April 14, 2023
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April 14, 2023

Mobility21 celebrates our student workers Sreya Vangala and Women in Transportation Fellow 2021-23 Maggie Harger for their hard work and contributions during National Student Appreciation Week at Carnegie Mellon University.

April 13, 2023
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April 13, 2023

The Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University hosted the Project Olympus Show & Tell, a popular venue for connecting CMU startups with the wider business and entrepreneurial community.  Mobility21 UTC researcher Dr. Destenie Nock provided insight into her research, while Heinz College MISM student Adam Knapp provided information on his customer discovery kickstart, “Parkor,” a program that helps customers find parking in real time.

March 24, 2023
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March 24, 2023

Carnegie Mellon University doctoral student Lindsay Graff presented a poster on her Mobility21 project “A MultiModal Network Modeling Framework to Evaluate Time-Dependent Accessibility Under Generalized Costs” at the CMU Civil and Environmental Engineering Research Showcase.

March 22, 2023
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March 22, 2023

Mobility21 researcher Dr. Destenie Nock and her Ph.D. student Lily Hanig participated in CMU Energy Week activities, where Lily talked about her work during the poster session.

January 30, 2023
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January 30, 2023

Former Traffic21 Women in Transportation Fellow Ngani Ndimbie (2016-2018), a senior consultant at High Street, is working to help improve transportation challenges for the underinvested and underserved communities.  Read more here.

January 13, 2023
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January 13, 2023

Carnegie Mellon University doctoral student Yanyu Wang was recognized at the 2023 TRB Annual Meeting for her 2021-2022 applied research on airport and related aviation system issues to help the public sector improve the quality, reliability, safety, and security of the U.S. civil aviation system in her paper, “Proactive Improvements of Standard Taxi Routes in Airports Based on Reinforcement Learning and Data-Driven Simulation.”  Her faculty mentor is Mobility21 UTC researcher Pingbo Tang.

November 10, 2022
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November 10, 2022

Members of the CMU Transportation Club took an exclusive behind the scenes tour of the xBridge Innovation Center at Pittsburgh International Airport.  This technology center is a test bed for new tech that can benefit the airport, airline partners, and air travelers. Members of the transportation club were able to see a remote-controlled vehicle that may be ultimately utilized to move passengers around the airport, algae which can filter air throughout the interior, and a delivery robot which could help facilitate the movement of goods through security. The students were also able to learn more about construction of a new terminal at the airport, and how this will help facilitate the travel of passengers arriving and departing from Pittsburgh.

August 12, 2022
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August 12, 2022

Mobility21 sponsored 2021 RISS-student Rayna Hata was a co-leader for the  Robolaunch workshop, “How do Autonomous Vehicles See the World?”  Mobility21 partnered with the RI summer Scholar’s program and Dr. Stephen Smith to help launch Rayna Hata’s into robotics research.  Now, Rayna is paying it forward by sharing and teaching what she has learned.  Rayna joined Neehar Peri to design a workshop exploring autonomous vehicles as part of the RISS Robolaunch Initiative: How Do Autonomous Vehicles See the World? Explore the workshop here: https://youtu.be/xAOxuz1IjXk

March 15, 2022
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March 15, 2022

Mobility21 UTC’s Women in Transportation Fellows Hajra Shahab and Maggie Harger participated in Argo AI‘s Women’s History Month celebration at the self-driving tech startup. The Self-Driven Women Early Talent Summit brought together women from STEAM backgrounds who have a shared passion for the technology industry. The event allowed  attendees to learn about Argo AI, the self-driving industry, and the ever evolving transportation sector in general. The event included a panel discussion comprising of female leadership at Argo AI, followed by a keynote session by Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer Summer Craze Fowler, who is also a professor at Carnegie Mellon.

March 12, 2022
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March 10-12, 2022

Mobility21 UTC’s Women in Transportation Fellows Hajra Shahab and Maggie Harger, along with members of the Carnegie Mellon University Transportation Club board, Ken Huang, Brian Hsu and Rajanikant Tenguria  traveled to meet with students from Mobility21’s academic partner, the University of Pennsylvania. The purpose of this visit was to learn about the academics, research activities and build connections with the students at Penn.

During their visit, the students had the opportunity to participate in an exclusive behind the scenes tour of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s (SEPTA) regional rail network and office headquarters in downtown Philadelphia. [SEPTA is the regional transit agency for the City of Philadelphia, serving five counties in the Greater Philadelphia area and connecting to transit systems in Delaware and New Jersey. It’s services include regional rail, buses, trolleys, subway and a high-speed line to western suburbs.]

One of the highlights  was touring the SEPTA command center, where employees were planning transportation logistics related to President Biden’s upcoming visit to Philadelphia.

Additionally, students were given a tour of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design and the Fisher Fine Arts Library at Penn.

Of the trip, Ken Huang said, “I really enjoyed meeting students at Penn who were equally interested in public transportation as I am. I also learned a lot from our tour of the SEPTA system and control center. This was a great opportunity to better understand how a large transit agency keeps its daily operations safe and smooth, something that I’ve always thought about as I ride with my local transit agency.”

