Category: Seminars

Thursday June 15th, 2023 the Georgia Transportation Institute will hosted a 1-hour webinar that spotlighted two recently completed GDOT Research projects. Each project had maximum of a 15-minute presentation, with a short time afterward for questions.

You can join the event by using the Microsoft Teams link below:

Microsoft Teams Webinar Link

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Presenter: Susan E. Burns, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, Dwight H. Evans Professor of Civil Engineering
Director of the Georgia Transportation Institute
Georgia Institute of Technology

Susan E. Burns, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE is the Dwight H. Evans Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Associate Chair for Administration and Finance at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Dr. Burns earned a B.C.E. Civil Engineering (‘90), M.S. Civil Engineering (‘96), M.S. Environmental Engineering (‘96), and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (‘97), all from Georgia Tech. Dr. Burns’ research focuses on applications in geoenvironmental engineering including sustainability and beneficial use of waste materials; erosion, infiltration, and stormwater treatment on roadway rights-of-way; bio-mediated ground improvement; and fundamental chemical and engineering behavior of soils. Funding for her research group has come from a range of agencies, including the National Science Foundation, the US Department of Energy, the US Army Corps of Engineers, the US Department of Education, the Virginia Transportation Research Council, the Georgia Department of Transportation, Southern Company, and other industrial sources.
Dr. Burns is a current member of the Committee on Corrosion of Buried Steel at New and In-Service Infrastructure (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine), and is a past member of the National Research Council’s (NRC) Standing Committee on Geological and Geotechnical Engineering, and a past member of the NRC’s Committee on Assessment of the Performance of Engineered Waste Containment Barriers. Her work on the beneficial use of waste materials was recognized with the Georgia Power Distinguished Professorship (2013 – 2018), and she frequently lectures on beneficial use of waste materials.
Within the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Dr. Burns currently serves as Associate Chair for Administration and Finance, where she leads administration of the School’s budget, staff, facilities, and information technology. She previously served as the School’s Associate Chair for Undergraduate Programs, where she oversaw all aspects of the undergraduate degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering, include ABET accreditation. She has had fellowships in the GT Provost’s Emerging Leader Program, the GT Inclusive Leaders Academy, and as a Diversity and Inclusion Fellow, where she is passionately committed to support of underrepresented minorities within engineering. Roughly half of her graduate students are members of underrepresented groups in engineering (women, BIPOC, Latinx).
Dr. Burns is a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers, a recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER award, the Arthur Casagrande Professional Development Award (ASCE), and she was named the 2020 Engineer of the Year by the Georgia Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE-GA). In 2021, Dr. Burns received the Class of 1940 W. Howard Ector Outstanding Teacher Award, which is Georgia Tech’s highest award for teaching. Most recently, Dr. Burns was selected as a Fellow in the Georgia Tech Faculty Executive Leadership Academy and was named one of the 100 most influential women in Georgia Engineering by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Georgia.

Title: GDOT RP-17-22 Optimizing Design of GDOT Post Construction Stormwater BMPs for Performance while Minimizing Right-of-Way Acquisition and Peak Flows

Abstract:

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the performance of stormwater best management practices (BMPs) used for stormwater quantity and quality control. Three field sites were tested to quantify hydraulic conductivity, infiltration, and solids removal efficiency. Removal efficiencies ranged from 12% to 35% of infiltrated runoff for VFS ranging from 15 ft. to 75 ft. long with slopes varying from 2% to 6%. For suspended solids removal, the VFS has the potential to remove between 21% and 43% when their design lengths range from 15 ft. to 75 ft long with slopes varying from 2% to 6%. It is recommended that partial credit be given for solids removal in filter strips that are shorter than the required 15 feet, and that filter strip designs incorporate the shallow grassed highway shoulder.

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Presenter: Colin Usher
Robotics Systems and Technology Branch Head
Senior Research Scientist
Georgia Institute of Technology

Colin Usher is a Senior Research Scientist and Branch Head of the Robotics Branch in the Intelligent Sustainable Technologies Division (ISTD) housed in the Aerospace, Transportation and Advanced Systems Laboratory (ATAS) at Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). Mr. Usher joined GTRI in 2020 with a bachelor’s in computer science from the University of Georgia. One of his first projects he supported was the development of an adverse visibility warning system for the GDOT. He obtained a master’s degree in systems engineering from Southern Polytechnic State University in 2010. In the following years, he has performed as a technical lead and eventually a project manager on several efforts supporting clients ranging from industry, agriculture, transportation, and military. Most recently, his interest is in developing novel human/robot interfaces utilizing augmented and virtual reality systems.

