STAFF NEWS & ACCOLADES

Commercial Vehicle Technology & Policy

• Andrew Martin presented on the “Evaluation of Portable Queue Warning Alert Systems” at the KYTC Safety Summit on May 23, 2025.
• Joe Crabtree was inducted into the Kentucky Transportation Hall of Fame this January.
• Joe Crabtree and Jennifer Walton presented at the 2025 MCSAP Planning Meeting and ITD-PRISM Workshop in Kansas City, MO in April.
• Joe presented “Addressing Essential Questions for Achieving Nationwide Deployment of Unique Electronic Identifiers on Commercial Vehicles”
• Jennifer presented “Park Sign Compliance Project – Addressing Illegal Weigh Station Bypassing”
• Jennifer Walton presented “Commercial Vehicle Safety & Technology” in conjunction with KSP at the 2025 KYTC Safety Summit.
• Drew Law received his undergraduate degree in computer science from the University of Kentucky in December 2025 and was hired as a full-time research engineer in January 2026.
• Walton, Jennifer. Truck Parking Information Monitoring Systems (TPIMS). Presented at Kentuckians for Better Transportation and the Kentucky Society for Professional Engineers.
• Truong, Bella, Andrew Martin and Jenny Reed. Big Rig, Big Risk: Communication and the Courts, CMV Safety Summit presentation.
• Sabit, Musa, Gregory D. Erhardt, and Andrew Martin. Estimating the Benefits of a Shuttle Service for Healthcare Providers, TRB presentation and paper.

Construction Engineering and Program Management

• At the 2025 PD&P conference, Ryan Griffith (with Mark Walls) presented on the Final Closeout Process.
• At the 2025 PD&P conference, Steve Waddle, Ying Li, and Hala Nassereddine presented on Construction Inspection Tools.
• Ying Li and Hala Nassereddine presented a poster at TRB on the “Current State of Practices of Utility As-Built Data Collection for State Departments of Transportation”.
• Ryan Griffith, Hala Nassereddine, and Gabe Dadi presented a lectern session at TRB on “An Overview of State Departments of Transportation’s Current State of Practice of Mobile Devices for Inspection”.
• Facilitated Partnering Workshop with KYTC for large project in Clinton-Russell Counties (with T2 and KYTC)
• Worked with KYTC to conduct Highway Super Leadership Workshops for Districts 4, 6, 8, and 11 (with T2)
• Worked with T2 and KYTC to deliver the 3rd and 4th Construction Project Management Academy. Over 100 KYTC Engineers and Technicians have received this training.
• Worked with T2 and KYTC to develop and deliver the pilot for the first ever Maintenance Academy. The 2nd Maintenance Academy will be delivered this fall.
• Worked with T2 and the State Highway Engineer’s Office to complete The Highway Super Leadership series of 12 Workshops. A total of 296 participated, including Highway Superintendents from every Maintenance Facility in all districts along with several technicians from the Traffic and Structures sections.
• Completed beta testing of a new KYTC Lessons Learned Database. Currently working with KYTC ArcGIS and Quality Assurance Branch staff on implementation.
• Ryan Griffith has been named Chairperson of the Kentucky Board of Licensure for Engineers and Land Surveyors.
• Ying Li received certification as a Data Analysis & Dashboard Associate using Power BI.
• Steve Waddle received the 2026 Civil Engineering Career Achievement Award presented by the University of Kentucky Department of Civil Engineering. Steve has also been inducted into the Kentucky Transportation Hall of Fame.

