Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to footer content

Fresno State Transportation Institute

News


View years

2018 year         2019 year         2020 year           2021 year         2022 year       2023 year           2024 year


2024

On the August 21st, The Women’s Transportation Seminar hosted an insightful presentation by Dr. Aly Tawfik and Simran Jhutti from Fresno COG on the California Inland Ports Project.
photo of event

During this second phase of the internship, the students got to know all fields of work and departments of the Office for Mobility and Civil Engineering at the City of Münster. One focus is on the planning steps from the mobility concept to the structural implementation, and special attention is also paid to local public transport and cycling. In addition, the two exchange students learned about traffic light control, traffic safety, water management and the operation of drainage systems.
photo in front of city

The Fresno State Transportation Institute’s Industry & Careers Camp provided middle school students with hands-on experience in 3D printing, model creation, and modern engineering tools. A field trip to the Port of Oakland offered insights into global goods transportation, green technologies, and career opportunities in logistics. During a coding workshop, students programmed robots, sharpening their problem-solving skills while exploring automation.

madrea camp photo

The Fresno State Transportation Institute’s summer bike camp provided middle school students with hands-on experience in bike safety, maintenance, and transportation design. Participants received bicycles to use during the camp, enhancing their understanding of transportation and sustainability through interactive sessions and field activities. The camp equipped students with practical skills, increased their awareness of bike advocacy.
bike camp photo

The Fresno State Transportation Institute's camp taught middle school participants about 3D printing technology, allowing them to create their own models and gain hands-on experience with modern engineering tools. They also enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour of a local airport, where they explored the logistics and engineering of air travel. Additionally, students visited a CalTrans site to observe real-world transportation infrastructure projects and interact with industry professionals.
fresno camp photo

On June 10, two FSTI students began their internship at the Department of Civil Engineering at Münster University of Applied Sciences (FH). During the first phase of their internship, they explored and discussed various roundabouts and infrastructures in Münster and the surrounding municipalities.
photo of studnets talking

This event was a celebration of the transportation work of both the faculty and students at the Fresno State Transportation Institute (FSTI) accomplished in the last two years. It included presentations for about 26 different projects. 

 

 

group photo may 9th

FSTI participated at Reedley College event and had Hands-On Activities for High Schoolers and had a variety of students join. The project they had prepared was showcasing the effects of carbon-based vehicles and alternative solutions we can use.
photo of team at reedley 04 2024 k12 outreach

Dr. Tawfik presents his research project: Can Telecommuting Reduce our Travel Footprint?  The Impact of Telecommuting:An Analysis of Telecommuting Travel Behavior in the USA, at UC Davis's ITS Weekly Seminar
tawfik presentation ite

Dr. Tawfik, Simran Jhutti (FCOG) presents their research project: California Inland Ports Project to Transform Logistics Landscape
craig talks presentor photo

College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) offered a stem-related conference for the Kern and Tulare County Migrant Program on Sat, April 13. Our K-12 team at Fresno State Transportation Institute (FSTI) led two groups of students through hands-on activities.
photo of k-12 kern and tulare event

FSTI congratulates Nicholas Amely on his final graduate project  winning 1st place for poster presentation at the 2024 Central California Research Symposium Event
picture of poster

On March 21 and 22, 2024, FSTI Team members along with staff members visited Thomas Elementary School in Fresno to educate 1st graders about transportation. Through hands-on activities, informative slides, and interactive questionnaires, the team covered topics such as units of measurement, modes of transportation, parking structures, and highways. 
thomas elementary march 2024

FSTI Student Fellow Alexis Zane Alexander presented his research to the City of Fresno's Active Transportation Advisory Committee (ATAC). Collaborating with Dr. Tawfik, he analyzed mobility behavior and trips within Fresno using cell-phone trace data (Replica), examining variables such as age, income, trip purpose, and race in relation to transportation modes.
feb 2024 alexis presenting

In February, the Fresno State Transportation Institute hosted a retirement event to celebrate Tony Boren, Executive Director of Fresno COG, and Mike Leonardo, Executive Director of Measure C. The evening featured a well-organized dinner attended by prominent figures from the transportation industry in the Central Valley, who gathered to honor these influential leaders. 
picture of the retirement party

Kent went to TRB conference to present Washington DC 
washington

2023

After months of planning, designing and crafting, artist Kathleen King revealed her bicycle sculpture at the Fresno International Transportation Innovations (FITI) Summit on October 27, 2023.

