key West: Key West’s streets aren’t always safe for its residents and tourists — or even roosters, for that matter. About 17% of residents in Key West rely on walking, biking, or other micromobility – like scooters or e-bikes – to get around. Combine that with more than a million visitors each year on an island only two by five miles wide, and congestion and safety risks quickly escalate. [Read more]

From left: Scott Washburn, Abira Aashish, Bryce Grame, Sanidhya Dadia, Michael Panarisi, Fabio Sasahara, Faizur Himel, Michael Hayes, and Renan Favero

The University of Florida Institute of Transportation Engineers (UFITE) Student Chapter recently claimed its second T-Bowl title in 12 years. The competition was held on Aug. 11 during the ITE Annual Meeting in Orlando. Modeled after TV’s “Jeopardy,” the ITE International Collegiate Traffic Bowl – known as the T-Bowl – brought together 10 teams from the United States and Canada, including Brigham Young University, New York University, Penn State, Purdue University, Texas A&M, University of British Columbia, University of Kansas, University of Washington and Virginia Tech. UF’s victory brought home the championship trophy and a $1,000 prize. [Read more]

From left: Renan Favero and Eric Gordin, P.E., president of the FLPRITE district chapter

Congratulations to Renan Favero for winning the Daniel B. Fambro Student Paper Award at the Florida-Puerto Rico Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) District Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida. Favero is a transportation engineering doctoral student conducting research on autonomous shuttles. The award-winning paper titled “Exploratory Driving Performance and Car-Following Modeling for Autonomous Shuttles Based on Field Data” evaluates autonomous shuttle trajectories with a specific focus on traffic operations and user comfort. [Read more]

From left: Amy Aida, Gustavo Zschaber, Bryce Grame, Yasmine Al Moghrabi, Enock Mwambeleko

Bryce Grame and Gustavo Zschaber, both University of Florida civil engineering graduate students specializing in transportation engineering, won first place during the 3-Minute Student Pitch Competition held as part of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) International Meeting in Orlando, Florida, Aug. 10 – 13. This year, the ITE conference incorporated the Shark-Tank-like competition into its program, challenging students to come up with persuasive pitches on innovative solutions to transportation challenges. Students had three minutes to deliver their ideas in front of a panel of judges who questioned students on scalability, user adoption and integration into the overall transportation systems. [Read more]

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