August 28, 2023
Posted in What's Happening

August 28, 2023

Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute Summer Scholars (RISS) community of mentors, sponsors, and alumni congratulate the 2023 cohort for their successful completion of the program! 

Each year, hundreds of students apply to join the RISS program.  The RISS community of sponsors makes the program and experience a possibility. Undergraduate research experiences, long recognized as a high-impact education practice, are critical to growing the nation’s research and scientific community. Safety21 is an ongoing sponsor and partner for the RISS program.  RISS also serves as an equity deployment partner for the Center.

July 27, 2023
Posted in What's Happening

July 27, 2023

Ph.D. candidate Sofia Martinez has been awarded the prestigious Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Graduate Fellowship by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration. Co-advised by Mobility21 UTC researchers Costa Samaras and Corey Harper she is focused on the electrification of the U.S. public transportation sector to reduce carbon emissions. Read the story

May 4, 2023
Posted in What's Happening

May 4, 2023

Students presented their final projects as part of the CMU course, The American Railroad: Decline and Renaissance in the Age of Deregulations of the Original Business Network.  The course is taught by Henry Posner, Carnegie Mellon University Adjunct Professor and chairman of the Railroad Development Corporation (RDC).

May 3, 2023
Posted in What's Happening

May 3, 2023

Traffic21 Women in Transportation Fellow Maggie Harger completed her fellowship by presenting her capstone project for Pittsburgh Regional Transit.

April 15, 2023
Posted in What's Happening

April 15, 2023

Carnegie Mellon University graduate students from interdisciplinary courses joined forces to win second place in the Kellogg Design Challenge, the world’s largest MBA design case competition.  Assisted by Traffic21 Director Raj Rajkumar and Metro21 Executive Director Karen Lightman, they were able to explore autonomous vehicles and transportation policies to narrow down the problem space for their sponsor, Nissan.

March 31, 2023
Posted in What's Happening

March 31, 2023

Update from Mobility21 sponsored Robotics Institute Summer Scholar Student Rayna Hata:

My research with the RISS program and Dr. Stephen Smith of the Intelligent Coordination and Logistics Lab at CMU RI started in the summer of 2021. For the past two years, I have been researching methods of Blind Pedestrian Navigation on Urban Crosswalks using the PedPal app, first created by Dr. Smith and his team. This project touched upon my interest in assistive technology, a theme that has been a driving factor in many of my research projects. Assistive technology such as these is essential as vision-impaired pedestrians face multiple difficulties when crossing urban crosswalks, leading them to stray off the path or spend multiple signal cycles at the intersection. This directly impacts the safety and efficiency as they cross the intersection.

 

In my first summer at RISS, I researched methods on devices that could best track and localize the pedestrian, ultimately landing at ultra-wideband devices. Continuing to research under Dr. Smith during the school year and into a second summer at RISS, I worked to develop an algorithm to continually localize the pedestrian as they approach and cross the intersection, warning them if they start to stray off the path. I also worked to create a simulation where this algorithm could be tested and visualized. At the end of RISS, I presented my research to other RISS peers and professors at the Robotics Institute, where I received thoughtful feedback and comments about my research and my presentation—every moment at RISS allowed me to grow as a researcher. 

 

My summers at RISS were also much more than just conducting research. I could attend seminars hosted by renowned researchers in various fields, see firsthand amazing research done at CMU, and form connections with peers as passionate about robotics as I am. My overall experience at RISS solidified my interest in attending graduate school and obtaining my Ph.D. in robotics to further my education and research experience in assistive technology and human-computer interaction. I am excited to return to the Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute this fall as a PhD student and to learn from and research alongside incredible researchers in the field. 

March 23, 2023
Posted in What's Happening

March 23, 2023

Mobility21 Program Manager Lisa Kay Schweyer and 2021-2023 Women in Transportation Fellow Maggie Harger participated in the 6th Annual WTS Pittsburgh Chapter Scholarship Gala.  The event was an opportunity to network with current and future transportation industry professionals and leaders, and to celebrate the achievements of the scholarship recipients.