The design drew inspiration from the theme of Planning, Education, Design, Advocacy and Lifestyle (P.E.D.A.L.). The sculpture features three segments: Emil, representing a hard-working father and night rider; Flora, featuring a young girl biking from/to school; and Oblivia, depicting oblivious riders with earbuds and a dog named Raisin.

pedal sculpt

The Fresno International Transportation (FITI) Summit, held on October 27, 2023, was a collaborative effort between FSTI staff and various local and international partners, including Fresno’s City Sister of Münster, Germany. The event spanned October 25-29 and comprised pre-Summit, summit, and post-Summit activities. The Summit successfully showcased P.E.D.A.L. Forward Fresno, an initiative aimed at transforming Fresno into a cycling haven and highlighted sustainable and innovative forms of transportation. Featuring keynote speakers Gil Peñalosa, Dr. Ismail Zhod and Dr. Daniel Sperling, the Summit provided valuable insights into the future of Transportation.
oct 2023 summit

Markus Lewe (First Mayor of the City of Münster) invited members from the Sister City of Fresno to participate in a jubilee hosted in Germany from August 16-20, 2023. Three students from Fresno State, Alexis Zane Alexander, Cesar Arabinar and Hillary Rodriguez traveled to Münster to participate in various activities and workshops centered around the Westphalia Peace Treaty and the Twin City Games, a global event that attracted students from diverse backgrounds worldwide to join in the activities. A delegation from the City of Fresno as well as members of the FITI planning committee participated in activities to learn more about Münster’s cycling programs. Alexis, Cesar and Hillary also spent time with professors and fellow students at the University of Münster of Applied Sciences. Now there is some discussion about a possible student exchange program between the two campuses during the summer 2024.
 aug2023 twin city

 FSTI collaborated with the Madera Unified School District to host

the Bike Camp, held from July 17-21, 2023. Each participating student received a bike and

various biking gear--generously discounted and procured by Rubber Soul--and were

delighted to take their personalized bikes home from the camp.

spet2023 bike camp

FSTI hosted the Summer Transportation Industry Academy camp in collaboration with the Madera Unified School District from July 10-14, 2023. This engaging program catered to 6 th to 8 th grade students and took place at the Fresno State campus. The camp was organized into daily field trips and hands-on activities exploring the history and significance of various  transportation modes. The students also worked on a team project based on their hometown of Madera.

 

summer camp

FSTI co-hosted NSTI for two weeks from June 12 to June 23. The event consisted of multiple engineer-friendly activities that students participated in to explore the possibilities of being an engineer. NSTI also offered numerous field trips, hands-on activities, and active participation. One of these projects, with the help of FSTI, was a mini rail-road model competition, which students worked on for two weeks, knowing the basics of building their track, estimating costs, and soldering. Additionally, FSTI has coordinated with these groups of students to create their presentations and videos. There were activities that students also participated in with the help of FSTI, which included 3D-printed keychains and coding small robots to navigate a small maze. FSTI gathered all feedback anonymously throughout the week. Analysis of the feedback results indicate positive reviews from our students and improved learning, interest and appreciation for the transportation industry.
nsti june 2023

FSTI Team traveled to Juan Felipe Herrera Elementary School to do fun and engaging lessons. The FSTI team provides a learning experience for early learners by acknowledging transportation rules, modes, and transportation.
june 2023 juan

For the K-12 Hands-on, the FSTI Team traveled to Thomas Elementary K-1 st Grade with fun and engaging lessons. The FSTI team of 4 members at that time had multiple encounters on April 18, May 9, and May 23, having kids participate as much as possible. FSTI provides a learning experience for early learners by acknowledging transportation rules, modes, and transportation. Additionally, FSTI has also participated in newly created schools, such as Juan Felipe Herrera Elementary School, on June 5 th , where 3 of our students go and teach two groups of different grade levels. 
march2023thomas

Lucca Lorenzi: Lucca graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in media, communications and journalism.

