Kent Seminar Distinguished Lecture: Yinhai Wang
By Yinhai Wang on 04/21/2025 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in 1611 Titan Dr., Rantoul, IL 61866
Illinois Center for Transportation is proud to present the annual Kent Seminar Distinguished Lecture Monday, April 21. The lecture will begin at 4 p.m. with a reception to follow at 5 p.m. (CT).
Presenter: Yinhai Wang, University of Washington
Presentation title: Shaping the Future of Road Transportation with Customized AI and Edge Computing
Location: 1017 Civil and Environmental Engineering Building, 301 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana, IL. A reception will follow in the CEE Smart Bridge.
All presentations will be held on Zoom, but some speakers will present in person at ICT.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://go.illinois.edu/KentSeminar
Meeting ID: 898 9078 1073
Passcode: 116680
Bio:
Wang is a professor of transportation engineering and founding director of the Smart Transportation Applications and Research Laboratory (STAR Lab) at the University of Washington. He also directs the Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium (PacTrans), the USDOT University Transportation Center for Federal Region 10; the Northwestern Tribal Technical Assistance Program Center; and the Washington State Transportation Center (TRAC).
Wang chairs the Transportation Research Board’s AI and Advanced Computing Applications Committee, serves as vice president of the Council of University Transportation Centers, and leads the Committee on Technical Advancement for the American Society of Civil Engineers. He is the Connected and Automated Transportation special section editor for the ASCE Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems.
He previously served as president of the ASCE Transportation & Development Institute (2018–19), founding co-chair of the ASCE Connected and Automated Vehicle Impact Committee (2017–22), an elected governor for the IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Society (2011–13), and a member of the IEEE Smart Cities Steering Committee (2013–18).
His research interests include traffic sensing, AI applications, transportation data science, edge computing, safety, simulation, and smart mobility. He received the 2023 ASCE Francis C. Turner Award and the 2018 Innovation in Education Award from the Institute of Transportation Engineers. His work has earned several best paper awards, including from IEEE’s International Conference on Digital Twins and Parallel Intelligence (2022), IEEE Smart Cities Conference (2020), and ASCE Journal of Transportation Engineering (2003).
Wang is a licensed professional engineer in Washington, a member of the Washington State Academy of Sciences, a Distinguished Member of ASCE, and a fellow of both IEEE and ITE.
Abstract:
Artificial intelligence is transforming the landscape of road transportation by reshaping traditional approaches and driving innovation in infrastructure, mobility and safety. This presentation explores the role of AI and edge computing in enhancing transportation system efficiency and intelligence. Drawing on research conducted at the University of Washington’s Smart Transportation Applications and Research Laboratory, Wang will share customized AI methods and edge computing tools developed to meet evolving transportation needs. The talk will also discuss the potential impact of these technologies on safety, mobility and infrastructure performance.