Title: GDOT RP-17-15 Extended Field Testing of a Portable Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection System

Abstract:

The objective of this project was to enhance the capabilities of the pedestrian tracking system by adding support for detection and tracking of cyclists and vehicles, in addition to generating a set of tools to aid in analysis. Secondary tasks explored methods of enhancing the system capability for added value. The system analyzes the collected video data and automatically identifies and characterizes the number of pedestrians, vehicles, and cyclists and their behavior at midblock and intersection locations (specifically, their crossing locations and frequency). The system is designed to be portable to support data collection in multiple locations. Key conclusions from this study are:
1) A detection and tracking software system capable of creating and logging trajectories for pedestrians, vehicles, and cyclists was implemented and tested
2) Field testing of detection algorithms yielded accuracy between 90% and 95%, but count accuracy suffered at 53%
3) A set of powerful analysis tools was developed to allow in-depth analysis of results

Date and time: 

Thursday, June 15, 2023 – 11:00 to 12:00

Location of Event: 

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_MjcwMjJmZGYtZWI1Ni00MGQxLWJkYTQtMDI3ZGVkODlhNzA3%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22482198bb-ae7b-4b25-8b7a-6d7f32faa083%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%2209d148b1-6255-4b19-8db1-b1a243019e9e%22%7d

Event Type: 

Seminars

Thursday May 11th, 2023 the Georgia Transportation Institute will hosted a 1-hour webinar that spotlighted two recently completed GDOT Research projects. Each project had maximum of a 15-minute presentation, with a short time afterward for questions.

You can join the event by using the Microsoft Teams link below:

Microsoft Teams Webinar Link

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Presenter: Michael Hunter, Ph.D., Professor
Director of the Georgia Transportation Institute
Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. Hunter is a Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Hunter joined the faculty of the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the 2003. Dr. Hunter has been highly active in research, teaching, and service and has been principal investigator of sponsored research, for a variety of sponsors including local, state, federal, and industry. Dr. Hunter has led two significant transportation research centers, the Georgia Transportation Institute (GTI, 2012 to present) and the National Center for Transportation Systems Productivity and Management (NCTSPM, 2012 to 2017). Dr. Hunter is actively researching smart cities, connected vehicles and infrastructure, and disruptive technologies within the transportation systems context.

Title: RP 18-33 VISSIM Simulation Guidance

Abstract:

Where analytical tools such as the Highway Capacity Software™ (HCS), SYNCHRO®, etc. do not adequately represent traffic operations within a study area, or do not provide the necessary performance metric(s) required for the analysis, detailed simulation or similar approaches may be required. In such cases, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) typically employs PTV VISSIM™ as the preferred transportation modeling tool. This project has developed guidance material that enhances GDOT’s ability to review and utilize VISSIM™ models.
To aid in the development of the necessary skills for VISSIM™ model review, a series of eight modules has been developed. The first four modules provide a basic introduction to arterial corridor and freeway model development, walking the reader step-by-step through the development of a small model containing unsignalized and signalized (fixed-time and actuated) control and a freeway segment and diamond interchange. The final four modules cover broader modeling issues, such as working with VISSIM™ results and direct output; underlying VISSIM™ model parameters and distributions; alternative model layouts and features; verification, calibration, and validation; and other issues critical to a thorough model review. These four modules culminate with reviewer checklists. After completion of all eight modules the GDOT reviewer will have been exposed to the knowledge and skills necessary to review and utilize a VISSIM™ model.

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Presenter: Stephan Durham, Ph.D., P.E., Professor
Assistant Dean for Student Success & Outreach
The University of Georgia

Dr. Durham and his students discuss solutions to problems of urbanization, civil engineering innovations and engineering failures. They even build bridges out of spaghetti and glue.

Title: RP 20-16 Development of Training Modules to Increase Usage and Understanding of Agency-Wide Software Programs

Abstract:

The research objective is to develop a training program to assist Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) staff in learning and fully implementing agency-wide software programs. Specifically, this project will create online training modules for at least three programs: ProjectWise, Bluebeam, and CATS. The training program will be modelled after a successful on-going effort (RP17-18) to develop online learning modules for pavement design (AASHTOWare PavementME Software) for the Office of Materials and Testing (a sample video can be viewed at https://www.dropbox.com/s/i6zatlhz57nr1e1/MOD1A_PUB_M_Audio 2.mp4?dl=0). The online module development will utilize Adobe Captivate as the software for creating the eLearning content. Once developed, the modules are expected to optimize and balance work/training hours to allow employees to successfully use these software programs. Another objective conducted in parallel with the training modules development is to update the GDOT Construction Manual to include direction on the organization of content within and use of ProjectWise. This content is absent from the current Construction Manual.

