Thursday, November 5, 2026
8:00–8:45 a.m. • Registration and Buffet Breakfast
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: Addressing Future Transportation Challenges Through University–Agency Collaboration
Moderator
Kyle Shelton, Director, Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota
Panelists
Karen Philbrick, Executive Director, Mineta Transportation Institute, San Jose State University
Gregory Winfree, Director, Texas A&M Transportation Institute
Di Yang, Assistant Professor of Transportation & Urban Infrastructure Studies, Morgan State University
10:15–10:30 a.m. • Break
Enjoy refreshments and network with other attendees.
10:30–11:45 a.m. • Concurrent Session 1: Multimodal Safety
Safety Beyond Crashes: Pathways for Advancing Transportation and Human Safety
Presenter: Rounaq Basu, School of City and Regional Planning, Georgia Institute of Technology
Significant Crash Characteristics Associated with E-scooter and E-bike Crashes
Presenter: Aimee Jefferson, MnDOT
Additional author: Janice Daniel, New Jersey Institute of Technology
Stop Arm Camera Deployment in Greater Minnesota
Presenter: Chris Webb, Southwest Regional Development Commission
10:30–11:45 a.m. • Concurrent Session 2: Structures and Materials
Proactive Pays: Quantifying the Life-Cycle Benefits of Bridge Maintenance Using Minnesota DOT Data
Presenters: Basak Betkas, Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Minnesota State University, Mankato; and Sarah Sondag, MnDOT
A Lab to Plant Evaluation of Non-Proprietary UHPC for Use in Minnesota and Wisconsin Bridge Girders
Presenter: Katherine McCabe, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, University of Minnesota Duluth
Additional authors: Mary Christiansen, Abdullah Haroon, and Brock Hedegaard, University of Minnesota Duluth; and Steve Barbachyn, Cathy French, Ben Worsfold, and Ximena Gomez Churnside, University of Minnesota
Understanding the Effect of Asphalt Lift Thickness on Compaction, Density Uniformity, and Ride Quality
Presenter: Zifeng Zhao, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering, University of Minnesota
Additional authors: Jia-Liang Le, Mihai Marasteanu, and Mugurel Turos, University of Minnesota; and Tianhao Yan, Auburn University
10:30–11:45 a.m. • Concurrent Session 3: Transit
Feet and Inches: Making Accessible Bus Stops
Presenter: Jenny Ackerson, Metro Transit
Safety in Numbers: Evaluating the Transit Rider Investment Program's Presence and Impact on Riders
Presenter: Sadixa Sanjel, Metro Transit
Coverage Versus Ridership: Identifying Connections Between the Built Environment and User Preferences for Bus Network Redesigns
Presenter: Claire Trettin, School of Planning and Public Affairs, University of Iowa
Additional author: Bogdan Kapatsila, University of Iowa
10:30–11:45 a.m. • Concurrent Session 4: Agency Approaches to Modeling and Impact Assessment
Evaluation of Long-Range Traffic Forecast Accuracy 2010–2020
Presenter: Charles Gorugantula, Metropolitan Council
Work Zone Regional and Local Travel Impacts: I-94 Construction Case Study
Presenters: Jim Henricksen, MnDOT; and Liz Roten, Metropolitan Council
Assessing Emissions Impacts of Expansion Projects and Induced Demand
Presenter: Maurice Roers, MnDOT
11:45 a.m.–1:30 p.m. • Luncheon and Keynote: Identifying Our Traffic Safety Gaps — Actions to Make Meaningful Progress Toward Vision Zero in the US
Keynote Speaker
Robert J. Schneider, Professor and Co-Chair, Department of Urban Planning, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
1:30–1:45 p.m. • Break
Network with other attendees.
