From asphalt to AI: Kent Seminar Series explores latest in transportation

Illinois Center for Transportation presented an action-packed Spring 2023 Kent Seminar Series lineup, inviting top transportation leaders to share their cutting-edge insights and expertise.

Sponsored by the Paul F. Kent Memorial Fund, the series honors the legacy of Paul Kent, a distinguished alumnus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

This semester’s alumni series featured only CEE faculty members or graduates. The list of speakers and topics covered are as follows:

• Ramez Hajj, UIUC: Understanding the relationship between oxidative aging, rheology and strength of asphalt
• Yanfeng Ouyang, UIUC: Planning last-mile unmanned aerial vehicle delivery under aerial traffic congestion
• Deb Mishra, Oklahoma State University: Data reduction, analysis and sensor survivability studies on a “smart” runway
• Lucas Babadopulos, Federal University of Ceará: Pavement design and infrastructure materials research at UFC
• Chen-Yu Lin, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University: Probabilistic modeling of optimal placement strategies of hazardous materials railcars in freight trains
• Shihui Shen, Penn State Altoona: Workability and compactibility of asphalt mixtures: A new perspective
• Hasan Ozer, Arizona State University: Reflective cracking design models for airfield asphalt concrete pavements
• Alexander Brand, Virginia Tech: Physicochemical interactions between Portland cement and asphalt
• Jaime Hernandez, Marquette University: Frequency-dependent tire properties and their effect on energy consumption and dynamic loading
• Wilbur Greer, UIUC and retired director of engineering at Law Engineering Testing Company: From nuclear reactor pressure vessels to a lighthouse — Part 1
• Xiaopeng Li, University of Wisconsin-Madison: Trade-offs between safety, mobility and stability in automated vehicle following control
• Salman Bhutta, Engtec Consulting: Charting your course: Navigating success through career choices and strategies
• Max Ziyadi and Seunggu Kang, Lucid Motors: The role of data in the electric vehicle industry, from data insights and AI to sustainability
• Dallas Little, Snead Chair Professor and Regents Professor at Texas A&M: Applying molecular dynamics toward a better understanding of performance of pavement materials 

A highlight of the semester was Dallas Little, Snead Chair Professor and Regents Professor at Texas A&M, who presented the Distinguished Lecture on April 25.