March 17, 2023
Posted in What's Happening

March 17, 2023

Members of the CMU Transportation Club hosted four transportation professionals for their annual career panel event.  Panelists represented the City of Pittsburgh, Department of Mobility & Infrastructure, WSP, Pittsburgh Regional Transit, and Hitachi Rail.  The panelists shared their experiences in planning transit-oriented communities, conducting right-of-way development, managing sidewalks and curbs, and rail wayside engineering.  Students asked questions of the panelists, as well as engaged in networking at the end of the event.

February 16, 2023
Posted in What's Happening

February 16, 2023

Students from the CMU Transportation Club attended the Hitachi Rail Open House to learn about the career and development opportunities that Hitachi Rail offers.  Students had the chance to speak with several of the Hitachi Rail top business leaders, toured the research labs, and participated in individualized sessions to learn more about their projects and available positions.

January 27, 2023
Posted in What's Happening

January 27, 2023

A student-led team from the Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute, AI on Ice, has partnered with CMU spinout Locomation, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Zamboni to add autonomous capabilities to a two-Zamboni machine convoy on the ice.  UTC researcher John Dolan, a principal systems scientist in the Robotics Institue is the adviser on the project. Read more here.

January 18, 2023
Posted in What's Happening

January 18, 2023

Mobility21 UTC researcher Jeremy Michalek’s second year Ph.D. student Hannah Morin, who studies Engineering and Public Policy and Material Science and Engineering, was interviewed by a Hudson High School student from Hudson, Ohio for his paper on electric vehicles, specifically the California 2035 all EV rule.

January 16, 2023
Posted in What's Happening

January 16, 2023

Mobility21 UTC Women in Transportation Fellow for 2021-2023, Maggie Harger attended the Transportation Research Board’s 102nd Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.  The meeting offered her the opportunity to learn about the latest developments in transportation research, policy, and innovative practices from across the world.

Maggie reports some highlights of the event included remarks from U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm on the state of transportation policy in America, specifically the new joint office between the US Department of Transportation and the US Department of Energy.  Additionally, she was also able to view poster presentations from researchers in the field and attend lecterns on topics ranging from concrete modeling to autonomous vehicle policy.

Maggie and other students from CMU were able to meet fellow students involved in transportation at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as several CMU alumni who are now professionals in the field.

January 16, 2023
Posted in What's Happening

January 16, 2023

Carnegie Mellon University student & transportation club member, Brian Hsu attended the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

“My experience at the TRB Annual Meeting allowed me to gain insight into the research happening in the transportation industry and into the inner workings of TRB. As a future roadway engineer, I was particularly excited to see the emphasis in roadway design on safety, complete streets, and human factors. I found the discussions about the AASHTO Green Book and how to effectively implement its guidelines to be very informative. I also learned about some fascinating alternative intersection designs. Through participation in committee and subcommittee meetings, I came to understand how TRB functions and what research is occurring. By attending the TRB Annual Meeting and engaging with the research community, I can improve my practice when I become a roadway engineer. Further, the meeting was the perfect place to learn about new research and to engage with knowledgeable students, researchers, and professionals.”      – Brian Hsu

January 12, 2023
Posted in What's Happening

January 12, 2023

Carnegie Mellon University and Mobility21 UTC researchers, staff and students took part in several lectern and poster sessions during the 2023 Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting including:

Poster Sessions:

• • • Estimating Dynamic Origin-Destination Demand for a Multimodal Transportation Network: A Computational Graph-Based Approach – Sean Qian and Qiling Zou
    • Assessing the Impact of Communication Delay on Speed Harmonization of Connected and Automated Vehicles: Application of Markov Decision Switching to Field Experimental Data – Zulqarnain Khattak
    • Identifying Safety-Critical, Heavy-Duty Vehicles in Fleets with Complementary Vehicle Inspection Data Sets Through Cross-Database Clustering Analysis – Pingbo Tang, Chenyu Yuan, Ying Shi, Ruoxin Xiong
    • COVID-19 Public Transit Precautions: Trade-Offs Between Risk Reduction and Costs – Lily Hanig, Corey Harper, Destenie Nock
    • Calibrating Bridge Element-Level Condition Ratings Through Weighted Inspection Behavior Analysis – Pengkun Liu, Ying Shi, Ruoxin Xiong, Pingbo Tang
    • Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Autonomous Ground Delivery Vehicles – Thiago Rodrigues, Jeremy Michalek, Constantine Samaras
    • Should Ridesourcing Services Pool More Rides? – Matthew Bruchon, Connor Forsythe, Jeremy Michalek
    • Smart Curbspace: Estimating the Potential for Optimized Delivery Vehicle Parking Assignment to Reduce Double Parking, Congestion, and Energy Consumption – Aaron Burns, Jeremy Michalek, Constantine Samaras
    • Does Congestion Pricing for Uber and Lyft Work?: Effects of Chicago’s Downtown Zone Surcharge – Matthew Bruchon, Connor Forsythe, Charlotte Andreasen, Kate Whitefoot, Jeremy Michalek
    • What’s Driving Electric Vehicle Adoption?: Evaluating Changes in U.S. Consumer Preferences and Vehicle Technology – Connor Forsythe, Kate Whitefoot, Jeremy Michalek

Lectern Sessions:

• • • Taking a Multimodal Approach to Equitable Bikeshare Station Siting – Zhufeng Fan, Corey Harper
    • Tools for Assessing Transportation Demand Management Strategies – Lisa Kay Schweyer
    • Bridge Management Models for Load Ratings and Repair Methods – Pingbo Tang
    • Using Automatic Passenger Counting-Automatic Vehicle Location Data to Improve Transit Reliability and Accessibility Analysis – Daryn Lee, Sean Qian
    • A Two-Stage Multi-task Learning Model for Proactive Non-recurrent Traffic Prediction – Sean Qian
    • Air Pollution, Greenhouse Gas, and Traffic Externality Benefits and Costs of Fully Electrifying Ridesourcing Services – Jeremy Michalek
    • Ridesharing the Wealth: Effects of Uber and Lyft on Jobs, Wages, and Economic Growth – Adam Koling, Daniel Armanios, Jeremy Michalek, Connor Forsythe, Akshaya Jha
    • How Clean Does the U.S. Electricity Grid Need to Be to Ensure Electric Vehicles Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions? – Jeremy Michalek
    • Exploring the Congestion, Emissions, and Energy Implications of Switching from In-Person to Online Grocery Shopping – Carlos Mateo Samudio Lezcano, Corey Harper, Destenie Nock, Gregory Lowry, Jeremy Michalek
    • Will Pickup Truck Owners Go Electric? – Connor Forsythe, Kate Whitefoot, Jeremy Michalek

December 19, 2022
Posted in What's Happening

“Wenhao Ding and Jiacheng Zhu, Ph.D. students in [CMU UTC researcher Ding] Zhao’s lab, proposed a new method, Learning to Collide, to identify risky scenarios leveraging the reinforcement learning technique. This method builds a framework where the autonomous system is a victim attacked by the scenario-generation algorithm. … Ding and Zhu’s proposal, ‘Safety-Critical Scenarios Generation and Generalization for Autonomous Driving’ was awarded the 2022 Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship, which promotes innovation, execution, and teamwork.”  Read more here.

December 16, 2022
Posted in What's Happening

December 16, 2022

CMU Heinz College Master of Information Systems Management program students engage in semester long “Capstone Projects” to apply coursework to real-world scenarios.  This week, students shared the results of their semester long research projects during a poster fair.  The projects featured today included the following transportation related projects:

• • Torc
  • US Ignite
  • Chevron 2
  • Green Edge Technologies
  • Blue Triton
  • Make It Home Safe
  • Honda

December 13, 2022
Posted in What's Happening

December 13, 2022

Heinz College Master of Science in Public Policy and Management students from Traffic21 Executive Director Stan Caldwell’s Systems Synthesis course presented their final capstone presentation for their client, InnovatePGH, which focused on Smart Loading Zones and Curb Management.

December 12, 2022
Posted in What's Happening

December 12, 2022

On October 29, after arriving to Phillips Park to help with a local clean-up effort, Mobility21 UTC Program Manager, Lisa Kay Schweyer was surprised to learn 3 Carnegie Mellon University students (Shirui Liang, Maria Manrique, Keziah Virdayanti) were also there to help with the volunteer activity.  She joined the students while picking up litter and had a chance to share what she does at CMU, hear about their trip on the local bus to the park (and uncertainty of riding somewhere new), and learn more about the students’ interest in transportation and the project they had been thinking about for their Integrated Innovation Institute Design Methods class.

