CTIPS Researchers to Present More than 40 Papers at TRB
Posted: Jan 5, 2026
Researchers from the Center for Transformative Infrastructure Preservation and Sustainability (CTIPS) will present more than 40 research papers at the 105th annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) in Washington, D.C. January 11-15. Topics include rail freight, pavement design, transportation data, autonomous vehicles, technology applications in transportation, rail safety, hazardous materials transportation, pedestrian safety, and a range of other topics. The TRB is a leading organization in transportation research, and its annual meeting attracts thousands of transportation professionals from around the world. The program covers all transportation modes, with sessions and workshops addressing topics of interest to policy makers, administrators, practitioners, researchers and representatives from government, industry, and academic institutions. The program includes more than 4,500 presentations in more than 500 workshops and sessions.
Monday, January 12
Poster Session: Current Research in Railroad Infrastructure
8 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Field Validation of Hyperspectral Imaging for Ballast Fouling Assessment
- Boshra Besharatian, University of North Dakota
- Sattar Dorafshan, University of North Dakota
Poster Session: Traffic Monitoring: Tools, Models, and Applications
8 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Edge-Based Multi-Camera Vehicle Re-Identification: A Privacy-Preserving Approach to Urban Traffic Monitoring
- Zening Wang, Cornell University
- Chenxi Liu, University of Utah
- Muhammad Karim, University of Washington, Seattle
- Yinhai Wang, University of Washington
Lectern Session: Measuring Success on Multimodal Streets
8 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Counting What Counts: Rethinking the Metrics That Shape Our Streets
- Wes Marshall, University of Colorado, Denver
Poster Session: Physics-Informed State Estimation for Traffic System Monitoring
10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
A Memory-Augmented Transformer with Multi-Scale Spatio-Temporal Modeling for Network-Wide Traffic Flow Prediction
- Joshua Kofi Asamoah, North Dakota State University
- Blessing Agyei Kyem, North Dakota State University
- Armstrong Aboah, North Dakota State University
Poster Session: Bicycle Transportation Research Roundup
10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Beyond Low-Stress Bike Lanes: Assessing the Role of Bicycle Network Density in Ridership
- Nicholas Ferenchak, University of New Mexico
- Wes Marshall, University of Colorado, Denver
Poster Session: Travel Data and Networks: Collection, Modeling, and Mobility Insights
10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Capturing Panel Effect in Exposure Models Using Crowdsourced Bicycling and Pedestrian Data
- Parsa Soleyman Farahani, University of Colorado, Denver
- Aditi Misra, University of Colorado, Denver
- Shubhayan Ukil, University of Michigan
- Krista Nordback, UNC Highway Safety Research Center
- Wes Marshall, University of Colorado, Denver
Poster Session: Safety Management from Start to Finish
1:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
A Hybrid Knowledge Graph and Language Model Approach for Accident Hotspot Prediction
- Hung-Po Cheng, University of Utah
- Chenxi Liu, University of Utah
- Mohamed Abdel-Aty, University of Central Florida
- Cathy Liu, University of Utah
Poster Session: Trust, Safety, and Operational Readiness for Autonomous Vehicles
1:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Evaluating the Operational and Safety Performance of Autonomous Vehicles on Rural Freeway Interchanges: A Case Study in North Dakota
- Rebecca Frimpomaah, University of North Dakota
- Sherif Gaweesh, University of North Dakota
Poster Session: Sensing, Detection, and Perception for Intelligent Transportation
1:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
A Comparative Study of Multimodal Large Language Models for Tire Size Recognition from Real-World Images
- Yi Hao Ren, University of North Carolina, Pembroke
- Pan Lu, North Dakota State University
- Lu Gao, University of Houston
- Shaohu Zhang, North Carolina A&T State University
Poster Session: Advanced Methods for Evaluation of Geomaterial Behavior and Properties
1:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
AI-Based Prediction of Hazmat Spill Diffusion Area and Infiltration Depth using Laboratory-Controlled Data
- Tanzina Afrin, North Dakota State University
- Xinyi Yang, North Dakota State University
- Emmanuel Anu Thompson, North Dakota State University
- Nita Yodo, North Dakota State University
- Pan Lu, North Dakota State University
- Peter Oduor, North Dakota State University
Poster Session: Safety Management from Start to Finish
1:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
The State of the Practice with High-Injury Network Analyses
- Wes Marshall, University of Colorado, Denver
- Parsa Soleyman Farahani, University of Colorado, Denver
- Jonathan Mehki, University of Colorado, Denver
- Yory Moncada, University of Colorado, Denver
- Aditi Misra, University of Colorado, Denver
- Manish Shirgaokar, University of Colorado, Denver
Lectern Session: Understanding and Designing for Shared and Active Urban Mobility
4 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Uncovering the Built Environment & Demographic Drivers of Shared Micromobility Usage in Denver
- Fatemeh Ahmadipour, University of Colorado, Denver
- Aditi Misra, University of Colorado, Denver
- Wes Marshall, University of Colorado, Denver
- Manish Shirgaokar, University of Colorado, Denver
6:15 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.
