By Ines Aviles-Spadoni, M.S., M.A., Research/Communications Coordinator, UFTI
Congratulations to Renan Favero for winning the Daniel B. Fambro Student Paper Award at the Florida-Puerto Rico Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) District Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, on August 12, 2025. Renan Favero is a doctoral student in transportation engineering, conducting research on autonomous shuttles.
“This award is very meaningful to me, as it reflects not only my research efforts but also the guidance and encouragement I’ve received from my professors and colleagues,” Favero said. “It motivates me to keep contributing to the future of smart and safer transportation.”
The award-winning paper titled “Exploratory Driving Performance and Car-Following Modeling for Autonomous Shuttles Based on Field Data” evaluates autonomous shuttle trajectories with a specific focus on traffic operations and user comfort – two important factors in determining the real-world use of emerging technologies such as autonomous vehicles. Favero’s work attempts to understand how autonomous shuttles interact with conventional vehicles in traffic and how they can be improved for safety.
“Through this study, we evaluated how autonomous shuttles perform in real traffic conditions,” Favero said. “By modeling their car-following behavior with field data, we were able to identify where improvements are needed and how shuttles impact traffic under different scenarios. These insights are essential to ensure the safe and comfortable implementation of shuttles for passengers and all road users.”
The Daniel B. Fambro Student Paper Award is given to students who significantly contribute to the field of transportation. The judging criteria are based on originality, significance, scope and format, validity and applicability.
Favero’s paper was also recently published in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Xplore journal, which is a leading, peer-reviewed journal that publishes cutting-edge research. The article can be found at Exploratory Driving Performance and Car-Following Modeling for Autonomous Shuttles Based on Field Data | IEEE Journals & Magazine | IEEE Xplore.