Vajidullah Molvizadah: Vajid graduated with his Master’s degree in Industrial Technology through the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology.

Shubham Fnu Rana: Shubham graduated from Lyle’s College of Engineering with a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering.

Utsav Shah: Utsav also graduated from Lyle’s College of Engineering with a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering.

graduation 2023

FSTI hosted the first K-12 Railroad Model Competition on April 29 at the Fresno State Satellite Student Union for nine teams from Fresno County and their families. The schools were Big Creek Elementary (two teams), Firebaugh Middle School, Grant Elementary School (two teams), Sanger West High School, Tenaya Middle School, and Washington Elementary School. They received a kit and board full of equipment, courtesy of Walthers, Inc. to develop a railway plan to make it the most cost-efficient, long-lasting, and touristic railway with the culmination on competition day. The schools were assigned invaluable coaches/mentors who helped with the design and build of the models. Some even went to the schools to personally help.
railroad2023

Congratulations to FSTI Graduate Fellow Shubham Rana Fnu. His poster titled ‘Is eShopping Taking Over In-Store Shopping? A Trend Analysis of Shopping Activity using the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) Data‘ was selected for presentation at the following two events: Central California Research Symposium (CCRS) that will be held at Fresno State in April ASCE’s International Conference on Transportation and Development (ICTD) in June.
april 2023 shud

Patrick Reily, a student of Dr. Tawfik in Civil Engineering presented his research project for the 44 th Annual Central California Research Symposium. This consisted of his topic, “Do Telecommuters Make Fewer Trips? An Analysis of Telecommuting Travel Behavior in Urban and Rural Communities in the USA.” He went on to get 28 th place out of hundreds of participants.
april2023patrick

On February 25, the FSTI team collaborated with MESA to deliver the lesson titled 'Advancing Sustainable Transportation' to middle and high school students in two sessions. The lesson aimed to educate students on gas-powered vehicle operations and their environmental impact, while also exploring sustainable alternatives and ways for individuals to contribute to positive change.
mesa2023feb

2022

FSTI congratulates one of its graduate fellows, Eng. Vajidullah Molvizadah on his final graduate project paper completion and winning 2nd position for poster presentation at the IEOM Society International – Sydney, Australia – Hybrid Conference.

Former and current FSTI fellows and assistants reunited at FSTI office and we all wish everyone happy holidays.

FSTI organized an Open House and Transportation Research Showcase with attendance from local transportation professionals at Caltrans and the City of Fresno. It was held at the Smittcamp Alumni House, promoting recent innovations and research in transportation. 

 

 

 

FSTI looking for volunteers who will coach or mentor to help guide the students of Fresno County in this competition. Please check the flyer and sign up page for more details.

  Competition Flyer     Sign up page  

FSTI launches Railroad Model Competition for schools, first 30 schools gets a FREE kit for the competition. Please click the button for more information.

Click here

Maria Calahorra-Jimenez Ph.D., Beavers Assistant Professor of Heavy Civil Construction Management at California State University, Fresno, published a research paper on Contracting Strategies: A Different Approach to Address Long-term Performance. 

Click here to know more about the research.

Research

 
Rony Marina

The birth of K-12 Railroad Model Competition Explained. 