1:45–3:00 p.m. • Concurrent Session 5: Mobility and Integrating Demand, Access, and Community
Integration of Transportation Demand Management for Highway Projects
Presenter: Kaitlyn Denten, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota
Additional authors: Frank Douma, Camila Fonseca-Sarmiento, and Owen Knight, University of Minnesota
Crossing the Road: Utilizing Destination Access for Active Transportation Planning and Pre-scoping
Presenters: Joe Lehman and Sonja Piper, MnDOT
Shaping Tomorrow: How MnDOT Connects People and Places
Presenter: Tod Sherman, MnDOT
Additional author: Scott Shaffer, MnDOT
1:45–3:00 p.m. • Concurrent Session 6: Reimagining Transit for Persons with Disabilities — Public Input as Creative Force
Presenters: Michael Walk, Texas A&M; and Charles Carlson, Sheila Holbrook-White, and Andy Streasick, Metropolitan Council
1:45–3:00 p.m. • Concurrent Session 7: Intelligent Vehicles
Road Usage Charge System Using OEM-Embedded Vehicle Technology: Insights from Minnesota's MnRUC Demo
Presenters: Camila Fonseca, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota; and Peter Olson, MnDOT
Additional authors: Kaitlyn Denten and Frank Douma, University of Minnesota; Markell Moffett, CDM Smith; and Peter Wajda, Via
Bridging the Gap to Full Autonomy: Remote Driving for Accelerated Mobility Deployment
Presenter: Ajay Kumar, Department of Computer Science, University of Minnesota
Understanding Work-Zone Delineation for Lane-Keeping Systems
Presenter: Uthej Vattipalli, SRF
Additional authors: Jon Jackels and Erik Minge, SRF; and Scott Meier and Adam Wellner, MnDOT
1:45–3:00 p.m. • Concurrent Session 8: Data Use
Effective Uses of Individual Vehicle Record Traffic Data
Presenter: Steven Jessberger, SRF
Statewide Foresight: Leveraging Predictive Analytics to Make Roads Safer for All Users
Presenter: Katy Kressin, Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths Program
Moisture-Driven Seasonal Capacity and Thaw Weakening at MnROAD: A Sensor-Informed, Field-Validated Pipeline
Presenter: Joseph Podolsky, MnDOT
Additional authors: Ceren Aydin and Raul Velasquez, MnDOT
3:00–3:15 p.m. • Break
Enjoy refreshments and network with other attendees.
3:15–4:30 p.m. • Concurrent Session 9: The Intersection of Rural Transportation and Public Health
Exploring Needs for Non-Emergency Medical Transportation in Rural Northeast Minnesota
Presenters: Gavin Bukovich and Beverly Sidlo-Tolliver, Arrowhead Regional Development Commission
Additional author: David Beard, University of Minnesota Duluth
Evaluating Pharmacy Access and Criticality for Minnesota Residents
Presenter: Elise Moore, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota
Additional authors: Andrew Owen and Lindsay Sorge, University of Minnesota
Rural Transit Assessment in East Central Minnesota: An Empowering Small Minnesota Communities Project
Presenters: Frank Douma, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota; and Alireza Khani, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering, University of Minnesota
Additional authors: Kwangho Baek, Michael Darger, and Theodore Jessup, University of Minnesota
3:15–4:30 p.m. • Concurrent Session 10: Urban Infrastructure
Data-Driven Analytics for Scaling Up Community Carshare: Bringing Affordable, Reliable, and Clean Carshare to More People
Presenter: Saif Benjaafar, Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering, University of Michigan
Additional authors: Gunnar Aas and Noah Velick, HOURCAR; Elisabeth Gerber, Ben Rosenblad, and Yafeng Yin, University of Michigan; and Yishun Luo, Jingyuan Wan, and Martin Zubeldia, University of Minnesota
What Drives Microtransit Ridership? The Influences of Demographic and Built Environment Characteristics on On-demand Service
Presenter: Cameron Kolbeck, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota
Additional author: Jason Cao, University of Minnesota
Can People Really Walk There? Evaluating Stress-Informed Pedestrian Access to Destinations at a Metropolitan Scale
Presenter: Shirley Liu, Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota
Additional authors: Eric Lind and Andrew Owen, University of Minnesota
3:15–4:30 p.m. • Concurrent Session 11: Electric Vehicles
Pedal to the Metal: Accelerating Local EV Investment
Presenter: Becky Alper, SRF
Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure in Minnesota
Presenter: Camila Fonseca-Sarmiento, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota
Additional authors: Kaitlyn Denten, Anna Edmunds, and Grace Foss, University of Minnesota; and Jerry Zhao, Zhejiang University
Reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled by Riding an E-bike
Presenters: Eugene StandingCloud, Oshkiimaajitahdah, Red Lake Nation; and Tim Lutz, Red Lake School District
Additional author: Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota
3:15–4:30 p.m. • Concurrent Session 12: Workforce
From Diagnostics to Digital Systems: Preparing the Transportation Technician for ADAS, EV, and Autonomous Technologies
Presenter: Shawn Haag, Minnesota State Transportation Center of Excellence
Co-Designing Workforce Systems: Lessons for Transit Workforce Planning
Presenter: Nichola Lowe, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota
Driving and Flying Toward the Future: Momentum’s Model for Industry-Integrated Education
Presenters: Scott Schaffer and Brent Veninga, Minnetonka Public Schools
4:30–5:30 p.m. • Reception
Join us for hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar.