TRB reception opens up opportunities for students, industry

By Elizabeth Egan 

As a bronze level sponsor of the event, UB hosted a reception on the third night of the conference. Students and faculty had the opportunity to present posters, showcasing their research to over 400 TRB attendees who came for the reception. 

The reception was hosted by UB’s Institute of Bridge Engineering (IBE), and the Stephen Still Institute for Sustainable Transportation and Logistics (ISTL), a collaboration between the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the School of Management.

The topics covered by ISTL and IBE students ranged from analyses of nervous response patterns in drivers, to self-driving shuttle testing and incident and traffic analyses using connected vehicle data. All of the projects also had faculty advisors as co-authors.

“Industry professionals attend our receptions and speak with our students to learn about the current state of transportation research and envision what the future may hold,” said Austin Angulo, assistant professor in the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering. “These conversations promote collaboration between academic, industry, and government agencies so that modern transportation problems are addressed from multiple perspectives and capabilities.”

The posters gave students an opportunity to share their work directly with industry professionals, who could become their future employers. The poster presentations were also a source for perspective students to learn more about the IBE and ISTL academic programs.

Jiajun Pang, a student pursuing his PhD in transportation engineering, noted that the ability to present research provided an effective avenue to engage in conversations with industry professionals.

“Traditionally, initiating conversations with professionals can be challenging for students, resulting in missed opportunities for networking,” said Pang. “Our poster presentation provided an efficient way to connect our students with industry leaders, fostering valuable networking opportunities and potential collaborations.”

Pang presented research regarding transportation equity in winter travel. A topic with significant practical applications in the Buffalo area.

“The decision to focus on this topic stems from a recognition of the importance of enhancing our transportation system, not solely through technological advancements, but also by promoting transportation equity,” Pang said. “Considering the challenges faced by Buffalonians during adverse winter weather conditions, our research team is dedicated to investigating the impact of winter weather on transportation equity.”

Pang continued that the research team hopes to contribute to the improvement of transportation accessibility and fairness for all individuals, especially during winter.

Irina Benedyk, assistant professor in the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, noted that the event is a great opportunity for collaboration with scholars across a variety of disciplines.

“This event is good not only for Civil Engineers but for everyone who has interest in transportation, including those who are in geography, urban planning, public health, computer science, industrial engineering, environmental engineering, management, etc.,” Benedyk said.   “By its nature, transportation is a multidisciplinary field, and this event unites all of them at one place. It is an amazing opportunity to enable fruitful collaborations and enrich knowledge.”