Southern Colorado Institute of Transportation Technology

Hasnain Ali presented a poster titled “?????????????????? ???????????????? ?????? ???????????????????? ?????????? ????????: ???????? ?????????? ???? ???? ????????????????” at the Southern Colorado Transportation Conference on October 24th (SCTC-2024). Large Language Models (LLMs) are a potential solution for automating and improving planning and scheduling in the US railway system. Co-Author: Dr. Saqib Gulzar. Acknowledgment: Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Southern Colorado Institute of Transportation Technology, Colorado State University Pueblo.?

Hannah Grossman presented a poster titled “???????????????????? ?????? ???????????????? ???????? ???????? ???????????????????? ?????? ???????????????????? ?????????????? ???????? ??????????????????????????????” at the Southern Colorado Transportation Conference on October 24th (SCTC-2024). This study aims to create safer roads and focuses on monitoring seat belt use and distracted driving behaviors, such as cell phone use, in commercial motor vehicles using camera detection systems. Co-Authors: Dr. Md Rashad Islam, PhD, PE; Dr. Hasan Faisal, Ph.D.; Dr. Saqib Gulzar; and Dr. Elena Sidorova Acknowledgement: Colorado State Patrol, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Mentoring Access, and Platforms in STEM (MAPS) at Colorado State University Pueblo. Also, Dr. John Williamson for assisting with proposal preparation.

The Transportation Research Symposium (TRS) is fast approaching, and the deadline for submissions is just around the corner! ??? ???????????????????? ????????????????: ???????????????? ????, ???????? TRS is the premier event for showcasing innovative research and solutions in the transportation sector. This is a fantastic opportunity for researchers, professionals, and students to present their work on sustainable transportation, smart infrastructure, safety advancements, and more. For more information, visit here: https://lnkd.in/eMw6iRj6 Karl Kim Eric Yamashita Md Rashad Islam, PhD, PE Saqib Gulzar Elena Sidorova Elsevier

?????????? ?????????????? ?? ~$???? ?????????????? ?????????? ?????? ?????? ?????????? Southern Colorado Institute of Transportation Technology (SCITT) at Colorado State University Pueblo (CSU Pueblo) has been awarded an $11.7M grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to conduct safety assessment, testing, and workforce development for hydrogen and natural gas-powered rail vehicles. Green hydrogen and renewable natural gas-powered rail vehicles offer promising technologies for decreasing greenhouse emissions. This project will help to facilitate safe implementation of environmentally friendly alternative fuel technologies by the US rail industry. The SCITT Director, Md Rashad Islam, PhD, PE will lead the project. SCITT will be assisted by a strong team of academic and industry partners including the University of Hawaii at Manoa, ENSCO, Inc., and OptiFuel Systems. The project team will improve compressed natural gas and hydrogen refueling facilities at USDOT’s Transportation Technology Center (TTC) in Pueblo, CO. The team will use these facilities to assess and test the safety of rail vehicles operating on compressed natural gas and hydrogen at TTC. The TTC facilities will be used to provide hands-on training for undergraduate and graduate students, railroad industry professionals, first responders, emergency managers, safety engineers, and planning and permitting officials on gaseous fuel motive power operations, maintenance, safety, and incident mitigation. US DOT Federal Railroad Administration made this award under the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Grant Program. This award complements the previous $8.9M DOT grant to CSU to build three public hydrogen fueling stations in Fort Collins, Denver and Pueblo. The stations will service medium-to-heavy-duty vehicle fleets and future light-duty passenger vehicles along Interstate 25 and will be located near campus facilities in each community. Dr. Islam stated that he is excited to lead this important project and to contribute to decreasing transportation greenhouse emissions. SCITT will use both the public hydrogen fueling station near its campus in Pueblo, CO and fueling and testing facilities at TTC to support research and training for its alternative transportation fuel program. For more info, please visit: https://lnkd.in/gApEJemA Karl Kim Ruben D. Pe?a B. Md Rashad Islam, PhD, PE Saqib Gulzar Elena Sidorova University of Hawaii at Manoa Transportation Technology Center OptiFuel Systems Colorado State University Pueblo Federal Railroad Administration U.S. Department of Transportation

???????? ????????: ?????? ?????????? ???????????? ???????????????? ???????????????? ???????????????????????????? ???????????????????? (????????) ???? ?????????? On October 24, 2024, the Southern Colorado Transportation Conference (SCTC) was held at Colorado State University Pueblo, organized by the Southern Colorado Institute of Transportation Technology (SCITT). It attracted over 113 professionals from academia, government, and industry from 9 States. Funded by a $4.6 million Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) grant under the Climate Change and Extreme Events Training and Research (CCEETR) program, the conference addressed the significant threats climate change poses to transportation infrastructure and explored strategies for enhancing overall resilience. The event began with Md Rashad Islam, PhD, PE Islam, Director SCITT welcoming the participants and Dr. Hilary Nixon, Deputy Executive Director, Mineta Transportation Institute introducing the conference agenda and laying the groundwork for a thought-provoking day focused on solutions to climate-induced challenges. CSU Pueblo President Armando Valdez then presented a welcome note to all the attendees and emphasized the critical nature of adapting transportation networks to withstand climate challenges.? An engaging lineup of featured speakers followed, including Shane Ferguson, Director of Region 2 at the Colorado Department of Transportation Department of Transportation, and Dr. Maryam Allahyar, Ph.D., Director of Research and Development at the Federal Railroad Administration. Both speakers provided expert insights into infrastructure vulnerabilities and climate impacts, sharing examples of innovation and federal and state level initiatives aimed at building resiliency. Dr. Gail Mackin, Provost of Colorado State University Pueblo, delivered closing remarks, highlighting the conference’s role in advancing collaboration and knowledge-sharing in transportation engineering. The event also featured a Research Poster Exhibition showcasing over 21 posters and a career development session that connected students with industry leaders for valuable feedback. SCTC 2024 highlighted the importance of collaboration among academic and professional communities in tackling climate challenges, leaving participants with a renewed commitment to enhance the resilience of Colorado’s and national transportation infrastructure. SCTC looks forward to next year and beyond. University of Hawaii at Manoa San Jose State University Oregon State University Michigan State University Northeastern University Colorado State University Pueblo Haizhong Wang Karl Kim Hilary Nixon Serena E. Alexander, PhD Frannie Edwards Md Rashad Islam, PhD, PE Saqib Gulzar Elena Sidorova For more info, please visit: https://lnkd.in/eaYgXW9y

