April 2019
UFTI Research Results in New Road Safety Patrols
Previous research (Project # BDV26-977-02) completed in 2016 by the University of Florida Transportation Institute and FDOT created a decision support system (DSS) for managers who must decide if a roadway “warrants” the addition of a Safety Service Patrol (SSP). A computer tool was developed to facilitate the input of critical information about roadway segments necessary for the analysis. The UFTI researchers involved on this project were Dr. Yafeng Yin, and Dr. Siva Srinivasan, Enforcement Engineering, Inc. principal and UF alumnus Dr. Grady Carrick, and graduate students Khajonsak Jermprapai and Xiaotong Sun.
A new program with ten Road Rangers was rolled-out to start service in Brevard County, Fla., in April 2019, complementing recent expansions near Gainesville and Lake City. Florida’s Road Rangers patrol freeways assisting motorists and responding to traffic incidents where they work with police, fire, EMS, and transportation agencies to mitigate the incident impacts. 
The UF project also surveyed the Road Rangers to identify safety aspects of their job. Coupled with analysis of more than 200 Road Rangers crashes, the project identified opportunities to make improvements to operations, equipment and training. This lead to a subsequent study by Dr. Carrick that designed new uniforms that are worn by road rangers statewide. 
I-STREET and Technology Transfer Activities
UFTI Faculty and satff pictured with guests from USF CUTR and FDOT
Visitors from the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at the University of South Florida met with UFTI researchers to learn about I-STREET, one of the most visible real-world smart testbed initiatives at the Institute, a partnership in collaboration with the City of Gainesville and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). This gathering forms part of the Technology Transfer activities related to I-STREET which seek to disseminate lessons learned from I-STREET to other universities and communities. If you are interested in visiting and learning more about I-STREET please contact Dr. Clark Letter at clarklet@ufl.edu. For more on I-STREET, visit https://www.transportation.institute.ufl.edu/research-2/istreet-about-us/. 
The new 2019-20 executive board for Gator ITE.
New GatorITE Executive Board
President : Siddhartha Gulhare
Vice President : Md Islam
Treasurer : Ehsan Amini
Secretary : Megan Voss
Social Media Coordinator : Asean Davis
Event Coordinator : Fabio Sasahara
BEC Representative : Corbin Kramer
Fundraiser : Aschkan Omidvar
Congratulations to the New GatorITE Executive Board!
Gator ITE, the UF Student Chapter of ITE, held elections for new officers for the 2019-20 academic year. Congratulations to the new Gator ITE executive board members!

Fabio Sasahara, 2018-19 GatorITE president had this to say on concluding his term: “Serving as President of GatorITE has been an invaluable experience over the last year. As we elected our new officers, I am very confident that our chapter is in very good hands, and I look forward for another great year ahead."
UFTI Hosts Dr. Pitu Mirchandani
Dr. Pitu Mirchandani, a professor of Computing, Informatics and Decision Systems Engineering at Arizona State University and the AVNET chair for Supply Chain Networks, was invited as a Distinguished Speaker to present his work on "Drone-based Humanitarian Logistics for Timely Delivery of Perishable Items" on April 19, 2019.

Dr. Pitu Mirchandani presenting a slide about "What's so special about Drones"
UFTI Invites Applications for McTrans Director
The Director of McTrans oversees the maintaining, enhancing, and marketing of the Highway Capacity Software. Additionally, the director will be actively involved with the I-STREET initiative, working with UFTI faculty and staff to develop educational software, and participate in the activities of professional developments such as TRB, ASCE, ASEE, and IEEEs.

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