All posts by Christine Anderson

Webinar: Technology for Bridge Preservation and Maintenance

The following announcement comes from the Center for Transporation Studies (See Seminars for other opportunities and recordings.)

Webinar
Thursday, June 15, 2023
1:00–2:30 p.m. Central

About the Event

This webinar will highlight how sensors and drones are being used in bridge maintenance and preservation—and explore how such technologies may help to shape the future of transportation infrastructure.

U of M associate professor Lauren Linderman will share thoughts from her contribution to our Future of Mobility series. In Sensing the Future of Infrastructure, she explains that sensor technology can provide vital data about bridges and other structures, allow for better performance tracking, and help stakeholders make more informed choices about future projects.

Jennifer Wells, state bridge inspection engineer at MnDOT, will discuss the agency’s unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) bridge inspections program.

The webinar is being held in conjunction with a meeting of the CTS Transportation Infrastructure Research Council.

Speakers

Lauren Linderman is an associate professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering at the University of Minnesota. Her research is focused on cyber-physical systems to improve the long-term performance of structures or limit their response during transient events, such as earthquakes or strong winds. Her primary areas of interest include structural monitoring, vibration mitigation strategies, wireless sensor systems, and data acquisition techniques.

Jennifer Wells is the state bridge inspection engineer at the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and has been with the agency for more than 20 years. She is the project manager for the UAS research projects phases I and II. She received her bachelor’s degree from Michigan Tech University and a Master of Science in infrastructure systems engineering from the University of Minnesota.

Registration

This webinar is free to attend, but registration is required. Once you have registered, you will receive an email confirmation with a Zoom link. The link should not be shared with others; it is unique to you.

If you’re unable to join us for the live broadcast, a recording will be available here after the event.

Credit

Attendees are eligible for Professional Development Hours (PDHs) and American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) maintenance credits.

More Information

Please contact Samantha Hahn-Douville at snhahn@umn.edu.

Future of Mobility: Decarbonized transportation

April 26, 2023

The Future of Mobility series collects the perspectives of top U researchers and other national experts. In 17 articles, the authors scan the horizon and reflect on critical transportation topics. Each article recommends action steps for public officials and policymakers.

Continue reading Future of Mobility: Decarbonized transportation

New methods to determine safe bridge loading will help keep Minnesota’s truck freight moving

April 10, 2023

When transportation officials determine which route a heavy truck should take, their aim is maximizing efficiency while ensuring safety. Detours around bridges on critical freight routes increase fuel and labor costs for the trucking industry—and eventually hit consumer pocketbooks, too.

Continue reading New methods to determine safe bridge loading will help keep Minnesota’s truck freight moving

Short Films, Big Visions: Transportation-themed films spark conversation about community connections

April 4, 2023

Dozens of community members and transportation advocates tuned in to “Short Films, Big Visions: A Series on Transportation and Community” on February 23. Co-hosted by CTS and the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, the virtual event featured a screening of short films produced by the Redford Center for its “Community Power” series followed by an engaging panel discussion.

Continue reading Short Films, Big Visions: Transportation-themed films spark conversation about community connections

Helping automated vehicles ‘see’ through fog and snow

April 18, 2023

While fully automated vehicles (AVs) have not yet reached the roads, the work to get them market-ready is steadily moving forward. One of the essential technologies these vehicles rely on for safety and performance is lidar, which has traditionally experienced a loss of accuracy in bad weather.

Continue reading Helping automated vehicles ‘see’ through fog and snow

Study recommends biodiversity when planting roadside vegetation

April 24, 2023

Traditional practices for planting and maintaining roadside turfgrass in Minnesota have generally focused on finding a few plant species that do well in combination and blanket-prescribing them across the state. A recent U of M study, however, finds that plantings tend to do better when they are both biodiverse and carefully matched to their ideal growing conditions.

Continue reading Study recommends biodiversity when planting roadside vegetation

How will the energy transition impact transportation?

This article was originally posted on Catalyst, January 2023.

The transition to sustainable energy is underway in Minnesota and across the country, propelled by both a growing need to reduce greenhouse emissions and the upcoming influx of funds from new federal legislation. On October 26, 2022, CTS hosted a seminar to explore two important aspects of the energy transition and their impacts on the transportation infrastructure: community solar and electric vehicle (EV) readiness.

Continue reading How will the energy transition impact transportation?