?????????? ?????????? ???????????????? ???????????? ???????????????????????????? ?????????????????? The SCITT and the School of Engineering hosted two-week long National Summer Transportation Institute (NSTI) in 2024 summer. Twenty-two (22) middle school students attended including 12 girls and 10 boys with various backgrounds. Thanks to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for funding this summer program. The NSTI program aimed to inspire students to explore STEM careers in transportation through hands-on topics such as highway design, artificial intelligence, bridge design, and cybersecurity. Participants enjoyed field tours at the Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum, Space Foundation Headquarters and Discovery Center, and more. A dedicated team of instructors led the program, including Dr. Md Rashad Islam, PhD, PE, Dr. Trung Duong, Dr. Hasan Faisal, Ph.D., Dr. Sylvester Kalevela, Dr. Elena Sidorova, Vashti Trujillo Trujilo, Layla Kabir Sonali and Hannah Grossman, Carol Toponce, and Paul Wallace. Special guest speakers included Engr. Melanie Turner from the City of Pueblo traffic office and Engr. Kevin Sparks from CDOT. Special thanks to Provost Mackin for her opening remarks, and Dean Dr. David Lehmpuhl for his closing remarks at graduation. A very special thanks goes to Ms. Nikki Bumpers from FHWA for her keynote address. Appreciation also goes to all tour hosts. We look forward to hosting this summer program every year if granted by the CDOT and FHWA.

?????????? ??????????????????: ????. ?????????? ???????????? Dr. Saqib Gulzar joined Colorado State University Pueblo as the SCITT Assistant Professor and will serve as the research director of the Institute. Dr. Gulzar completed his PhD at North Carolina State University under Dr. Shane Underwood and Masters from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi in Transportation Engineering. His academic credentials shine with accolades from NIT Srinagar, IIT Delhi, and NC State University, including BTech Gold Medal, IITD Academic Excellence Award and the Sloan Graduate Fellowship at NCSU. His research interests include multiscale mechanics, sustainable materials, infrastructure resilience, and scientific machine learning. Dr. Gulzar is the recipient of several best paper and society awards including APSE - Academy of Pavement Science and Engineering ’s Outstanding Student Member Award and Best Paper Award runner-up from AKM20 committee of Transportation Research Board, USA. Dr. Gulzar has also served as the President of Civil Engineering Graduate Student Association at NC State University (CEGSA) and has been active in several local, national, and international transportation bodies. Colorado State University Pueblo

?????????? ??????????????????: ????. ?????????? ???????????????? Dr. Elena Sidorova, a railway engineer and researcher, joined as a SCITT Assistant Professor and will perform duties as an academic director of the Institute. She is involved in preparing and launching new railway-related university courses and training programs. Her research interests include railroad vehicle dynamics, the interaction of wheels and rails, force and wear analysis, and derailment causes investigation. She earned her Ph.D. in railroad engineering from Railway Research Institute of Russian Railways in 2018 and M.S. in the same field from Moscow Institute of Railways (Russia).? Colorado State University Pueblo

?????? ???????? ?????? ???????????????? ?????????? ???????????????????? ???????????? (?????? ????????????) ???????? ?? ???????????????????? ???? ?????????????????????????? (??????) On May 30, 2023 – MxV Rail and Colorado State University Pueblo signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to establish a framework to work together cooperatively on future education, training, and research related to the safety, security, and innovation of rail transportation in the State of Colorado. The partnership provides a pathway for MxV Rail and Southern Colorado Institute of Transportation Technology (SCITT), under the direction of Md Rashad Islam, PhD, PE Islam, to identify key questions and issues that could benefit the rail industry.?The teams also agreed to actively participate in identifying and acquiring potential grants or other funding sources to advance future academic, research or collaborative projects. For more information visit https://lnkd.in/eF5BZ23J

?????????? ?????????????? ?????????? ???? ?????????? ???????????????? ?????????????????????? ?????????????????????????? On November 15th, 2023, Southern Colorado Institute of Transportation Technology (SCITT) was awarded a $215,000 grant by the Colorado State Patrol to assess the effectiveness of seatbelt enforcement. The study started in early 2024 and aims to enhance safety measures and improve compliance with seatbelt regulations in Colorado. For more info, visit: https://lnkd.in/epc7fuRu Md Rashad Islam, PhD, PE Elena Sidorova Saqib Gulzar Colorado State University Pueblo Colorado State Patrol