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Presenter: Rodger Purcell, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Georgia Southern University

Dr. Roger Purcell is affiliated to Civil Engineering and Construction Management, Georgia Southern University, where Dr. Roger Purcell is currently working as Assistant Professor. Dr. Purcell has authored and co-authored several national and international publications and also working as a reviewer for reputed professional journals. He has active association with different societies and academies around the world. He has Purcell made his mark in the scientific community with the contributions and widely recognition from honorable subject experts around the world and has received several awards for the contributions to the scientific community. His major research interest involves Civil Engineering and Construction Management.

Title: GDOT RP 18-10 Meeting the 21st Century Surveying- Geomatics Education Needs of GDOT and Georgia

Abstract:

This research project establishes ways to serve the surveying–geomatics (S-G) education needs of place-bound students, such as Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) personnel and others. It addresses the need for personnel with a 21st century education (knowledge and skills) in surveying–geomatics. Many factors, including lack of traditional student interest, lack of student preparedness, retirement-replacement issues, ever expanding technology and education materials, and post-recession demand, have forced the Georgia S–G community to recognize the need for an alternative approach to surveying–geomatics education.
Thus, this study proposes a viable solution to the lack of S–G education availability and focuses on ways to foster Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) licensure, as well as improvements in salary and benefits for educated/licensed surveyors. The study also included the administration of a detailed survey based on matrix analysis of S-G knowledge/skill expectations, S-G position characterization, and S-G education subject area coverage. The results of the survey were analyzed to support the understanding of the breadth and depth of the 21st century S–G education among the Georgia S–G community

Date and time: 

Thursday, May 11, 2023 – 11:00 to 12:00

Location of Event: 

Microsoft Teams

Event Type: 

Seminars

Thursday April 13th, 2023 the Georgia Transportation Institute will hosted a 1-hour webinar that spotlighted two recently completed GDOT Research projects. Each project had maximum of a 15-minute presentation, with a short time afterward for questions.

You can join the event by using the Microsoft Teams link below:

Microsoft Teams Webinar Link

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Presenter: Junan Shen, Ph.D., P.E., Professor
Georgia Southern University

Junan Shen is a full Professor of Civil Engineering and the Director of Asphalt Research Laboratory at the Department of Civil Engineering and Construction. I teach civil engineering major courses in the field of transportation and materials and supervise post-doctoral fellow and graduate students for researches

Title: GDOT RP-19-12 Cognitive Attention and Its Application in Countermeasures on a Curve Section

Abstract:

To reduce crashes and improve traffic safety on roads, this project explored a methodology of evaluating the safety countermeasures based on cognitive attention and driving performance with eye-tracking and driving simulation technologies and comprehensive analysis of eye movements, driving performance, and short-term memory. An experiment for data collection of cognitive response and driving performance to 11 countermeasures was designed with two weather conditions (clear and foggy) and two traffic flows (light and heavy) in a rural road curve section with a right and a left turn. Four combinations of the weather conditions and traffic flow were formed. Four sequence groups of the combinations were followed to eliminate the bias in data collection. Data of 60 participants were collected. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests indicated that countermeasures, weather conditions, and traffic flow impacted the drivers’ cognitive attention, driving behavior, and short-term memory. Dividing participants into groups with different sequences of simulation combinations was useful to improve the bias for a limited sample size, while different starting time points of the combinations did not cause significant differences in the data collected. Finally, regression analyses using machine learning technology indicated that edge line pavement marking, shoulder rumble strips, flexible delineator posts, curve warning sign, and increased shoulder width are effective countermeasures that can attract drivers’ attention and maintain the proper level of cognitive workload and visual information to reduce traffic crashes and improve the traffic safety. The effectiveness of the countermeasures from the regressions that considered the cognitive properties was much closer to what is expected compared to those that did not consider the cognitive properties. The proposed methodology using both eye tracker and driving simulator was found to be a useful way to evaluate the effectiveness of countermeasures to improve traffic safety.

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Presenter: Xiaoming Yang, Ph.D., PE, Assistant Professor
Georgia Southern University

Dr. Xiaoming Yang is an assistant professor in Civil Engineering at Georgia Southern University. He received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Kansas in 2010. In the past 10 years, Dr. Yang has participated in several research projects for three different DOTs. His research expertise is in geotechnical engineering and highway safety analysis. Dr. Yang is a registered professional engineer (PE) in California.

