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IPIT Ph.D. student Mohammad Abrari Vahari has been awarded the UWM Distinguished Graduate Student Fellowship for the 2023-2024 academic year, reflecting his exceptional academic performance and dedication. He is one of the five graduate students in the College received this award this year.

The fellowships are offered through a highly selective process and are one-year, non-renewable awards. The Distinguished Graduate Student Fellowship provides a stipend of $15,500 in addition to full tuition coverage, low-cost health benefits, and a $1,000 travel award. The same benefits apply to the Distinguished Dissertation Graduate School Fellowships except the stipend is $17,000.

Well done and congratulations to Mohammad!

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Researchers and students from the Institute for Physical Infrastructure and Transportation (IPIT) made a significant impact at the 103rd Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) held in Washington, D.C., presenting seven papers that delved into various critical aspects of transportation infrastructure and safety:

1.    M. W. Amer, Y. Li, Xiao Qin (2023), Unveiling Data Interconnection Gaps: Linking Overheight Vehicle Bridge Strike Data, TRB 103rd Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C.

2.    Z. X. He, H. Tabatabai, Xiao Qin (2023), Evaluating the Delivery and Oversight of State-Funded Local Bridge Projects, TRB 103rd Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C.

3.    Xiao Qin, M. Gottlieb, S. Solverson, M. W. Amber (2023), Lessons Learned from Pilot Design-Build Transportation Projects, TRB 103rd Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C.

4.    M. A. Vajari, Y. Li, I. Aghayan, Xiao Qin, R. J. Schneider (2023), Current Practices in Non-Motorist Crowdsourced Data Among Transportation Agencies: A Nationwide Survey and Its Implications, TRB 103rd Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C.

5.    Y. Li, Xiao Qin, M. A. Sayed, M. Hossain, M. W. Amer. A (2023), Systematic Review of Machine Learning Methods for Traffic Crash Modeling, TRB 103rd Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C.

6.    M. W. Amer, Y. Li, Xiao Qin (2023), Developing Crash Prediction Models for Under-Bridge Strikes by Over-Height Vehicles, TRB 103rd Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C.

7.    M. A. Sayed, Xiao Qin (2023), A Structure and Narrative Data Fusion–Based Machine Learning Approach to Classifying Distracted Driving Crashes, TRB 103rd Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C.

IPIT Ph.D. student Mohammad Wael Amer has been awarded a research fellowship supported by the Professor Edward A. Beimborn Fellowship Fund for the 2023-2024 academic year, recognizing his outstanding academic achievements and commitment.

The Professor Edward A. Beimborn Fellowship Fund is established by Dr. Curtis Lueck P.E. ’77, to award graduate students in the College of Engineering who are enrolled in a program leading to a graduate degree in Civil Engineering, with a concentration in urban transportation for their outstanding academic and research achievements. One award of $7,500 is given out each academic year.

Well done and congratulations to Amer!

September 13, 2023

Mark Gottlieb, associate director of UWM’s Institute for Physical Infrastructure and Transportation, discussed the pros and cons of removing I-794s east-west bridges with several media outlets in September.

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In September, Xiao Qin, UWM Institute for Physical Infrastructure and Transportation director and Lawrence E. Sivak ’71 Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, explained why roundabouts have increasingly become popular, their safety benefits and the history behind them in this Milwaukee Journal Sentinel feature.

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Congratulations to faculty members Konstantin Sobolev (left) and Pradeep Rohatgi (right), who received UWM Research Foundation Bridge grants that will support the commercialization of their inventions: spray-on protection for concrete and a stronger aluminum.

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The nation is preparing for seismic changes in transportation and UWM secured a role at the table in February with a $1.67 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to advance research and education programs that address a specific challenge: promoting pedestrian and bicycle safety.

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On March 6, Mark Gottlieb, associate director of UWM’s Institute for Physical Infrastructure and Transportation, was a guest on the Wisconsin Public Radio show Central Time. He discussed the pros and cons of toll roads as a funding source. 

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The Wisconsin Department of Transportation awarded $75,000 to Xiao Qin for a 10-month project that aims to improve the state’s highway safety by further improving data analysis related to crashes. Qin is a Lawrence E. Sivak ’71 professor of civil & environmental engineering in UWM’s College of Engineering & Applied Science and director of the university’s Institute for Physical Infrastructure and Transportation.

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A truck carrying an over-height load becomes wedged under a concrete bridge, causing debris to fall and leading to a bridge closure. An over-height tractor trailer slams into a train bridge, damaging infrastructure and halting traffic flow for hours. According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), over-height vehicles are among the main causes of structural damage to bridges — a nationwide problem that has eluded enduring, effective countermeasures. The agency is ready to conduct research and field evaluation of an energy-dissipating prototype that could protect bridge girders in the event of a strike from these vehicles. They have chosen two teams from across the nation for this work, one that includes two UWM experts in bridge impacts and repairing damaged bridge structures–Xiao Qin and Habib Tabatabai. The two have partnered with Applied Research Associates and now will be allowed to bid on various tasks within the $1.8 million FHWA-led project. 

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