Within a week, the students invited Lisa Kay to meet with the project team to learn more about her experience in helping commuters find non-single occupancy vehicle travel.  From that conversation, and their own experience navigating transit systems, the group decided to work on a way to use technology to make the experience of first-time bus riders less stressful.

The team, Shirui Liang, Kaila Richardson, Dongwen Xu, Siyue Shen, Saisri Akondi, Mei Tamaki, and Ashish Mangal dove in, conducted research, used various integrated innovation methods and conducted testing to finally propose their solution – an “AR Your Guide“!

The solution is an augmented reality feature that can be integrated into existing transportation apps. The design turns the bus searching and riding experience into a “Pokemon Go” like game. It provides users with an interactive guide that leads them to unfamiliar bus stops and instructs people new to bus transportation how to pay, track, and request stops.

The team is hoping that app developers use their work to make this solution a reality.

December 7, 2022
Posted in What's Happening

December 7, 2022

CMU’s students in the Smart Cities: Growth with Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) class, instructed by Mobility21 Professor Sean Qian and co-instructed by Mobility21 Executive Director Stan Caldwell, hosted presentations from 10 groups of multidisciplinary master’s students analyzing ITS technologies.

December 3, 2022
Posted in What's Happening

December 3, 2022

Prior to final exam week at CMU, during what can be a busy time for many students, the CMU Transportation Club hosted a networking event for its members. Because the members of the transportation club come from a variety of academic backgrounds, they do not often have a chance to meet one another in class. This opportunity to meet fellow students and share about classes, job opportunities and other overlapping interests was beneficial to all. Additionally, students got to try empanadas from Mi Empanada, a local Pittsburgh bakery. The club plans to host similar events before exam week in the spring semester.

November 12, 2022
Posted in What's Happening

November 12, 2022

Members of the CMU Transportation Club recently attended Transportation CampPGH, an “unconference” event hosted by Mobility Southwestern Pennsylvania. Individuals from a variety of backgrounds were in attendance, from areas such as academia, the private sector, advocacy groups and the City of Pittsburgh. Attendees chose the topics of discussion themselves by submitting topic idea cards, which were then sorted based on theme. The themes chosen for discussion included street design, transit-oriented communities, and advocacy work. Additionally, Vince Valdes, Executive Director and CEO of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, and Beth Osborne, President of Transportation For America presented as keynote speakers.

October 24, 2022
Posted in What's Happening

October 24, 2022

Facilitated by the Mobility21 University Transportation Center, Carnegie Mellon’s Career & Professional Development Center, in partnership with Heinz College Career Services, first autonomous vehicle focused career fair was held on CMU’s campus.  The event provided students an opportunity to meet with companies in the autonomous vehicle industry.

October 1, 2022
Posted in What's Happening

October 1, 2022

Metro21 Intern and Heinz College Masters Student Bobby Lincoln moderated a discussion with Congressman Ro Khanna and Congressman Conor Lamb on the future of technology.

Representative Khanna discussed his new book, “Dignity in a Digital Age: Making Tech Work for All of Us,” which offers a revolutionary roadmap to facing America’s digital divide, offering greater economic prosperity to all. In Khanna’s vision, “just as people can move to technology, technology can move to people. People need not be compelled to move from one place to another to reap the benefits offered by technological progress” (from the foreword by Amartya Sen, Nobel Laureate in Economics).

September 21, 2022
Posted in What's Happening

September 21, 2022

2020 – 2022 Traffic21 Women in Transportation Fellow Maggie Harger recently participated the ITS World Congress, an international event that brings together world leaders, practitioners, policy makers, researchers, and private industry to advance and unite the intelligent transportation systems industry.  This conference offered an opportunity to learn about current advances in intelligent transportation systems around the world, as well as strategies of implementation and policy considerations.

September 13, 2022
Posted in What's Happening

September 13, 2022

Traffic21 Executive Director, Stan Caldwell presented to the CMU Transportation Club at their first general body meeting of the year about the University Transportation Center.  The inaugural meeting had 30+ students in attendance from various backgrounds, including undergraduates, graduate students, students in public policy, engineering, architecture and information systems management.  The students were able to learn about the club, meet members of the board, and learn about how to get involved.  2020 – 2022 Women in Transportation Fellow, Maggie Harger serves as the chair for the club.