Predicting Property Prices Using Latent Constructs of Multimodal Accessibility and Neighborhood Quality
- Parsa Soleyman Farahani, University of Colorado, Denver
- Aditi Misra, University of Colorado, Denver
- Wes Marshall, University of Colorado, Denver
- Rupesh Kumar Yadav, University of Colorado, Denver
- Manish Shirgaokar, University of Colorado, Denver
Tuesday, January 13
Poster Session: Current Research in Marine Transportation
8 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Towards Container Terminal Automation: Assessing the Determinants of Digital Twin Technology
- Emmanuel Anu Thompson, Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute
- Pan Lu, North Dakota State University
- Solomon Boadu, North Dakota State University
- Evan Akoto, North Dakota State University
- Imran Badshah, North Dakota State University
Poster Session: Freight Methods, Models and Optimization Frameworks
8 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Exploring Statistical Relationships in Hazmat Infiltration Depth: A Correlation-Based Framework with Scenario Analysis Using a Real-World Rail Accident Baseline
- Xinyi Yang, North Dakota State University
- Tanzina Afrin, North Dakota State University
- Emmanuel Anu Thompson, Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute
- Nita Yodo, North Dakota State University
- Pan Lu, North Dakota State University
- Peter Oduor, North Dakota State University
Lectern Session: AI and Machine Learning in Travel Demand Forecasting
8 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Demographics-Informed Neural Network for Multi-Modal Spatiotemporal forecasting of Urban Growth and Travel Patterns Using Satellite Imagery
- Eugene Denteh, North Dakota State University
- Andrews Danyo, North Dakota State University
- Blessing Agyei Kyem, North Dakota State University
- Joshua Kofi Asamoah, North Dakota State University
- Armstrong Aboah, North Dakota State University
Poster Session: Community Aspects of Electric Vehicles and Automated Systems
8 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Testing in Rural America: A Review of U.S. State Legislation, Challenges, and Opportunities
- Md Ashik Mahamud, University of North Dakota
- Sherif Gaweesh, University of North Dakota
8 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Rail Safety IDEA Project RS-53: Local Resonances-Based NDE Technique for Rail Flaw Detection
- Moein Ramezanpourkami, University of Utah
- Amirhossein Rahimi, University of Utah
- Yuning Wu, University of Utah
- Xuan Peter Zhu, University of Utah
Poster Session: Pedestrian Research Roundup
8 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Bayesian Models for High-Resolution Pedestrian Volume Estimation
- Rachael Panik, Georgia Institute of Technology
- Julie Shorey, Georgia Institute of Technology
- Dillon Fitch-Polse, University of California, Davis
- Iris Tien, Georgia Institute of Technology
- Patrick Singleton, Utah State University
- Kari Watkins, University of California, Davis
10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Determining Human and Mechanical Factors Affecting Fuel Efficiency for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles Using Machine Learning
- Jinman Kim, Colorado State University
- Erika Gallegos, Colorado State University
- Trevor Lanigan, Colorado State University
- Tyler Biggs, Colorado State University
- Jeremy Daily, Colorado State University
Poster Session: Human Factors Research Medley 1
10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Improving Driver Response to Vehicle Cyberattacks: On-Road Insights of Awareness and Protocol Training
- Trevor Lanigan, Colorado State University
- Tyler Biggs, Colorado State University
- Erika Gallegos, Colorado State University
