Abigail Osei-Asamoah’s interest in transportation and engineering started from a young age; she would spend time figuring out how things got from one place to another. While being driven to and from school she would muse on the other vehicles moving between homes in minutes, passing pedestrians along the way.
Having a father who is a retired civil engineer helped guide her interests as he often shared with her what it was like to work in his profession. Abigail vividly remembers the books in his study, particularly the very old copy of the AASHTO Green Book. She would “thumb through the book wondering what it all meant”. Her father was fascinated by bridges and always tried to explain the complexities of his passions to his daughter. With age came a desire to improve the safety conditions and service for users of the transportation system.
Abigail came to the University of Florida and studied with Dr. Scott Washburn as she pursued her master’s degree. While at UF, she remembers the work she did on two particular projects. One was a Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) funded project “Improvements and Enhancements to LOSPLAN 2007 Part B: Impact of Left-Turn Spillover on Through Movement Discharge at Signalized Intersections” (FDOT BD-545-84). While working on this project, Abigail recalls that she “learned many new concepts, theories, and acquired new skills.” She also had the opportunity to work on the “Robust Synchronization of Actuated Signals” project which gave Abigail her first hands-on experience with microsimulation. She recalls that “for me it was new and very exciting; I enjoyed learning about something I wasn’t familiar with – I still do!”
After leaving UF, Abigail went on to get her Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut. Since then, Dr. Osei-Asamoah has worked as a transportation planner/modeler. She is currently working with CDM Smith Inc., in their Maitland, Florida office. Beyond her career, Abigail enjoys outdoor activities like walking, which allows her to notice details in her surroundings that she may miss while driving. She loves spending time with her family and generally relaxing.