Tag: safety

By Ines Aviles-Spadoni, M.S., M.A., Research/Communications Coordinator Autonomous vehicles (AVs) use a range of sensors to understand and navigate their environment. They use cameras and other technologies to detect the positions and distances of nearby vehicles, pedestrians, animals and road objects, allowing them to drive safely on our streets and highways. But what happens when […]

By Ines Aviles-Spadoni, M.S., M.A., Research/Communications Coordinator Transportation research is most meaningful when it leads to solutions that benefit society.  For Wei Sun, that mindset, further reinforced during graduate school, has shaped much of his career. “The best solution is not necessarily the most complex or sophisticated one,” he said. “It is the one that […]

By Ines Aviles-Spadoni, M.S., M.A., Research/Communications Coordinator, UFTI From a small town in southwestern Puerto Rico to supporting the contracting and partnering of engineering and architectural firms with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Miguel Lugo, a UF alumnus, has carved out a path focused on transportation and public service. “Transportation infrastructure is vital to […]

By Ines Aviles-Spadoni, M.S., M.A., Research/Communications Coordinator, UFTI Bryce Grame and Gustavo Zschaber, both University of Florida civil engineering graduate students specializing in transportation engineering, won first place during the 3-Minute Student Pitch Competition held as part of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) International Meeting in Orlando, Florida, Aug. 10 – 13. This year, […]

By Ines Aviles-Spadoni, M.S., M.A., Research/Communications Coordinator, UFTI The streets of Key West always buzz with life. On any given day, you’ll see tourists pedaling past charming pastel-colored cottages, tourists stepping off sunbaked cruise ships wandering about, and roosters – yes, roosters – strutting confidently around town. But beneath all that charm is a serious […]

By Ines Aviles-Spadoni, M.S., M.A., Research/Communications Coordinator Christian Cardenas is spending his summer with the University of Florida’s Secure, Accessible, and Sustainable Transportation program – a paid internship sponsored by the National Science Foundation supporting talented undergraduate students involved in high-impact research exploring autonomous transportation challenges. Cardenas, an undergraduate student from Grinnell College in Iowa, […]

By Ines Aviles-Spadoni, M.S., M.A., UFTI Research & Communications Coordinator Perched on a bridge above an interstate leading into Atlanta, Georgia, Myra Monreal and her college classmates observed and recorded the movements of traffic below. She found this experience to be delightful – one that helped to shape her into a “plangineer.” “I remember the […]

By Ines Aviles-Spadoni, M.S., M.A., UFTI Research & Communications Coordinator Many students pursue a doctoral degree because they wish to deepen their knowledge, contribute to enhancing the state of the art and make some sort of meaningful impact in their chosen field. For Isabelle Wandenkolk, that desire led her to explore how to use technology […]

By Ines Aviles-Spadoni, M.S., M.A., UFTI Research Coordinator/Communications I-STREET Manager Pruthvi Manjunatha of the UFTI presented findings from a study on Florida’s paratransit services to the state Transportation Committee on Jan. 14 in Tallahassee. The study, which was conducted in response to Florida Senate Bill 1380, explored mismatches in the state’s paratransit systems while also […]

By Ines Aviles-Spadoni, M.S., Research Coordinator, UFTI Researchers at the UF Institute for Driving, Activity, Participation, and Technology (I-DAPT) have been awarded a grant by the Osato Research Institute (ORI) in Japan to study how the effects of fermented papaya preparation (FPP®) impact the driving performance in older adults. Led by Sherrilene Classen, professor and […]