Friday, Feb. 7
Autonomous Shuttle Begins Carrying Passengers
As of Feb. 3, Gainesville residents are able to board an autonomous shuttle for test rides between downtown Gainesville and the University of Florida campus. The shuttle will be operated by the City of Gainesville’s Regional Transit System (RTS) and has been funded by the Florida Department of Transportation. 

Dr. Sherrilene Classen, Professor and Chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy; Dr. Lily Elefteriadou, Director of the UF Transportation Institute; and Dr. Pruthvi Manjunatha, I-STREET Testbed Manager; stand inside on of the two operating vehicles.
Dr. Nithin Agarwal Appointed UFTI T2 Director
Dr. Nithin Agarwal has been appointed Director of the UFTI Technology Transfer (T2) Center, effective February 21, 2020. 

Dr. Agarwal has served as the Assistant Director of the T2 Center for over a year. Dr. Agarwal also manages the UFTI’s Transportation Safety Center where he also leads efforts to evaluate emerging technologies utilizing the UFTI’s  I-STREET testbed . He serves as Principal Investigator for two Florida Department of Transportation grants that focus on improving safety throughout Florida: the  Occupant Protection Resource Center  and  Pedestrian Bicycling Safety Resource Center .

Congratulations Nithin!

Photo of Asean Davis
Student Spotlight: Asean Davis
Asean Davis is a charismatic second-year Ph.D. student. Academically, he likes to focus his energies looking at the issues surrounding autonomous freight transportation; specifically how driving on a road with autonomous freight effects the behavior of non-autonomous vehicle drivers and how perceptions about autonomous freight play a role in driver behavior.
Looking at the different angles of a complex issue isn’t something that Asean only does in his academics, he brings that same ability to see the potential for positive change into his love of thrifting and tailoring his own clothing.
Upcoming Events
Feb. 10 at 4 p.m.:  Dr. Pat Mokhtarian - Susan G. and Christopher D. Pappas Professor & Group Coordinator, Transportation Systems Engineering Smart Cities, Sustainable Communities, Georgia Tech School of Civil and Environmental Engineering - will give a lecture titled Pursuing the "Impossible" Dream: Incorporating Attitudes into Regional Transportation Models in the Reitz Union Room 2355.

The lecture will be followed by a reception. Dr. Mokhtarian's visit as a Distinguished Lecturer is hosted by ESSIE and the UFTI.

Feb. 11 at 6 p.m. EDT:  UF HealthStreet will be hosting an Our Community, Our Health (OCOH) national town hall focusing on the impacts of distracted driving.


This panel is presented in-person and via livestream and is free and open to the public.

Feb. 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.:  10th Annual WTS Student Chapter Symposium on the Role of Transportation Affecting Climate Change in the Reitz Union room G320 on the UF Campus.

Feb. 20 at 3:30 p.m.:  Dr. Nicholas Evans - Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, UMass Lowell - will give a presentation titled Modeling Ethical Algorithms in Autonomous Vehicles Using Crash Data in NEB 100.

Dr. Evans' visit is hosted by the UFTI and the Department of Philosophy.


Feb. 21 at 4:00 p.m.:  Dr. Evans will give a presentation titled Distributive Justice and Autonomous Vehicles in Philosophy Library, 303 Griffin Floyd Hall.

Feb. 26 - 27:  Florida Occupant Protection Coalition Meeting in Gainesville, FL

March 26 - 27:  The 7th Annual UTC Conference for the Southeastern Region will be held in Boca Raton, Florida.

STRIDE K-12 Workshop at the UTC Conference on Thursday, March 26. The session will focus on on  Issues Related to K-12 Outreach . If you would like more information on the session, please contact Ondine Wells at  [email protected] . 
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