News and Events

The 2025 “Research to Practice” Transit Symposium will take place October 28-30, 2025. The symposium will take place online and streamed on YouTube. As the transit industry is experiencing significant changes (e.g., new technologies, potential funding shortage) in recent years, the symposium provides a platform where transit experts share insights on how evidence-based research is ...

By Ines Aviles-Spadoni, M.S., M.A., Research/Communications Coordinator, UFTI Image credit: Alexandra Kondyli, Ph.D. (headshot) Alexandra Kondyli, Ph.D., professor of transportation engineering at the University of Kansas (KU), has always been fascinated by how transportation influences how people move, live, and connect. That interest solidified toward the end of her undergraduate years, when she became interested in measuring ...

By Ines Aviles-Spadoni, M.S., M.A., Research/Communications Coordinator, UFTI Ally Recalde, UF student working on her doctoral degree in transportation engineering. Transportation is truly interdisciplinary, combining engineering with data science, public policy, human behavior, and more. For Ally Recalde, a first-year doctoral student in the UF Department of Civil Engineering, that blending of disciplines felt like the ...

By Ines Aviles-Spadoni, M.S., M.A., Research/Communications Coordinator, UFTI Image source: Adobe Stock Meet Sophia. Sophia is a fictitious character created to help illustrate a typical commuter and transit rider. She lives in a large city. Her morning commute includes riding an e-scooter to the nearest subway station, stopping to buy a cup of coffee and catching the ...

By Ines Aviles-Spadoni, M.S., M.A., Research/Communications Coordinator, UFTI Image source: Adobe Stock. (Hand of a young woman searching for a location on a map online on a smartphone) Just as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched its Feed it Onward initiative to reduce food waste and strengthen food security in America, a recent study conducted by UF ...

By Ines Aviles-Spadoni, M.S., M.A., Research/Communications Coordinator, UFTI Bryan Weiksnar on the University of Florida campus. (Image credit: Bryan Weiksnar) How does a student go from environmental engineering and plant science to developing an interest in transportation engineering? For Bryan Weiksnar, it all began through community involvement – attending a Gainesville Vision Zero meeting. “I learned that UF ...

By Ines Aviles-Spadoni, M.S., M.A., Research/Communications Coordinator, UFTI Image credit: Chris Ferraro, Ph.D. (ash from municipal solid waste incineration) Who would have thought the household garbage that makes its way into landfills could be turned into byproducts used for building roads, sidewalks and buildings? “Landfills are rich with hidden value – they are not a final resting place ...

By Ines Aviles-Spadoni, M.S., M.A., Research/Communications Coordinator, UFTI Seckin Ozkul, Ph.D., assistant professor and director, Supply Chain Innovation Lab, University of South Florida Sometimes, a single class in college can spark a career built on innovation, inspirational leadership, and real-world impact. For Seckin Ozkul, Ph.D., P.E., assistant professor and director of the University of South Florida (USF) Supply ...