Rajanikant Tenguria added, “The trip perfectly combined practical learning and the much needed spring break. It was helpful to understand the intricacies of the SEPTA network directly from the headquarters. It was a great bonding and networking event within CMU and Penn’s Transportation Clubs as we were able to share knowledge and learn from each other.”

Finally, Brian Hsu stated, “Touring SEPTA’s system and their control center showed us the impact technology has on public transit operations now and provided us insight into how technology can be leveraged for transit operations in the future. It was great to network with students at the University of Pennsylvania who share similar interests in transportation.”

Overall, the students look forward to future networking opportunities, and plan to keep in touch with those who they met at the University of Pennsylvania.

* This visit was conceived in January 2022 when students had the opportunity to meet at the 101st Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting. *

December 21, 2021
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December 21, 2021

Stan Caldwell applied his UTC research on emerging transportation technology policy in support of a year-long advisory round-table exploring  “How COVID-19 Affects Major Trends and Forces Shaping The Future of Transportation” for Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary Yassmin Gramian.  CMU Heinz College Master of Public Policy and Management student Erick Shiring served as research assistant throughout the project to PennDOT Senior Policy Advisor and report lead Roger Cohen.  Mobility21 UTC research Professor Megan Ryerson from the University of Pennsylvania also served on this round-table advisory group and applied her UTC research.

Research & Policy Papers – Traffic21 – A transportation research institute of Carnegie Mellon University – Carnegie Mellon University (cmu.edu)

November 18, 2021
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November 18, 2021

Traffic21 Women in Transportation Fellow 2021-2023 Maggie Harger  attended the Western Area MASITE In-Person Presentation and Social  hosted by the Mid-Atlantic Section of the Institution of Transportation Engineers, which offered networking opportunities as well as the chance to learn about mobility projects underway in the City of Pittsburgh.

October 25, 2021
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October 25, 2021

The Remaking Cities Institute in the CMU School of Architecture hosted Karina Ricks, Acting Associate Administrator for Research, Demonstration and Innovation with the Federal Transit Administration to lead a talk  focused on the connection between transportation mobility and social mobility, underscoring the importance of connecting communities to better opportunities through better access to transit and other forms of mobility.   She presented this as part of a larger social context in which innovation’s greatest value would come with a full reckoning of how to better measure access to mobility and its impact on people’s lives.

In a lively Q&A that followed the talk, Karina responded to questions about the future of more diverse leadership in transportation, the importance of respecting lived experience in shaping future transit and mobility options, with comments and questions from CMU students, faculty, and recent graduates, including former Traffic21 Women in Transportation Fellow Ngani Ndimbie. 

September 2, 2021
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September 2, 2021

During summer 2021, Carnegie Mellon University student and Traffic21 Women in Transportation Fellow Hajra Shahab worked with the Government Relations team at Aurora. Hajra details her experience by saying, “It was an exhilarating experience as I got to work very closely with engineering, safety, and product teams. I was able to deep dive into the understanding of how autonomous vehicles can be made more accessible for people with disabilities. My internship spanned over 12 weeks and I got a chance to learn about different functions of Government Relations. Aurora’s GR team is uniquely placed in the company which gave me a chance to collaborate closely with other teams to define a roadmap for accessible autonomous vehicles for rides product. Working at a company that is redefining the future of transportation made each day challenging yet exciting.”

July 30, 2021
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July 30, 2021

Mobility21 UTC welcomes Traffic21 Women in Transportation Fellow for 2021-2023, Maggie Harger.

Maggie is pursuing her Master of Science in Public Policy and Management with an interest in transportation policy. Prior to her time at Carnegie Mellon, she completed her undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies from Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA, and worked as a mobility coordinator for the North King County region near Seattle. This role involved working with city planners, local human service providers, elected officials, and regional transit agencies to identify transportation challenges for populations with unique mobility needs, including older adults, people with disabilities, and low income individuals.

Maggie hopes to continue learning about the intersection of efficient transportation, environmental sustainability, and economic advancement during her time as the Traffic21 Women in Transportation Fellow. In her spare time, Maggie can be found exploring the many bike paths of Pittsburgh.

Learn more about the Mobility21 student leaders here: https://mobility21.cmu.edu/about/leadership/student-leadership/.

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The Traffic21 Women in Transportation fellowship provides financial support to an incoming student who is entering either the Carnegie Mellon University Heinz College MSPPM (Public Policy and Management) or MISM (Information Systems Management) degree programs.  Students who have demonstrated an interest and commitment to Intelligent Transportation Systems are eligible to apply for the fellowship.  The fellow’s work supports the Mobility21 University Transportation Center’s activities.

March 19, 2021
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March 19, 2021

As part of the Summer Transportation Internship Program for Diverse Groups, MS research assistant Devin White has been awarded an internship at the US Department of Transportation in the Federal Highway Administration Center for Accelerating Innovation.  Devin is advised by Traffic21 Director Chris Hendrickson and UTC researcher Dr. Corey Harper.

December 18, 2020
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December 18, 2020

Mobility21 UTC research assistant Erick Shiring participated in a graduate Capstone course and recent study of Mt. Lebanon’s brick roads. They presented their results to the Mt. Lebanon Board of Commissioners.  This study was led by Anna Siefken of the Scott Institute, along with graduate students Yunxi “Luna” Hu, Rachel Bukowitz, and Shunyu “Charlotte” Rao, who participate in the Heinz College Systems Synthesis program .  Read the article here.

August 11, 2020
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August 11, 2020

The Women in Transportation Seminar Pittsburgh Chapter 2020 Sharon D. Banks Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship Recipient honoree is CMU student Sharika Hegde.

The award winner “Sharika J. Hegde is a senior at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) majoring in Civil & Environmental Engineering with a minor in Computer Science. Sharika is interested in intelligent transportation systems, shared mobility, and connected and automated vehicle technology. Combining her experience in transportation and computing, she is also interested in using machine learning and data analytics techniques to tackle issues within the transportation domain.”

The write-up in the WTS program also stated that “Sharika has completed numerous internships, most recently at FHWA’s Saxton Transportation Operations Laboratory, where she supported their Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment program and CARMA platform. During this internship, Sharika authored a paper on connected vehicle data privacy, which she then presented at the 2020 Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting. On-campus, Sharika served as the 2019 President of CMU’s student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers. She is also involved with transportation research at CMU, as a researcher at Prof. Sean Qian’s Mobility Data Analytics Center. Sharika will continue her education and research by pursuing a Ph.D. in transportation systems in the fall of 2020.”

July 24, 2020
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July 24, 2020

Mobility21 UTC’s Robotics Institute Summer Scholars (RISS) program participant Fausto Vega continues his work, exploring more about aerospace.

“My experience with RISS has been great as I have learned about the aerospace field which is a career I hope to pursue in the future. I am grateful for the weekly workshops, speakers, and the members of the Air Lab as they have allowed me to grow as a researcher.”  Watch a short video where Fausto explains more about his experience and project here.

Carnegie Mellon’s RISS Program is an eleven-week summer (June 1 to mid-August) undergraduate research program that immerses a diverse cohort of scholars in cutting-edge robotics projects that drive innovation and have real-world impact. Launched in 2006, RISS is among the best and most comprehensive robotics research programs for undergraduates in the world.

July 20, 2020
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July 20, 2020

Mobility21 UTC’s Robotics Institute Summer Scholars (RISS) program participant Beverley-Claire Okogwu continues to interact and excel as her project explores getting agents to overcome ambiguous and sub-optimal behaviors of humans in Human-Robot Interaction.

“One thing I am certainly proud of while conducting my research is my ability to thoroughly read and understand the basic ideas of research papers, and utilizing these ideas (algorithms, open source ware) into the simulator. I believe this is an important skill as I advance in my educational and career interests…So far, the RISS experience has surpassed my expectations due to its remote nature. I have interacted with a lot of people and have discovered a variety of online resources and platforms that I may not have found in an in-person setting. ”

Carnegie Mellon’s RISS Program is an eleven-week summer (June 1 to mid-August) undergraduate research program that immerses a diverse cohort of scholars in cutting-edge robotics projects that drive innovation and have real-world impact. Launched in 2006, RISS is among the best and most comprehensive robotics research programs for undergraduates in the world.

June 12, 2020
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June 9, 2020

Traffic21 Professor Rick Stafford and his Heinz College masters student, Demitra Kourtzidis, participated in the quarterly meeting of the Keystone Transportation Funding Coalition (KTFC) to engage with Pennsylvania transportation policy stakeholders.  Rick and Demitra are conducting research on past and future transportation funding alternatives.

April 24, 2020
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April 24, 2020

CMU Master of Language Technologies Student Yulan Feng contributed to the 2020 CMU Symposium on AI & Social Good by presenting on “CMU GetGoing: Dialogue System Designed for Seniors.”  Yulan works with Mobility21 UTC Researcher Maxine Eskenazi on the project “CMU GetGoing Dialogue System.” The 2020 CMU AI and Social Good Symposium aims to address these challenges by bringing together AI researchers and social impact leaders to present their ideas and applications for maximizing the social good.

January 16, 2020
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January 14, 2020

As part of the U.S. Department of Transportation booth at the 2020 Transportation Research Board’s Annual Meeting, Mobility21 Executive Director Stan Caldwell, Program Manager, Lisa Kay Schweyer and Postdoctoral Research Associate Wei Ma staffed an demo and talked with attendees about the Mobility 21 research project “Data-driven real-time traffic prediction and management.”

January 16, 2020
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January 16, 2020

Rick Grahn, a PhD student in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Carnegie Mellon University displayed his poster on “Are travelers substituting between Uber and public buses? A case study in Pittsburgh, PA” at the TRB Annual Meeting this week. The poster won “Best in Session.” The poster session was a part of the ‘Standing Committee on Public Transportation Planning and Development’.

January 8, 2020
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As part of the U.S. Department of Transportation booth at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show, Mobility21 Executive Director Stan Caldwell and Postdoctoral Research Associate Wei Ma staffed an demo and talked with attendees about the Mobility 21 research project “Data-driven real-time traffic prediction and management.”