Tenth Annual Hybrid Research and Innovation September Symposium

On September 16th, the Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) hosted the tenth Annual September Research and Innovation Symposium as a hybrid event at the VT AOT Dill Building in Barre, VT and live online. We had over 170 in-person and virtual attendees. The attendees included VT AOT staff, at least four consulting firms, USGS, FHWA, and six universities. This year, we featured 26 projects in five technical sessions: Pavements and Construction; Safety and AI; Water; Concrete and Structures; and Planning and EVs. Keynote speaker Tyson Rupnow from Applied Research Associates presented on Transportation Research Impacts during our Plenary Session. In-person attendees also received a Symposium booklet, featuring the 26 projects and their impact to VT. All project materials (Fact Sheets, Posters, presentation slides, recordings) are or will be posted on the Symposium project webpages.

View the 26 projects on our Symposium webpage.

Explore the Symposium Booklet!

Provide Symposium feedback here!

People's Choice Awards!

Again this year, we gave attendees the opportunity to vote for their favorite project posters, presentations, and demonstrations. The People’s Choice results are in! Congratulations to the winners and learn more about the projects below.

Biggest WOW Factor

Development of an Automated Culvert Sizing Tool for Vermont, Ian Armstrong (USGS)

Best Technical Session Highlights Presentation

A Genetic Algorithm for Public DC Fast-Charging Siting in Rural Cold-Climate Networks: A Vermont Case Study, Mike Cross (Norwich University)

Best "Poster Plus"

Small Culvert Inspection Robots - Hydraulic Inspection Vehicle Explorer - Upgrades with Workshop, Dong Son Doan Tran (University of Vermont)

Most Related to Work or Interests - A Tie!

Waterborne Paint Pavement Markings - Best Management Practices, Leela Sushitha Chinnakotla (ARA)

Leveraging Existing Artificial Intelligence (AI) Capabilities for Knowledge Retention, Jessica Boakye and Egemen Okte (UMass Amherst)

We would love to hear your thoughts about what went well and what we can improve for next year! Please take a few minutes to fill out this Attendee Symposium Feedback Survey.

Provide Symposium feedback here!

Upcoming Research Lunch and Learns

Keep the following dates on your calendar for upcoming Research Lunch and Learns! Each link provides a calendar invitation for the specific date which will be updated when more information is available.

October 5, 12pm EST - VT AOT Innovations

November 2, 12pm EST - Research Projects from AASHTO Region 4

December 7, 12pm EST - VT AOT Research Projects

January 4 2027, 12pm EST - Research Projects from AASHTO Region 3

Recordings and presentations from previous Lunch and Learns can be found in the middle of our Learn About our Research web page.

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