Thursday, November 6, 2025
8:00–8:45 a.m. • Registration and Buffet Breakfast (Memorial Hall)
Check in at the registration desk, enjoy a buffet breakfast, and network with other attendees.
8:45–10:15 a.m. • Welcome and Opening Keynote: E-Commerce Evolution and Its Implications for Transportation Planning and Infrastructure Design (Memorial Hall)
Moderator
Kyle Shelton, Director, Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota
Keynote Speaker
Alison Conway, Herbert G. Kayser Professor of Civil Engineering, The City College of New York
Panelists
Robin Hutcheson, Senior Fellow, Center for Transportation Studies (moderator)
Leah Shaver, President and CEO, The National Transportation Institute
Description
Over the last two decades, rapid evolution in e-commerce and omnichannel retail models have required continuous supply chain innovations. New facility types, vehicles, and distribution strategies have emerged, challenging existing land-use policies and transportation infrastructure—and influencing both freight and personal travel behaviors.
Drawing on research studies conducted in New York City, Pennsylvania, and the U.S. national context, Alison Conway will explore the broad trends in e-commerce supply chain organization. She will also discuss recent research findings, implications for freight and passenger travel demand, needed updates to planning and design practice, and remaining areas of research need.
Following the presentation, Conway will be joined by Leah Shaver for a discussion moderated by CTS Senior Fellow Robin Hutcheson.
10:15–10:30 a.m. • Break (Memorial Hall)
Enjoy refreshments and network with other attendees.
10:30–11:45 a.m. • Concurrent Session 1: Rural Design and Decision Making (Heritage Gallery)
Session moderator: Krysten Foster, Stonebrooke Engineering
Examining Rural Intersection Design and Signage on Driver Performance Via a Driving Simulation Study
Presenter: Bradley Drahos, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota
What Did We Just Pass? Modern Dissemination of Highway Interpretive Markers
Presenter: Natalie Villwock-Witte, Western Transportation Institute, Montana State University
Additional authors: Karalyn Clouser, Western Transportation Institute, Montana State University, and the Montana Department of Transportation
Rural Mobility and Access: Leveraging Big Data Analytics and Context-Aware Computing
Presenter: Xiaohuan Zeng, Department of Geography, Environment and Society, University of Minnesota
Additional authors: Ying Song, Meicheng Xiong, and Di Zhu, Department of Geography, Environmental and Society, University of Minnesota
10:30–11:45 a.m. • Concurrent Session 2: Engaging the Freight Community in Transportation Improvement Projects—Strategies for Meaningful Involvement (Johnson Great Room)
Session moderator: Dan Pfeiffer, Zan Associates
Presenters: Jason Craig, CH Robinson; Dan Pfeiffer, Zan Associates; John Tompkins, Minnesota Freight Advisory Committee; and Mark Wegner, TC & W Railroad
10:30–11:45 a.m. • Concurrent Session 3: Materials and Structures (Minnesota Room)
Session moderator: Beth Engum, Bolton & Menk
Investigation of Winter Tenting of Transverse Cracks in Asphalt Pavement
Presenter: Chrysogonus Asante, Civil Engineering Department, University of Minnesota Duluth
Development of Non-Proprietary Ultra-High-Performance Concrete for Use in Minnesota and Wisconsin Bridge Girders
Presenter: Jensen Rice, Civil Engineering Department, University of Minnesota Duluth
Additional authors: Mary Christiansen, Abdullah Haroon, and Kate McCabe, Civil Engineering Department, University of Minnesota Duluth
Experimental Investigation on Compaction Properties of Asphalt Mixtures with High RAP Content
Presenter: Zifeng Zhao, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo-Engineering, University of Minnesota
Additional authors: Shambhavi Khanal, Jia-Liang Le, Mihai Marasteanu, and Mugur Turos, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering, University of Minnesota
10:30–11:45 a.m. • Concurrent Session 4: Finding a Spark—Studies on Fleet Electrification (Ski-U-Mah Room)
Session Moderator: Ross Bintner, City of Edina
MnDOT Aeronautics's Minnesota Electric Aviation Network Study Findings and Results
Presenter: Joseph Block, MnDOT
Driving Change: Minnesota Case Study in Public Fleet Electrification
Presenter: Anna Pierce, MnDOT
Costs, Benefits, and Policy Lessons from the First Three Years of the EV Spot Network
Presenter: Will Schroeer, East Metro Strong
11:45 a.m.–1:30 p.m. • Luncheon and Keynote: Lessons from the Field—Moving Research into Practice (Memorial Hall)
Opening Comments
Nancy Daubenberger, Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Transportation
Keynote Speaker
Robert Hampshire, Executive Director, Research Development Office, University of Minnesota
Description
In this presentation, Robert Hampshire will explore how the nexus of research, innovation, and implementation in academia, agencies, and the private sector can transform transportation. Drawing on his experiences at the USDOT, Hampshire will highlight lessons learned from partnerships with universities and practitioners across the country. He will also share his perspectives on the impact and importance of transportation research informing practice.
1:30–1:45 p.m. • Break (Memorial Hall)
Network with other attendees.