Title: GDOT RP-19-14 Evaluation of Guardrail Performance in High- Risk Accident Zones on Georgia Roadways and Identification of Alternative Barriers

Abstract:

W-beam guardrail systems are the predominant roadside safety barrier used on Georgia highways. These systems are usually installed in accordance with guidelines for the Midwest Guardrail System and generally perform very well across the state. However, in certain areas of high traffic volume in Georgia, repetitive accident locations may benefit from the installation of alternative systems rather than the traditional guardrail system. The objective of this research project is to identify representative high-accident-rate (or “high-risk”) zones in Georgia and evaluate the type and effectiveness of the barrier system deployed in these areas. Twenty-eight (28) freeway and freeway-ramp sections with frequent roadside-barrier collisions were identified in Georgia. Road design, traffic, and crash records pertaining to the selected road sections were collected. Based on the collected information, a barrier crash-frequency model and a crash-severity model was developed through statistical regression. The regression models were used in the benefit cost analysis to determine whether a concrete barrier is a more economical alternative to the guardrail. A simple decision-making tool was developed for selecting cost-effective roadside barrier types.

Date and time: 

Thursday, April 13, 2023 – 11:00 to 12:00

Location of Event: 

Microsoft Teams

Event Type: 

Seminars

Thursday March 9th, 2023 the Georgia Transportation Institute will hosted a 1-hour webinar that spotlighted three recently completed GDOT Research projects. Each project had maximum of a 15-minute presentation, with a short time afterward for questions.

You can join the event by using the Microsoft Teams link below:

Microsoft Teams Webinar Link

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Presenter: George Yuzhu Fu, Ph.D., P.E., Professor
Georgia Southern University

Dr. George Yuzhu Fu is Professor in Water and Environmental Engineering in the Department of Civil Engineering and Construction at Georgia Southern University. He has been studying, working and researching in Environmental Engineering with an emphasis on Water and Environment for more than 30 years. He has completed/is working over $700K in externally funded research mainly as PI, and has published more than 35 scholarly works in developing innovative and cost-effective Water and Wastewater Treatment Processes. He has developed and established Water and Environmental Research Lab (1,000 ft2) with a variety of state-of-the-art instruments with a total worth of more than $200K. He also has over 10 years of professional engineering experience in well-known national/international consulting companies including AECOM, SNC-Lavalin, and North China Municipal Engineering Design & Research Institute as Environmental and Project Engineer.

Title: GDOT RP18-09 Investigation on Water Quality Impacts of Bridge Stormwater Runoff from Scupper Drains on Receiving Waters

Abstract:

The objectives of this research project were to investigate water quality impacts of bridge stormwater runoff from scupper drains on receiving waters, and to develop an efficient simulation tool so that the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and the resource agencies can accurately anticipate potential effects and better evaluate whether scupper drains would adversely affect waters and the protected species. This 29-month project is concerned with the investigation of potential impacts and accumulation of water quality parameters including heavy metals (lead, zinc and copper), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), chemical oxygen demand (COD), nutrients, oil and grease, solids, pH, dissolved oxygen, and conductivity in bridge deck scupper drain runoff of six (6) bridge sites and the potential impact on sensitive major rivers in the State of Georgia. Four (4) of the sites are Southeast the State of Georgia, which are SR24, Rocky Ford (RF), US80 and SR297, crossing two (2) major rivers, which are Ogeechee River and Ohoopee River. The other two (2) sites are located North the State of Georgia, which are US255 and SR197, crossing two (2) other major rivers, which are Chattahoochee River and Soque River, respectively. The impact of the elevated parameters due to introduction from bridge deck scupper drains was observable on downstream water quality of all sites, except for lead, PAHs, phosphorous, and oil and grease that were only detected at the four (4) Southeast sites. It was observed that upon discharge of bridge deck scupper drain runoff, instant impairment of downstream water quality took place. Seasonal analyses showed variation in the parameters concentrations that was highly dependant on many factors, such as dry periods, rain intensity, traffic activity and stream discharge. Time intervals analyses showed that highest concentrations of contaminants were in the first 30-60 minutes’ samples, and that parameters concentration decrease with continuous rainfall due to dilution. The Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM) was used for modeling potential projected impacts of some water quality parameters of concern on the downstream water quality at each Site location effectively.

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Presenter: Jon Calabria, Ph.D., Associate Professor
The University of Georgia

Jon Calabria, a licensed landscape architect, educates students at The University of Georgia’s College of Environment & Design to conserve and restore enduring landscapes that improve environmental quality within the human context. Dr. Calabria’s research includes landscape performance and the amelioration of land use impacts on freshwater and coastal systems.

Title: GDOT RP19-05 Phase 2: Enhancement and Restoration Interventions for Bird-Long Island Shoreline Alternatives: Design and Modeling for Stewardship

Abstract:

This study evaluated a variety of design interventions using nature-based solutions to preserve a culture resource on Bird-Long Island and promote indigenous vegetative communities by maintaining or increasing vegetative biodiversity. Several alternatives were proposed that utilized a combination of green and gray infrastructure, such as living shorelines, thin layer placement, and beneficial dredge. Strengths and weaknesses accompany each design alternative with relative construction costs. Environmental site data was collected during study and demonstrated that naturally occurring, reef forming organisms were naturally present and could likely populate proposed nature-based solutions.

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Presenter: Baabak Ashuri, Ph.D., Professor
Georgia Institute of Technology

Baabak Ashuri is Professor in Schools of Building Construction, and Civil & Environmental Engineering, and Fellow of Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems at Georgia Tech. His research/teaching occupy a distinctive position, bridging the fields of building construction, civil and environmental engineering, economics, and operations research. His work has focused on Quantitative Methods for Construction Engineering and Management with important contributions in the areas of construction analytics, innovative project delivery, and valuation of green-energy investments. He has 159 publications, including 44 refereed-journal papers, and secured $6.77M funding from NSF, FHWA, DOE, CII, GDOT, and Perkins+Will, to name a few. The impact of Dr. Ashuri’s research was recognized by several awards (CII/FIATECH Outstanding Early Career Researcher, ASCE Thomas Fitch Rowland, ASC National Research Faculty, DBIA Distinguished Leadership, and AASHTO High-Value Research “Sweet Sixteen”). Dr. Ashuri has chaired the ASCE Construction Research Council (CRC) and currently serves on the ASCE Construction Institute (CI) Board of Governors.

Title: GDOT RP 20-17 Enhancing the Accuracy of Construction Cost Estimates for Major Lump Sum (LS) Pay Items and Generating a More-Accurate List of Pay Items Throughout the Design Development Process

Abstract:

State departments of transportation (DOTs) encounter a critical challenge in estimating accurate cost estimates for major lump sum (LS) pay items, such as Traffic Control and Grading Complete, due to incomplete project information during the early stages of project development. To estimate prices for LS pay items, cost estimators and designers in state DOTs apply engineering judgment using knowledge from similar projects from the past and reach out to subject matter experts for providing additional resources. However, researching similar projects for finding appropriate estimates for the LS pay item is not a simple endeavor and leads to significant inaccuracy of cost estimates. A need exists to develop new methods that are capable of capturing key information from project documents and incorporating the complex nonlinear relationships between input and output variables in developing prediction models for LS pay item prices for highway projects. Thus, the overarching objective of this research is to develop forecasting models to estimate the prices of the Traffic Control and Grading Complete LS pay items using advanced text mining and machine learning algorithms that detect key patterns of information generated during project development and provide higher accuracy in cost estimates. In this research, a forecasting model for the prices of the Traffic Control and Grading Complete LS pay items was developed using machine learning algorithms (i.e., random forest, bagging, k-nearest neighbors, and stacking regressor). Furthermore, a web-based application tool was developed in a Python environment to help designers developing cost estimates with a data-driven tool for estimating the prices of the Traffic Control and Grading Complete LS pay items.

Date and time: 

Thursday, March 9, 2023 – 12:00 to 13:00

Location of Event: 

Microsoft Teams

Event Type: 

Seminars

Tuesday 19th, the Georgia Transportation Institute will hosted a 1-hour webinar that spotlighted three recently completed GDOT Research projects. Each project had maximum of a 15-minute presentation, with a short time afterward for questions.

You can join the event by using the Microsoft Teams link below:

Microsoft Teams Webinar Link

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Presenter: Kimberly E. Kurtis, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Scholarship
Professor Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Materials; Construction and Infrastructure Systems Engineering
Resilient Infrastructure Systems, Smart Cities, Sustainable Communities Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. Kimberly (Kim) E. Kurtis is a Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She has served as Associate Dean of Faculty Development and Scholarship in the College of Engineering since 2014 and was interim chair of the School for the 2017-2018 academic year. Dr. Kurtis earned her BSE in civil engineering from Tulane University under a Dean’s Honor Scholarship and her Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, where she was a Henry Hilp Fellow and a National Science Foundation (NSF) Fellow. Dr. Kurtis’s innovative research on the multi-scale structure and performance of cement-based materials has resulted in more than 100 technical publications and two US patents. In addition to her technical and educational service contributions at the American Concrete Institute (ACI), American Ceramics Society (ACerS), Portland Cement Association (PCA), Transportation Research Board (TRB), American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), she has held two leadership positions – Chairman of ACI Committee 236: Materials Science of Concrete (2006-2012) and Chair of American Ceramic Society’s Cements Division (2008-2009) – central to advancing science-based research on cement-based materials. Dr. Kurtis has served as Associate Editor of ASCE Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering and as an Editorial Board member of Cement and Concrete Composites. Having previously served six years on ACI’s Educational Activities Committee (EAC), she is currently appointed to ACI’s 12-member Technical Activities Committee, which oversees the development of ACI standards, technical committee activities, and technical content presented at ACI conventions and in archival publications. Since 2018, she has been a Trustee at the ASCE Foundation, representing District 5. She has been honored with ACI’s Walter P. Moore, Jr. Faculty Achievement Award (2005), ACI’s Del Bloem Award for Service (2013), Outstanding Senior Undergraduate Research Mentor Award at Georgia Institute of Technology (2013), the ACI James Instruments Award for Research on NDE of Concrete (2008), Award for Outstanding Article in ASTM’s Journal of Testing and Evaluation (2010), and ASCE’s Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize (2013). Dr. Kurtis is a Fellow of the American Concrete Institute and the American Ceramics Society.

Title: GDOT RP17-14 Productive Reuse of Savannah River Dredge Material

Abstract:

The Port of Savannah is located 18 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean in the southeastern United States. Historically, 6 million cubic meters of river sediment is dredged from the Savannah River each year; however, the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP) (Georgia, USA), which is proposed to accommodate post Panamax ships in the channel, will result in further increased dredge volume for disposal. Because dredge materials are currently disposed of on land, this study was focused on identifying possible beneficial uses of dredged material to reduce the requirements for land disposal. A laboratory-based study was performed to assess the feasibility of large volume geotechnical use options for dredged sediments. Four samples were collected from the disposal facilities and characterized using physical, chemical, and morphological analysis techniques, including grain size distribution, Atterberg limits test, specific gravity, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), laser diffraction particle size analysis (PSA), total organic carbon content (TOC), loss on ignition (LOI), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) analysis. The compactibility of the dredge was quantified using the standard Proctor test. Overall, characterization and compaction results demonstrated that the dredge material is viable for use as a nonstructural fill material, indicating that additional research and feasibility studies focused on specific beneficial use options are warranted. These results have important implications on the potential for beneficial use of the dredged sediment.

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Presenter: Seth Wenger, Ph.D., Associate Professor Director of Science, River Basin Center
Graduate Program Faculty
University of Georgia

Title: RP18-06 Review of Special Provisions and Other Conditions Placed on GDOT Projects for Imperiled Aquatic Species Protection (Main Project Phase)

Abstract:

Georgia has numerous protected freshwater species, which means that the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) must frequently consult with federal and state agencies to identify measures to avoid, minimize and mitigate impacts on imperiled aquatic organisms. Some of these measures, such as restrictions on in-water work during the reproductive season, impose substantial costs on GDOT projects, but their efficacy has not been thoroughly evaluated. The current system also provides limited flexibility. The research team has developed a system for assessing the impact of road construction projects on imperiled freshwater species that accounts for project characteristics, site characteristics, and species sensitivity. Called the “Total Effect Score” (TES), it is based on a comprehensive assessment of the tolerances and traits of 111 freshwater species and a thorough review of the literature on the efficacy of construction and post-construction BMPs. It employs a risk-based system to assess construction-phase effects and post-construction effects over a 50-year time horizon, making it possible to identify tradeoffs among alternative management practices. Additionally, the research team developed a template for a programmatic agreement (PA) that uses the TES as the basis for a streamlined system for evaluating projects. The PA is intended to cover both informal and formal consultation under a single system, which should reduce consultation time and increase predictability. To support the adoption of the PA, the research team conducted a biological assessment of all species. Adoption of the PA and the TES system should provide substantial cost savings for GDOT while improving outcomes for federally and state-protected freshwater species.

Date and time: 

Tuesday, July 19, 2022 – 11:00

Location of Event: 

Microsoft Teams

Event Type: 

Seminars

Body: 

Georgia Transportation Institute welcomed the Director of University of Pennsylvania School of Design’s Center for Safe Mobility Carrie Sauer to speak as part of the Transportation Speaker Series. Streets are designed for vehicle efficiency. Engineers reference vehicle-based codes, use detailed models to optimize traffic flow, and conduct simulations before implementing design. A constraint, rather than a design variable, is pedestrian and cyclist safety, as designers currently lack the ability to quantify and test safety prior to construction. Collecting this missing data is at best challenging and expensive, and at worst, unsafe.

The Center for Safe Mobility fills this gap by using state-of-the-art eye tracking technology to collect and analyze the user-based perspective in situ. This discussion will introduce the Center’s approach to transforming how we measure and understand safety, review eye-tracking methodology and preliminary findings, and discuss opportunities for defining new metrics.

If you missed the presentation or want to rewatch or share it, the YouTube links are provided below.

Part One of Three: https://youtu.be/q3jpneAAPE0

Part Two of Three: https://youtu.be/z2q5-XZgGe4

Part Three of Three: https://youtu.be/WMNNluubYak

Date and time: 

Thursday, April 18, 2019 – 10:50 to 11:50

Location of Event: 

Mason 1133

Event Type: 

Seminars

Body: 

Georgia Transportation Institute welcomed State Traffic Engineer Andrew Heath to speak as part of the Transportation Speaker Series. The presentation provided a discussion and details to the approach taken by the Georgia Department of Transportation, City of Atlanta, Atlanta Police, the Super Host Committee, the NFL, and other stakeholders in managing traffic throughout the 10-day super bowl event. The discussion focused on the evolution and growth of transportation management technology within the Metro Atlanta region and the Downtown Core as guided by multiple significant events and milestones over recent history including the I-85 bridge collapse, the Braves relocation to Suntrust Park, the College Football National Championship, and ultimately Super Bowl LIII.

If you missed the presentation or want to rewatch or share it, the YouTube links are provided below.

Part One of Three: https://youtu.be/dJnCb6wwL_k

Part Two of Three: https://youtu.be/7tgiHpVpcJk

Part Three of Three: https://youtu.be/0RJtz8wSY4Y

Date and time: 

Thursday, March 28, 2019 – 22:50 to 23:50

Location of Event: 

Mason 1133

Event Type: 

Seminars

“Continuum Dynamic Traffic Assignment Using the Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram of Urban Networks”

ABSTRACT: This presentation focuses on a formulation of the reactive dynamic user equilibrium problem in continuum form using a network-level Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram (MFD). Compared to existing continuum models for cities — all based in Hughes’ pedestrian model in 2002 — the proposed formulation (i) is consistent with reservoir-type models of the MFD literature, shedding some light into the connection between these two modeling approaches,(ii) can have origins and destinations continuously distributed on the region, and (iii)  can incorporate multi-commodity flows without additional numerical error. The proposed  multi-reservoir numerical solution method treats the multi-commodity component of the model in  Lagrangian coordinates, which is the natural representation to propagate origin-destination information (and any vehicle-specific characteristic) through the traffic stream. Fluxes between reservoir boundaries are computed in the Eulerian representation, and are used to calculate the speed of vehicles crossing the boundary. Simple examples are included that show the convergence of the model and its agreements with the available analytical solutions. We find that (i) when origins and destinations are uniformly distributed in  a region, the distribution of the travel times is given by a one parameter scaling of the free-flow travel time distribution, (ii)  the magnitude of  the detours from the optimal free-flow route due to congestion increase linearly with the inflow  and decreases with the square of the speed, and (iii) the total delay of vehicles in the network converges to the analytical approximation when the size of reservoirs tends to zero.

BIO: Jorge Laval is an Associate Professor at the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering since 2006. After obtaining his B.S. in Civil and Industrial Engineering from Universidad Catolica de Chile in 1995, Dr. Laval worked as a transportation engineer for 5 years at the Chilean Ministry of Public Works in Santiago, Chile. He received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 2004. Prior to joining Georgia Tech, Dr. Laval held two consecutive one-year postdoctoral positions at the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Berkeley, and at the French National Institute for Safety and Transportation Research (INRETS/ENTPE). Professor Laval’s main research thrust is in the area of traffic flow theory, modeling and simulation, focusing in understanding congestion in urban networks and how to manage it. He has made important contributions towards understanding  the capacity of freeways, the connection between driver behavior and stop-and-go waves, freeway ramp-metering strategies, dynamic traffic assignment and congestion pricing.

Links to video recording:

Part 1 of 3 https://youtu.be/uTZaZTPZgCA

Part 2 of 3 https://youtu.be/AoB8XVGDSKE

Part 3 of 3 https://youtu.be/6XB3HWIn4j0

Date and time: 

Thursday, November 8, 2018 – 10:50 to 11:45

Event Type: 

Seminars

Abstract:

The transportation system is evolving rapidly. There are many competing visions of future transportation systems and various public and private decisions related to both policies and allocation of resources will significantly impact this evolution. An important element that needs to be considered in these decisions is how these future visions will impact human health and safety. Unfortunately, many of the tools and analytical techniques that are used to evaluate the current transportation system may be poorly suited to estimate the health and safety impacts of many of these transportation futures. In this talk we will examine both the limitations of current risk-exposure models and discuss other methods by which these assessments can be made.

Bio:

Dr. Michael O. Rodgers of the Georgia Tech School of Civil and Environmental Engineering was recently named a Regents Researcher, the University System of Georgia’s highest research distinction. Dr. Rodgers’ research currently focuses on the application of quantitative methods to problems related to energy, the environment and transportation safety. Over his career, Dr. Rodgers has led or participated in more than 150 research programs for NASA; U.S. EPA; NSF; NOAA; U.S. DOT, Georgia DOT, U.S. DOE and other organizations. He received his B.S. (1976) and M.S. (1978) degrees in Physics and Ph.D. in Geophysical Sciences (1986) all from Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Rodgers was the founding director of the Georgia Tech Air Quality Laboratory and led or was a major participant in number of major studies for U.S. EPA (Southern Oxidants Study, Next Generation Emissions Model Development); NASA (Pacific Exploratory Missions (PEM-Tropics and PEM-West)) and NOAA (Global Tropospheric Experiment).  The PEM-West project was honored by the Administrators Group Achievement Award, NASA’s highest award for scientific achievement in a project or program. Results from Dr. Rodgers’ research have been described in his more than 200 refereed publications and several hundred other reports. His research has won numerous awards including the Pyke Johnson Award from the Transportation Research Board; Professional of the Year from the American Lung Association; the Steven J Ressler Award from the American Society for Engineering Education. He is also a two-time winner (2012 and 2017) of the Thomas Evans award from ASEE.  For these and other accomplishments, Dr. Rodgers was named a Georgia Tech Institute Fellow in 1994 and as one of the inaugural GTRI Technical Fellows in 2009. In 2014, Dr. Rodgers was named Outstanding Undergraduate Educator at Georgia Institute of Technology by the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning.

Links to the video:

Part 1:   https://youtu.be/ypm4rmBXPTI 

Part 2:   https://youtu.be/SjC4291urvs

Part 3:   https://youtu.be/cv7PZTAh2m4

Date and time: 

Thursday, September 27, 2018 – 10:50 to 11:45

Event Type: 

Seminars

“An Overview of Work Zone Crash Severity Trends and Work Zone Planning to Minimize Secondary Crashes”

ABSTRACT: Highway work zones present an environment that leads to opportunities for traffic crashes that may not otherwise occur. As transportation agencies continue to increase their focus on system maintenance and preservation, it is critical that the factors influencing work zone crash trends and patterns are well-understood so that proactive measures can be taken to improve the safety of road users and workers.  An introduction to work zone crash trends and temporary traffic control practices will provide background for the presentation.  The results of a study of crash patterns and severity trends in work zones will then be presented along with comparisons in trends between work zone crashes and crashes overall.  An ongoing research effort to model the capacity of freeway work zone lane closures from a stochastic perspective will then be described.  This study will lead to development of a decision support tool that transportation agencies can use to evaluate the risk of queue formation (and associated secondary crashes) upstream of freeway lane closures and plan work zone activities accordingly.

BIO: Rod E. Turochy is the James M. Hunnicutt Professor of Traffic Engineering in the Department of Civil Engineering at Auburn University, where he has been on the faculty since 2002. He earned bachelors and master’s degrees at Virginia Tech and a Ph.D. at the University of Virginia, all in civil engineering.  Prior to pursuing graduate studies, he worked as a transportation engineer for the Virginia DOT with oversight for work zone safety in VDOT’s Salem District.  He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Alabama and Virginia.  He currently teaches courses in traffic engineering and roadway design and most of his current research is in work zone traffic operations and safety.  His professional service activities have primarily been with TRB, ASEE, and ITE, including recently completing the set of officer positions in the Alabama Section of ITE and serving as faculty advisor to the Auburn University ITE Student Chapter.

To see the video from the transportation seminar click on the links below

Part 1:  https://youtu.be/rYC6OT2dMyI

Part 2:  https://youtu.be/YP4buN-5IRE

Part 3:  https://youtu.be/teK7f0TgXwA

Date and time: 

Thursday, September 13, 2018 – 10:45 to 11:45

Location of Event: 

Mason Bldg 1133

Event Type: 

Seminars