2026 NCIT Virtual Colloquium Agenda

Date: March 23
Time: 1:00–6:10 p.m. ET 12:00–5:10 p.m. CT

1:00 p.m. ET — Opening

  • Opening Host and Moderator: Dr. Patrick Szary, Rutgers Associate Director
  • NCIT Remarks: Dr. Judy Perkins, NCIT Director
  • Advisory Board Member Remarks: Dr. Ali Maher, Rutgers University CAIT
  • Rutgers Leadership Remarks: Dr. Alberto Cuitiño, Dean of Engineering and Distinguished Professor
  • USDOT OST-R Keynote: Dr. Firas Ibrahim, Director, Office of RD&T
  • Local Keynote: Kevin Corbett, Former NJ Transit CEO

2:10 p.m. ET — Break

5-minute break

2:15 p.m. ET — Session One

  • Moderator: Dr. Patrick Szary, Rutgers Associate Director
  • Welcome back and virtual tour of the BEAST Lab
  • Concurrent research sessions

Infrastructure (60 minutes)

Moderator: Dr. Yonggao Yang, Prairie View A&M University

  1. Texas A&M Transportation Institute: Increasing the Lifespan and Resiliency of Bridge Superstructure Concrete Through Durability-Based Performance Evaluation
    Presented by: Dr. Anol Mukhopadhyay
  2. Michigan State University: Optimizing Recycled Aggregates for Unbound Pavement Layers: Performance, Durability, and Policy Recommendations
    Presented by: Dr. Michele Lanotte
  3. Prairie View A&M University & Texas A&M Transportation Institute: Potential Use of Nano Clay in Waste Polymer Modified Asphalt
    Presented by: Dr. Raghava Kommalapati and Dr. Mahalakshmi Mannar

Technology (60 minutes)

Moderator: Dr. Vassiliki Demetracopoulou

  1. Michigan State University & Texas A&M University: Asset Management of Bridges Using Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles and Machine Learning Models
    Presented by: Durga Srivatsava
  2. Rutgers University: Design and Planning of a Testbed for Automated Emergency Braking Technology for Bus
    Presented by: Dr. Xiang Liu
  3. Arizona State University: A Regional Approach to Pavement Design for Low-Volume Roads
    Presented by: Dr. Claudia Zapata

Policy (60 minutes)

Moderator: Dr. Md. Jobair Bin Alam

  1. Prairie View A&M University: A Smart Io T-Based Detection System for Remote Earth Movement of Highway and Embankment
    Presented by: Dr. Ahmed Abdelmoamen Ahmed
  2. Texas A&M Transportation Institute: Development of a Regional Model for Pavement Design for Local Low-Volume Road Conditions
    Presented by: Dr. Jinho Kim
  3. Rutgers University: Cost-Effectively Building Resilience into Freight Transportation Operations and Capital/Infrastructure Investments
    Presented by: Anne Strauss-Wieder

End of Session One regroup (1 minute)

3:30 p.m. ET — Break

  • 10-minute break
  • Concurrent virtual tour of the Pavement Lab

3:40 p.m. ET — Session Two

Education Enrichment Discussion Panel — Student Session (30 minutes)

Moderator: Marshall Rich

  • Blinn College District: Andreea Turcanu
  • Prairie View A&M University: Terrance John Bolton
  • Arizona State University: Yasen Kashour
  • Texas A&M University: Avinash Gonnabathula
  • Rutgers University: Paula Yaghi

Education and Workforce Session (90 minutes)

Moderator: Dr. Bora Cetin

  1. Texas A&M University & Blinn College District: Highway Construction Workforce Partnership — Creating the Next Generation Heavy Highway Worker
    Presented by: Dr. Charles Gurganus
  2. Texas A&M Transportation Institute: Advancing Inspector Development Programs Using Digital Technologies and Effective Recruitment and Retention Strategies
    Presented by: Dr. David Jeong (TBD)
  3. Prairie View A&M University: Smart Transportation Workshop for Workforce Development Empowering AI and IoT Technologies
    Presented by: Dr. Lening Wang
  4. Arizona State University: Automated Construction Quality Monitoring and Inspection Protocols Using Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles
    Presented by: Dr. Hasan Ozer

5:40 p.m. ET — Virtual Reception (30 minutes)

  • Networking opportunity
  • Concurrent virtual tour of BEAST Lab

6:10 p.m. ET — Program Ends