1:45–3:00 p.m. • Concurrent Session 5: Using the Transportation Right-of-Way for Community Benefit, Economic Development, and Community Goals (Johnson Great Room)
Session moderator: Lisa Austin, MnDOT
Presenters: Jeff Metcalf and Jessica Oh, MnDOT
1:45–3:00 p.m. • Concurrent Session 6: Freight from Local to Long Haul (Heritage Gallery)
Session moderator: Amber Cameron, Office for Public Engagement, University of Minnesota
Pay and Working Conditions in the Long-Distance Truck and Bus Industries: Assessing for Effects on Driver Safety and Retention
Presenter: Stephen Burks, Division of Social Science, University of Minnesota Morris
Additional authors: Bradford Chaney, Committee on National Statistics; Stephen Godwin, Thomas Menzies, and Noel Popwell, Transportation Research Board; and the Committee for a Study of the Impacts of Alternative Compensation Methods on Truck Driver Retention and Safety Performance
Minnesota Freight Network Optimization Tool Use Cases
Presenter: Ben Zietlow, Quetica, and Andrew Andrusko, MnDOT
Additional authors: Minnesota Department of Transportation, Minnesota IT Services, and Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
Assessment of Sustainable Last-Mile Delivery Strategies with Urban Transit and Crowdsourced Bikes
Presenter: Nastaran Tork, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering, University of Minnesota
Additional authors: Alireza Khani, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering, University of Minnesota
1:45–3:00 p.m. • Concurrent Session 7: Innovations in Equitable Planning (Ski-U-Mah Room)
Session moderator: Paul Morris, SRF
Driving Through History: The Evolution of the Twin Cities Regional Highway System and Its Impacts on Surrounding Communities
Presenter: Haila Maze, Bolton & Menk
Mitigating Community Harms of Dense Highway Infrastructure ‘Spaghetti Junctions’
Presenter: Robin Phinney, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota
Additional authors: Frank Douma and Camila Fonseca-Sarmiento, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota; Jerry Zhao, Zhejiang University
Advancing Equity in Capital Investment Decision Making
Presenter: Alan Roy, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota
Additional authors: Yuan Cheng, Frank Douma, and Camila Fonseca-Sarmiento, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota
1:45–3:00 p.m. • Concurrent Session 8: The Environmental Footprint of Transportation—Climate, Pollution, and Resource Management (Minnesota Room)
Session moderator: Mauricio Leon, University of Minnesota
NO-HEAT: A Research Agenda Integrating Urban Microclimate Modeling and Transportation Modeling for Resilient Multimodal Transportation Planning
Presenter: Rounaq Basu, School of City and Regional Planning, Georgia Institute of Technology
Risks of Tire-Derived Microplastics to Butterflies and Other Pollinators Using Roadside Habitat
Presenter: Emilie Snell-Rood, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota
Additional authors: Jenna Duncan, Thea Evans, Leta Landucci, and Elin Wellmann, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota
Evaluating Transport of Stockpiled Mississippi River System Sand for Beach Nourishment and Other Uses
Presenter: Breann Popkin, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
3:00–3:15 p.m. • Break (Memorial Hall)
Enjoy refreshments and network with other attendees.
3:15–4:30 p.m. • Concurrent Session 9: Can AI Prevent Severe and Fatal Crashes? (Johnson Great Room)
Session moderator: Melissa Barnes, MnDOT
Presenter: Tony Boun, Nerdery
Additional author: Sarah Mixdorf, Google Cloud Public Sector
3:15–4:30 p.m. • Concurrent Session 10: Mode Shift and VMT (Heritage Gallery)
Session moderator: Kristina Heggedal, MnDOT
Counting Carbon: Implementing GHG Impact Legislation to Achieve Minnesota's Carbon and VMT Reduction Goals
Presenters: Chris Berrens, MnDOT
Powering Mode Shift Through Transportation Demand Management
Presenters: Kaitlyn Denten, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, and Caroline Ketcham, MnDOT
3:15–4:30 p.m. • Concurrent Session 11: Making Minnesota Safer from Traffic to Transit (Ski-U-Mah Room)
Session moderator: Joe Gustafson, Washington County
Property-Damage-Only Crash Reporting Time Burdens and Requirements
Presenter: William Kessler, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota
Establishing a Methodology of Onboard Data Collection for Transit System Safety Analysis
Presenter: Marshall Mabry, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota
Additional authors: Curtis Craig, Brian Davis, and Nichole Morris, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota
The Road to Resolution: Analyzing Outcomes of Traffic Safety Violations
Presenter: Nichole Morris, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota
Additional authors: Frank Douma and Grace Foss, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota; Stephanie Malinoff, Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota; and Andrew Ryan, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota
3:15–4:30 p.m. • Concurrent Session 12: Adapting Transportation Systems to Evolving Land Use (Minnesota Room)
Session moderator: Katie Caskey, HDR
Can an Identified Environmental Correlate of Car Ownership Serve as a Practical Planning Tool?
Presenter: Jason Cao, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota
Additional author: Tao Tao, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
Transportation Changes Land Use: How the St. Croix Bridge Shaped Accessibility, Housing Construction, and Travel Behavior
Presenter: Matthew Hockert, Accessibility Observatory, University of Minnesota
Additional author: Eric Lind, Accessibility Observatory, University of Minnesota
Competing or Complementary? Assessing the Benefits of Demand-Responsive Transit Service in a Small US Urban Region
Presenter: Bogdan Kapatsila, School of Planning and Public Affairs, University of Iowa
Elements of Access Change: Travel Times and Land Use
Presenter: Andrew Owen, Accessibility Observatory, University of Minnesota
4:30–5:30 p.m. • Reception (Memorial Hall)
Join us for hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar.