April 15, 2020
Notes from the UFTI's Remote Work Series: Education
Teaching online is a challenge that professors with the UFTI and the entire University of Florida community have risen to meet.  
Early morning classes sometimes struggle with energy levels; to counter this, Dr. Jain tries to keep her class interactive. With the move to remote teaching, she had to get creative to keep student spirits up and the class engaging; she broke students into groups and used the game Taboo as an online class exercise to help students learn definitions and encourage interaction. 
Dr. Zhao has worked to create an effective teaching space on- and offline; her desk space is productive and personalized, and her remote instruction has evolved to address the lack of direct interaction with students. Dr. Zhao has found success in leaving 15 minutes at the end of each lecture for a Question and Answer session which she reports has improved the online communication between her and her students.  

Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Abigail Osei-Asamoah
Abigail Osei-Asamoah is a sharp and inquisitive alumni of the University of Florida. Her interest in transportation and engineering started as she thumbed through the pages of her father's very old copy of the AASHTO Green Book. She spent her time at UF getting her master's degree while studying with Dr. Washburn; she went on to get a Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut. These days Abigail works as a transportation planner/modeler with CDM Smith Inc., in Maitland, Florida. 
 
Despite the changing landscape, faculty and staff continue to stay connected and on track with our research and other initiatives.

Upcoming Webinars
STRIDE Webinar: Performance Measurement and Management Using Connected and Automated Vehicle Data

April 22: 12:00 PM Eastern

The availability of connected vehicle (CV) data, even at lower market penetrations, can be sufficient to support critical transportation performance measurement and management functions. This webinar will discuss the use of CV data to estimate metrics that can be currently estimated using existing data sources including those related to mobility, reliability, and environmental impacts. In addition, the webinar will discuss the estimation and utilization of additional mobility and safety metrics that cannot be estimated based on existing sources of data. The utilization of machine learning techniques to predict these performance metrics is also discussed.

Webinar Presenter:
  • Dr. Mohammed Hadi, Florida International University

STRIDE Webinar: Technology Influence on Travel Demand and Behaviors

May 13: 12:00 PM Eastern

The rapid technological developments in the 21st century created new opportunities for shared-use economy applications in the US and around the globe. In recent years, many large- and medium-sized city markets have experienced increases in the availability and popularity of Transportation Network Companies (TNCs), for-hire vehicles, and on-demand services such as UberX and Lyft. However, it is still not clear how availability of smartphone-based traveler information services influence travel choices and what are the impacts from mode choice changes on transportation network operations. This seminar presents findings from a study that investigated the influence of ride-sourcing on transportation users’ choices and behaviors in the Birmingham, AL region. The study a) documented Birmingham metro transportation users’ attitudes, choices, and behavioral trends and b) examined the feasibility of using agent-based simulation modeling to quantify the impacts of mode choice shift due to ride-sourcing on local and regional congestion. The seminar introduces the study methodology, presents findings and conclusions, and discusses next steps.

Webinar Presenter:
  • Dr. Virginia Sisiopiku, University of Alabama at Birmingham


The Southeastern Transportation Research, Innovations, Development, and Education (STRIDE) Center is the 2016 USDOT Region 4 (Southeast) University Transportation Center (UTC) housed at the University of Florida Transportation Institute (UFTI). 

Mc Trans Highway Capacity Analysis Webinar Series

June 1 - 5: 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM Eastern

Mc Trans will be presenting a training course as a series of webinars on Highway Capacity Analysis covering the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM 6th Edition) methodologies including applications using the Highway Capacity Software (HCS7) organized as follows:

June 1 (1:00-2:30) – HCM 6th Edition with HCS7 Overview (included with all registrations) (1.5 PDH)

June 1 (2:30-4:00) & June 2 (1:00-2:30) – Freeway Segments (Basic, Weaving, Merge & Diverge) and Freeway Facilities (Reliability) (3.0 PDH)  

June 2 (2:30-4:00) – Highway Segments (Multilane Highways, Two-Lane Highways) (1.5 PDH)

June 3 (1:00-2:30) – Unsignalized Intersections (TWSC, AWSC, Roundabouts and Roundabout Corridors) (1.5 PDH)

June 3 (2:30-4:00) & June 4 (1:00-4:00) – Signalized Intersections (Multiple-Period Analysis, Phase Duration); Urban Streets (Flow Profile, Access Points, Reliability) and Interchanges (Ramp Terminals, Alternative Intersections) (4.5 PDH)

June 5 (1:00-2:30) – TransModeler SE Demonstration (HCS7 Streets Integration, 3D Animation, HCM-Compliant Simulation) (1.5 PDH)

Register for the entire series (13.5 PDH) at a discounted rate. Registrations will be limited to ensure questions and discussion can be managed appropriately. Individual registrations are required for all participants. Multiple registrations on the same order from the same company or agency are discounted.

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