Youtube Video Link to the Podcast 

podcast snip

Marina Lima, FSTI graduate fellow, attended the TRB 2022 and presented "The K-12 Railroad Competition" a project designed to be an accessible, guided, and engaging educational challenge. Providing Fresno County’s students with the opportunity of experiencing aspects of a real-engineering railroad project. Encouraging the future generation to pursue STEM-related careers and build a better future of transportation sciences. Learn more about the Railroad Competition
marina TRB

2021

Dr. Samer Sarofim's research titled 'Developing an Effective Targeted Mobile Application to Enhance Transportation Safety and Use of Active Transportation Modes in Fresno County: The Role of Application Design & Content' was featured in the TRB Weekly newsletter. Dr. Sarofim's research can be found under the University Research News section, labeled 'An App for Pedestrians and Cyclists.'
Bikes

 

LYLES COLLEGE ALUMNA FOLLOWS MOM’S MANTRA TO ‘STAY STRONG’

Linda Lim, Fresno State alumna of Lyles College of Engineering and currently a doctoral graduate research fellow at the University of Virginia, recently received the National Science Foundation Fellowship, a highly competitive award. An annual stipend is awarded for both the recipient and their institution for three years.

Linda Lim

2020

The methods and devices used to quantify the data for these answers included smoke candles, videotaping, air speed measurers, temperature, relative humidity and CO distributions, pressure differentials, particle counts, 3D numerical simulation models and virus numbers and their infectious abilities. Additionally, three prokaryotic viruses (nonharmful) were utilized to simulate the presence of coronavirus within the bus: MS2, T7 and Phi 6 (Note: the Phi 6 virus is most similar to the coronavirus). The experiment tested various methods to aid in purifying the airflow and surfaces within the bus. In regards to the airflow, the photocatalytic insert and the UV-C lights proved most effective in eliminating the virus. Please see the infographic for further details.

Click here for more information about results

Also visit the COVID-19 mitigation page

Bus Study

 

 

Dr. Hovannes Kulhandjian, assistant professor for Fresno State's Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering and Fresno State alumnus, Wyatt Greives, research paper, titled, "Design and Experimentation of a Low-cost Receiver for Visible Light Communications" was selected for the IEEE LATINCOM 2020 Conference.

All submissions undergo a rigorous peer-review by a committee of internationally
recognized experts. Papers selected for the conference have been judged on criteria of timeliness, technical content, novelty, and quality of presentation. Only top-ranked papers were selected for presentation in IEEE LATICOM 2020. 

Click here for more information about Dr. Kulhandjian and Greive's research

Wyatt Greives

 

Dr. Christian Wandeler presented a presentation at the “Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) Research Snaps Webinar”, on 08/20/2020. Dr. Wandeler’s project, “The Fresno State Transportation Challenge,” was funded through FSTI CSUTC Innovative Projects. The recording for this webinar and the report in full are available online.
5_Snap_CW

The findings of Dr. Samer Sarofim’s project, “Effective Communication Message Strategy for Enhancing Traffic Safety in Fresno County: The Role of Time Horizon, Regulatory Focus, and Perceived Personal Control,” has been highlighted in the TRB's July Newsletter as "Framing messages for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists.” The Transportation Research E-Newsletter is designed to highlight selected transportation research-related activities taking place at the federal and state levels and within the academic and international transportation communities. More than 70,000 people from around the world receive the E-Newsletter. Learn more about Dr. Sarofim's Research

 

FSTI research, “COVID-19 Transit Bus Air Circulation and Virus Mitigation Study,” has been highlighted by different media, including The Fresno Beeabc 30NewsCalifornia KSEE24/CBS47CBS47GV WireGolos Ameriki, and Fresno State News. This study aims to understand air circulation patterns inside the cabins of busses, as well as test the impact of different approaches in mitigating potential virus circulation and infection. The results of this study could be significantly valuable and directly lead to improved protection of passengers and drivers on public transportation modes against all forms of air-borne viruses both locally as well as across the entire globe. For more information, please click here
covid

The first quarterly newsletter has been developed, finalized, reviewed and released. The newsletter includes six articles including research and student spotlights as well as a section for Upcoming Events and social media handles. The Marketing Department had put all new newsletters on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic; so, FSTI’s first newsletter was sent out Thursday, June 25, 2020. View the newsletter here.

 Dr. Green’s proposal entitled “Economic Analysis to Optimize Locations of Railroad Cooperative Loading Facilities for Agricultural Products in the Central Valley” has been recommended for ARI campus funding for 2020-21.  

Abstract of the proposal:

Today, the agricultural producers of California’s Central Valley face increasing competition from foreign farms in the worldwide marketplace. As successful practices pioneered in our valley are disseminated overseas, competitors in nations with systemwide lower wage rates or more efficient infrastructure, are putting California’s farmers at a disadvantage. In order to stay competitive, our farms’ costs of production need to decrease. One such area where the potential for improved efficiencies, and therefore cost-cutting exists, is in the area of transportation of the valley’s agricultural products. In particular, railroads are only lightly utilized, despite the mode’s ability to move each ton of freight almost four times more efficiently per mile than trucks. Currently, the vast majority of the Central Valley’s agricultural products are transported from farms to endusers or to Pacific Ocean ports such as the Port of Los Angeles, the Port of Long Beach, and the Port of Oakland, entirely by trucks. Often the truck equipment is owned and maintained independently by individual agricultural producers, which is not an economically efficient method of agricultural products transportation because it does not make use of economies of scale. Current research by Dr. Green and Dr. Liang suggests that the introduction of a combination of shared transportation assets and facilities, and implementation of a greater use of multi-modal transportation strategies involving railroads, has the potential to decrease the total costs of production for Central Valley farms and improve the competitiveness of California’s agribusinesses in the international marketplace.

This proposed research intends to fill this gap. Specifically, our goals are to (a) quantitatively assess the economic potential of substantially-increased utilization of railroad service by California’s agricultural producers, and (b) develop models to suggest specific, Central Valley locations and characteristics of possible agricultural loading facilities for optimal economic results. We will first study the technological changes in railway transportation of agricultural products, and second, assess recent developments in railroad operations strategy such as “Precision Scheduled Railroading” (PSR). Then, agricultural producer data collected through surveys will be utilized in conjunction with railway infrastructure data for the California Central Valley to produce equations to model where construction of cooperative railroad agricultural loading facilities and related infrastructure could be located.

The findings of Dr. Shahab Tayeb’s project, “Securing the Emerging Technologies of Autonomous and Connected Vehicles,” has been highlighted in the TRB's June Newsletter as "Enhancing security of automated vehicle data”. The Transportation Research E-Newsletter is designed to highlight selected transportation research-related activities taking place at the federal and state levels and within the academic and international transportation communities. More than 70,000 people from around the world receive the E-Newsletter. Learn more about Dr. Tayeb's research..

COVID-19 Transit Bus Air Circulation and Virus Mitigation Study

COVID-19 has changed the world and our lives dramatically. Unfortunately, it also appears that this situation will likely continue for at least another year. As states and governments in the US and around the globe start easing up the different shelter-in-place policies, life is expected to slowly return to some level of normalcy. People around the globe will start going back to work and catching up on delayed errands and obligations. People will start sharing tight spaces on limited capacity public transportation modes such as busses, metros, trains and planes. Potential infections on these modes could be concerningly high, and rightfully so.  Social distancing policies may not be sufficient on public transportation modes, since HVAC systems are likely to just redistribute the air and air-borne virus throughout the entire cabin, risking the health of both drivers and passengers. Accordingly, this study aims to understand air circulation patterns inside the cabins of busses, as well as test the impact of different approaches in mitigating potential virus circulation and infection.

