Fall 2021 Kent Seminar series off to a terrific start

The Fall 2021 Kent Seminar Series is just getting started, with this semester’s Distinguished Speaker presenting Nov. 15!

This 18-speaker series offers 15 presentations on topics like autonomous vehicles, bridge health monitoring, electric vehicles, the future of transportation, pavement, the Smart Transportation Infrastructure Initiative, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering alumni success stories and much more.

Graduate students, faculty and transportation professionals have presented on a variety of topics (listed in chronological order):

• Imad Al-Qadi, UIUC Bliss Professor of Engineering and Illinois Center for Transportation director, “Kent Seminar Series Fall 2021 Introduction.”
• B. F. Spencer, Jr., UIUC Nathan M. & Anne M. Newmark Endowed Chair, “Advances in computer vision based civil infrastructure inspection and monitoring.”
• Jiayi Luo, UIUC doctoral student, “Aggregate assembly evaluation using a deep-learning-based image segmentation approach.”
• Lei Zuo, Virginia Tech Robert E. Hord, Jr. endowed professor, “Energy harvesting for sustainable and intelligent transportation.”
• John Anderson, Tigerbrain Engineering, Inc. president, “The world of civil engineering.” (Please note that Anderson’s presentation was not recorded.)
• Punit Singhvi, UIUC doctoral student, “Engineered bio-based additives to control asphalt concrete cracking.”
• Amir Golalipour and David Mensching, Federal Highway Administration highway research engineer and asphalt materials research program manager, respectively, “Federal Highway Administration resilience efforts.”
• Alireza Talebpour, UIUC assistant professor, “Impacts of human-automated vehicle interactions on traffic flow dynamics.”
• Konstantina Gkritza, Purdue University professor, “Electrifying times in transportation.”
• Kara Kockelman, The University of Texas at Austin professor, “Self-driving and all electric: Anticipating the travel and energy impacts of autonomous vehicles in U.S. markets.”

This semester’s Distinguished Speaker is José Holguín-Veras, William H. Hart Professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Holguín-Veras will discuss ways to reduce freight transportation’s environmental footprint as well as review public sector initiatives that could be used to foster sustainability.

He will present Monday, Nov. 15 from 4 to 5 p.m. in room 1017 at the Civil and Environmental Engineering Building.

This semester’s remaining speakers, including Holguín-Veras, will present through Dec. 9.

• Julie Vandenbossche, University of Pittsburgh William Whiteford Kepler Professor, “Evolution of the development of a design procedure for bonded concrete overlays of asphalt.”
• Samer Dessouky, University of Texas at San Antonio professor, “Innovative energy-harvesting techniques for smart pavements.”
• José Holguín-Veras, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute William H. Hart Professor, “Freight transportation policy and planning in the fight against climate change.”
• Ramez Hajj, UIUC assistant professor, “Advances in self-healing infrastructure materials,” and Jason Merret, UIUC associate professor of practice, “eVTOL Configuration Understanding, Development, and Design.”
• Naira Hovakimyan, UIUC W. Grafton and Lillian B. Wilkins Professor, “Safe operation of connected vehicles in complex and unforeseen environments,” and Shenlong Wang, UIUC assistant professor, “Safely train and test autonomous vehicles with augmented reality.”

Thanks to all our presenters for sharing their research this semester!

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