- Jeremy Daily, Colorado State University
- Emma Reid, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Sarah Powers, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Poster Session: Evaluating Speed and Weather Interactions for Traffic Safety Outcomes
10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Safety-Integrated Calibration and Validation of Simulation Models for Complex Innovative Intersections Using Bivariate Extreme Value Theory
- Kiran Neupane, University of Wyoming
- Ramesh Dhimal, University of Wyoming
- Yu Song, University of Wyoming
Poster Session: Research in Transit User Experience: Specialized Needs
10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Enhancing Paratransit Service Through Transportation Network Company (TNC) Integration and Coverage Expansion
- Arman Malekloo, University of Utah
- Xiaoyue Cathy Liu, University of Utah
- Ran Wei, University of California, Riverside
- Jeff Phillips, University of Utah
Poster Session: Research in Transit User Experience: Micromobility
10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Evolution of Fixed Transit to Microtransit Services with a Case Study in Annapolis, MD
- Md Hishamur Rahman, University of Utah
- Shijie Chen, Florida State University
- Yanshuo Sun, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
- Muhammad Imran Younus Siddiqui, IT Curves
- Matthew Mohebbi, IT Curves
- Nikola Marković, University of Utah
Lectern Session: Exploring Transportation Access, Development, and Insecurities
10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Encampment Site Choice and Transit: A Spatially Constrained Destination Choice Modeling Framework
- Sneha Tallavajjula, University of Colorado, Denver
- Aditi Misra, University of Colorado, Denver
Poster Session: Evacuation, Emergency Mobility, and network Resilience in Disasters
10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Disability-Inclusive Pedestrian Social Force Modeling with Probabilistic Guidance Compliance for Heterogeneous Crowd Evacuation
- Amir Rafe, Texas State University, San Marcos
- Patrick Singleton, Utah State University
- Keith Christensen, Utah State University
Lectern Session: Transit Performance Optimization
1:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
A Multi-Tier Framework for Evaluating and Optimizing Urban Paratransit Performance
- Arman Malekloo, University of Utah
- Xiaoyue Cathy Liu, University of Utah
- Nikola Markovic, University of Utah
- Chenxi Dylan Liu, University of Utah
- Jeff Phillips, University of Utah
Poster Session: Research on Vulnerable Road User Safety
1:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Beyond Daily Averages: How Hourly Weather Patterns Impact Vulnerable Road Users Safety
- Bo Yu, University of Utah
- Shouzheng Pan, University of Utah
- Lucas Shen, University of Utah
- Cathy Liu, University of Utah
- Chenxi Liu, University of Utah
Poster Session: Safety Data, Analysis, and Performance
4 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
VisionCrash: A Customized Vision-Language Foundation Model for Reliable Traffic Crash Detection and Analysis on Social Media
- Bo Yu, University of Utah
- Ruixiang Tang, Rutgers University
- Fengze Yang, University of Utah
- Xuewen Luo, University of Utah
- Cathy Liu, University of Utah
- Chenxi Liu, University of Utah
Poster Session: Advancements for Weather Related Maintenance
4 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Innovative Drifted Snow Control through Solar Snow Fence
- Iftikhar Ahmad, North Dakota State University
- Mijia Yang, North Dakota State University
- Dan Gullickson, Minnesota Department of Transportation
Poster Session: Advancements in Cementitious Materials and Nanomaterials for Concrete
6:15 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.
Evaluating Mineralized Steel Slag as Supplementary Cementitious Material
- Lidya Guteta, University of North Dakota
- Nabil Suleiman, University of North Dakota
- Daba S. Gedafa, Marian University
- Johannes Van der Watt, University of North Dakota
- Srivats Srinivasachar, Envergex LLC
- Nagababu Andraju, University of North Dakota
- Ahmed Essam, University of North Dakota
Wednesday, January 14
8:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Scalable Estimation of Pavement Marking Retroreflectivity Using Street-Level Imagery and Machine Learning
- Mohammadi, University of Utah
- J. Medina, University of Utah
- Rashidi, University of Utah
10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
AIRV2X: Unified Air-Ground Vehicle-to-Everything Collaboration
- Xiangbo Gao, Texas A&M University
- Yuheng Wu, no organization
- Fengze Yang, University of Utah
- Xuewen Luo, University of Utah
- Keshu Wu, Texas A&M University
- Xinghao Chen, University of Washington, Seattle
- Chenxi Liu, University of Utah
- Yang Zhou, Texas A&M University
- Zhengzhong Tu, Texas A&M University
10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
REACT: A Real-Time Edge-AI Based V2X Framework for Accident Avoidance in Autonomous Driving System
- Fengze Yang, University of Utah
- Bo Yu, University of Utah
- Xuewen Luo, University of Utah
- Yang Zhou, Texas A&M University
- Zhenzhong Tu, University of Utah
- Chenxi Liu, University of Utah
Poster Session: Managing Urban Mobility: Congestion, Pricing, and Parking Strategies
10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Promoting Sustainability in Multimodal Transportation Systems: A Multiclass Tradable Mobility Credit Market Equilibrium Model
- Jiahui Gu, Monash University
- Zhuo Chen, Monash University
- Xiaoyue Cathy Liu, University of Utah
- Qijie Xiao, Monash University
- Zhuang Dai, Beihang University
Poster Session: Research in Transit Management: Performance
10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Robust and Cost-Effective Planning for Battery Electric Bus Deployment and Renewable Energy Hubs: A Two-Stage Optimization Approach
- Shouzheng Pan, University of Utah
- Xiaohan Liu, Chalmers University of Technology
- Xiaoyue Cathy Liu, University of Utah
- Xiaolei Ma, Beihang University
- Ran Wei, University of California, Riverside
Poster Session: Electric Vehicle Charging and Adoption: Infrastructure, Behavior, and Policy
10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Electric Vehicle Adoption in Urban and Rural Utah
- Fariba Soltani Mandolakani, Utah State University
- Patrick Singleton, Utah State University
Poster Session: Pavement Structural Testing, Evaluation, and Modeling
4 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Investigating Flexible Pavement Responses and Performance under Trunnion Axle Loading Using 3D FE Modeling and Field Validation
- Mohammad Mazhari Pakenari, University of North Dakota
- Nabil Suleiman, University of North Dakota
- Daba S. Gedafa, Marian University
Lectern Session: What Works: Highlighting Strategies and Programs That Improve Safety
4 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Early Driving Behavior and Teen Crash Risk: Evidence from North Dakota’s GDL Policy
- Yun Zhou, North Dakota State University
- Kimberly Vachal, North Dakota State University
- Ihsan Khan, North Dakota State University
Poster Session: Pavement Functional Condition Evaluation and Modeling
4 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Context-Cracknet: A Context-Aware Framework for Precise Segmentation of Tiny Cracks in Pavement Images
- Blessing Agyei Kyem, North Dakota State University
- Joshua Kofi Asamoah, North Dakota State University
- Armstrong Aboah, North Dakota State University
Poster Session: Pavement Functional Condition Evaluation and Modeling
4 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Self-Supervised Multi-Scale Transformer with Attention-Guided Fusion for Efficient Crack Detection
- Blessing Agyei Kyem, North Dakota State University
- Joshua Kofi Asamoah, North Dakota State University
- Eugene Denteh, North Dakota State University
- Andrews Danyo, North Dakota State University
- Armstrong Aboah, North Dakota State University