Many devices, metrics and experiments are utilized and implemented to understand and quantify both air circulation as well as virus mitigation inside the bus. Some of the devices and metrics that are adopted include smoke candles; videotaping; air speed; temperature, relative humidity and CO distributions; pressure differentials; particle counts; 3D numerical simulation models, and virus numbers and their infectious abilities. Two different prokaryotic viruses are utilized: MS2 and T7. And, different approaches are implemented to evaluate the potential of mitigating COVID-19 infections in public transportation modes; e.g. positive pressure environment inside the cabin, HEPA filters (with MERV rating above 15), concentrated UV exposure with charged carbon filters in the HVAC systems, center point photocatalytic oxidation technology, and surface antiviral agents. Additionally, these different experiments are implemented under different vehicle conditions, e.g. stationary, in motion, with doors open and shut, with driver and passengers windows open and shut, and with HVAC in cooling and heating operations. Furthermore, these experiments are conducted on different vehicles, with different sizes and with different HVAC configurations. Results of this study could be significantly valuable and directly lead to improved protection of passengers and drivers on public transportation modes against all forms of air-borne viruses both locally as well as across the entire globe.Learn more about Transit Bus Air Circulation

Developing a Feasible Business Model for Expanding the EV Market to Lower Income Californians

The ultimate objective of this research project is to develop a feasible business model for expanding the EV market to lower income Californians. The developed model would address existing barriers to both auto dealers as well as low income Californians. Different tasks, employing a multi-method approach, have been designed to achieve this objective. The methods include: An extensive review of current knowledge and experiences; Data collection via a quantitative statewide survey; Qualitative focus groups and in-depth interviews with relevant stakeholder groups, advocacy groups and experts; and A feasibility analysis and business model development. The research team believes that the result of this work will lead to the development of a feasible business model that will be beneficial for both auto dealerships and low income Californians. Expansion of the EV market to lower income households would lead to cleaner air, reduce speed/impacts of climate change, and decrease cost of energy. Accordingly, results of this work would be initially benefiting the private sector, low income Californians and all Californians. Yet, later expanding to other states, countries and possibly worldwide. Learn more about Expanding the EV

Creating Safer Communities for Use of Active Transportation Modes in California: The Development of Effective Communication

Message Strategy and Outreach for Vulnerable Road Users

The ultimate objective of this research project is to develop a model to showcase the differential effect of message framing on attitudes and intended behaviors related to pedestrian and cyclists traffic safety practices. Further, this research project will determine effective outreach strategies and communication channels for each segment of the vulnerable road users. This research will investigate, through experiment, survey, focus groups, and interviews whether and why various message and outreach strategies have different motivational, attitudinal, and behavioral effects on various vulnerable road user groups and subgroups.

This research contributes to creating safer communities and greater opportunities for use of active transportation modes (i.e., biking and walking) through inducing positive behavioral changes to enhance traffic safety via effective messaging. Results will inform and improve decision-making on transportation-related issues, namely traffic safety. The research team believes that California transportation authorities, professionals, and advocacy groups will be able to use the results of the proposed research to effectively allocate the communication effort and spending to induce attitudinal and behavioral changes that shall impact the safety of active transportation modes.  Learn more about transportation modes.

The Central Valley Transportation Challenge

The Central Valley Transportation Challenge 2020 is an opportunity for K-12 students to explore transportation topics and careers in meaningful and authentic contexts. We will pose a transportation related challenge to students (e.g. How might we make walking to school safer?) and then support them in the development of a solution by guiding them through a design thinking process and teaching them eduScrum (a novel pedagogy) to self-manage their project. During the challenge, we will connect K-12 students with university faculty and students, and transportation professionals. These interactions will deepen students’ knowledge as they engage in exploring transportation topics. Students will also explore transportation career opportunities in meaningful and authentic ways. The current target group are underserved minority students from rural areas in California. To improve accessibility, the project will develop a virtual transportation education hub with a shared repository of transportation-related resources. These resources will be available for future use by a wide audience of educators so that they can engage their students in examining transportation issues and career opportunities in meaningful and authentic ways. We hope that this project raises the interest of California youth in transportation-related careers, their interest as citizens in transportation related questions, and that their projects have a positive impact on their community. Learn more about Central Valley Transportation Challenge.

FSTI staff have been working on designing the details of the competition. Different bases to hold a train set have been tested to finalize the best one based on size, material, thickness, portability, cost, stability, etc. Also, different train tracks from different vendors have been tested. The idea of the map has been developed, which is connecting the main cities of California with High-speed rail. The competition is in the process of being designed for all grade levels from elementary to high school. 
map

Dr. Chih-Hao Wang gave a presentation at the FSTI advisory board meeting about his project titled "Developing a Fair Accessibility Framework Through Green (Non-Auto) Transportation Modes For Fresno, California.
abm

Dr. Christian Wandeler organized an event for the West Fresno Elementary School students to visit the Fresno State and present their presentations on 1/24/2020. Dr. Wandeler’s project, “The Fresno State Transportation Challenge,” was founded through FSTI CSUTC Innovative Projects. View transportatin channelnge final report.
2_CW_2020.01.24

Dr. John Walkup’s project, “Effective Lessons Plans in Transportation, Phase II: The Lesson Plans,” has involved many students. Mr. Stephan Squire was one of the students trained in this FSTI grant-funded project on Dr. John Walkup curriculum model used for developing the transportation-related lesson plans. As a result of this training, Mr. Squire developed an intense interest in the curriculum model. He worked with Dr. Walkup on his book last summer and was named a coauthor. The book was made available for sale in January 2020.

Walkup, J.R. and S. Squire. The Art & Science of Lesson Design: Practical Approaches to Boosting Cognitive Rigor in the Classroom, Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield (2020). ISBN-13: 978-1475854428  

Twenty of the lesson plans developed during the project were made available to public school teachers throughout the state by their submission to CTE Online, the California Department of Education's online repository for career-technical education resources. View lesson plans

2019

Dr. Christian Wandeler’s project, “Youth Design the Future of Transportation for Their Community,” has received media attention from KSEE Television station. KSEE, virtual channel 24, is an NBC-affiliated television station licensed to Fresno, California, United States. The Fresno State Transportation Institute works to improve transportation issues all around the Central Valley. Now, the institute is helping kids imagine new ways to get to class. “The number one issue that came up was safety, safety,” said teacher Efrain Tovar. 

Students from Abraham Lincoln Middle School in Selma are among a group of students involved in a big project that could one day change how they get to and from school. For more information, WATCH VIDEO. 

 

 

The High-Speed Rail tour was a great opportunity to see the High-Speed Rail’s construction, meet with the rail engineers on the site, and learn about the challenges of the right of the way and purchasing the private lands that are on the way of the High-Speed Rail path.
hsr

Dr. Christian Wandeler organized an event for the Selma Middle School students to visit the Fresno State and present their presentations on 12/12/2019. Dr. Wandeler’s project, “The Fresno State Transportation Challenge,” was founded through FSTI CSUTC Innovative Projects. View the final report.
1_CW_2019.12.12

Fresno State President Joseph I. Castro and the University of Wuppertal (Germany), recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) committing to exploring international joint education and research programs in transportation engineering over the next five years. Established in 1972, the University’s name in German is “Bergische Universität Wuppertal” has a total of three campuses located in Wuppertal. Similar to Fresno State, Wuppertal offers a variety of programs from arts and humanities to mathematics and engineering. The University of Wuppertal has one of the largest transportation engineering programs in Germany.
mou

 

The transportation engineering students shared more information about transportation engineering related topics with kids. They did this through presentations to address the questions from the kids or the challenges that kids saw in their community (e.g., pedestrian safety).
Students_v2

The 2019 Fresno Regional Transportation Innovations Summit was a joint production of Fresno State Transportation Institute and Fresno Council of Governments, designed to provide an opportunity for hundreds of residents, professionals and stakeholders to become familiar with the latest in advanced, clean transportation technology through an up-close and personal experience. It also brought together businesses and individuals that have invested in cleaner transportation technology, to share their successes and challenges with the community.  View details for FRTIS event.
s3

“The value of technology in a car today is better than the technology that was in the lunar lander in the '60s," says Fresno State's Dr. Clement. “Your car has a tremendous amount of computing power." Learn more about car computing power. (The above picture's source
cs3

Ms. Roshanak Farshidpour is selected to receive the 2019 Outstanding Civil Engineer Student Award by the ASCE San Francisco Section! This is her second award in this category, after the one awarded by the ASCE Fresno Chapter. Roshanak is also a team-member of the 2019 Outstanding Research Project led by Dr. Nazari, who will accept the award in the same ceremony. She has also doubled this award, as she was a team-member of another 2019 Outstanding Research Project led by Dr. Tehrani and selected by the ASCE Fresno Chapter. She will be recognized at the Annual Section Meeting taking place on September 12th in the Historic Green Room at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center. Ms. Farshidpour begins her master program at UCLA this Fall.
Roshanak3

Dr. Maryam Nazari's project has been selected for the Outstanding Research Project award of the ASCE San Francisco Section! She and her research team aimed to investigate the application of tire-derived aggregates (TDA) in combination with expanded clay (EC) aggregates in precast concrete slabs in road pavements and bridge decks serving non-auto traffic, such as bicycle routes. Given that TDA is a recycled, durable, and economically-efficient material, this project aimed to enhance its usage and its ability to increase the sustainability of such transportation infrastructure, along with attempting to influence future decisionmaking on the rehabilitation and maintenance of such roads. View the report
maryam5

The goal of his research was to study how improving regenerative braking strategies affects energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in electric vehicles. View the presentation.
josue

California State University, Fresno and the University of Colorado, Denver presented an innovative system called Business+ Commute Optimization System (B+COS) at Fresno Council of Governments (Fresno COG). The system can identify the optimal selection of business commute alternatives to minimize negative environmental impacts and commute time and cost.  
bcos

Dr. Tawfik and his colleagues from Fresno State Transportation Institute had a presentation about transportation engineering for elementary school students. 
school

FSTI is pleased to announce that Dr. Maryam Nazari’s research assistant (undergraduate) student, Mr. Faiaz Rahman, was awarded the Outstanding Oral Presentation in Engineering at the 40th Central California Research Symposium (CCRS) this year. He presented the FSTI Project at CCRS. Very well done!
maryam4

FSTI is pleased to have Dr. Shahab Tayeb working on the security of connected and autonomous vehicles project! Read more about his research and achievements.
shahab

The Fresno State Transportation Institute supported a pilot study of the “Fresno State Transportation Challenge” with an innovation grant to test ways to do outreach in schools and engage the community. The goal is for the kids to learn about transportation, about transportation-related careers, and practice their 21st-century skills by solving a transportation-related issue in their community. We brought in university engineering students to support the K-8 students in their work on the transportation-related project. We taught them an agile mindset and eduScrum to solve complex issues, and then apply it to improve their community. The project members worked with the students over a time span of 8 weeks, and the culminating event was the presentation of their work to the community to advocate for the needs of children and to present their work at Fresno State to other researchers supported by the Fresno State Transportation Institute.
school3

 

2018

Dr. Aly Tawfik’s student, Ms. Linda Lim, presented her presentations at two conferences, and her conference travel applications were selected by the FSTI. She presented her first transportation-related research, “Estimating the Future Travel Costs of Using Shared Autonomous Vehicle (SAV) Systems,” at International Conference on Transportation and Development 2018, on 07/16/2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She presented her other transportation-related research, “Estimating Future Travel Costs for Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) and Shared Autonomous Vehicles (SAVs),” at 21st International Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITSC) on 11/05/2018 in Maui, Hawaii. Ms. Linda Lim began her Doctoral program in Transportation Engineering at the University of Virginia in Fall 2020.
LL