Education, Planning, and Decision Analytics

• Alex Wang, Mohammad Majidi, and Reg Souleyrette presented a poster at TRB on “Introduction of Maintenance Modification Factor (MMF) for Highway Maintenance Benefits Cost Analysis”.
• Mei Chen (along with other university partners) presented a poster at TRB on “Road Scholars: New Research in Travel Time, Speed, and Reliability Data”.
• Eugene Antwi Bosiako, Xu Zhang, and Reg Souleyrette presented a poster at TRB on “Enhancing Hourly Traffic Volume Estimates Using TabNet and Multi-Source Data Integration”.
• Deepak Shah, Eugene Antwi Bosiako, Xu Zhang, and Mei Chen presented a poster at TRB on “Exploring the Effect of Speed on Crash Frequency: A Negative Binomial Lindley Approach”.
• Alex Wang and Reg Souleyrette (along with U of L partners) presented a poster at TRB on “A Metric for Assessing Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Crash Response Time Reliability”.
• Alex Wang and Reg Souleyrette (along with University of Alabama partners) presented a poster at TRB on “Examining Spatial Disparities in Safety Benefits from Automated Vehicle Adoption in Alabama and Kentucky”.
• Reg Souleyrette, Caitlin Northcutt, Alaina Murphy, Kristen McQuerry, Lauren Roach, Tony Fields, and Ben Blandford presented a poster at TRB on “Understanding how Community Disadvantage Indictors are Associated with Crashes: A Novel Data-Driven Approach to Informing Driver Education and Training”.
• Xu Zhang and Mei Chen presented a poster at TRB on “A Graph-Based Approach to Conflating Third-Party Traffic Message Channel (TMC) and Link-Based Networks with State DOT Linear Referencing System Networks”.
• Xu Zhang and Mei Chen. Improving Crash Data Quality with Large Language Models: Evidence from Secondary Crash Narratives in Kentucky, TRB Presentation.
• Taherinavid, S..Boasiako, E.A., Xu Zhang and Mei Chen. Comprehensive Evaluation of Third-Party Turning Movement Counts Data: A Kentucky Case Study, TRB Presentation.
• Organized and hosted KTC - MAG Third-Party Data Applications Peer Exchange (with Maricopa Association of Governments, Arizona)Jin, Z., Erhardt, G., Moeckel, R., Loder. A.A Net-zero Pricing Scheme for Ride-hailing Trips to Complement and not Compete with Transit, TRB presentation. 
• Davis, M., Brakewood, C., Watkins, K., Erhardt, G.Transit IDEA Project T-104: Transit Ridership Prediction (TRiP) Tool: An Open-Source Approach to Short-Term Forecasting, TRB presentation.
• Greg Erhardt advised the UK student team that won 2nd place in the regional competition at the CR2C2 Annual Meeting for “Southeast Data Competition for an Efficient Transportation System Design”.

ITS

• ITS published two research reports to address systematic limitations in motor carrier IT systems and oversight: Formation of a PRISM-Focused Working Group to Address MCRS Issues and Expanded PRISM Requirements, and IRP Commercial Trailer Data Feasibility Study.
• ITS coordinated a educational outreach and ITS promotion session between the Intelligent Transportation Society of the Midwest (ITS Midwest) chapter and the UK student chapter of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) in March.
• ITS hired a new Research Scientist / Data Scientist, Emma Stowe, in April.

Occupational Safety & Health

• Amanda Casolare (GRA in our program) won the 2026 Chi Epsilon Most Outstanding Master’s Student Award.
• Hala Nassereddine won the 2026 Chi Epsilon Most Outstanding Faculty Award.
• Gabe Dadi received the 2026 Pigman College of Engineering Excellence in Service Award.
• Gabe Dadi will be promoted from Associate Professor to Full Professor effective July 1.

Organizational Strategies & Data Analytics

• Bryan Gibson, Jon Wilcoxson and Bethany Paris. "Developing a Cross-Asset Allocation Mechanism", TRB Poster. Earned AASHTO High Value Research Supplemental Award, 2025.
• The Council for Postsecondary Research presented the study "Air Traffic–Collegiate Training Initiative Program Feasibility in Kentucky'' to the Air Mobility and Aviation Economic Development Task Force. Gayle Marks provided testimony and answered questions during the session.
• Pam Clay-Young and Rachel Catchings co-authored with Fine Points Limited, "Addressing Liability Issues of Proactive Safety Improvements", NCHRP LRD 95.
• Candice Wallace and Andrew Martin are working with IFTA to identify which parts of their Strategic Plan (developed by KTC) can be accomplished through federal grants.
• Rachel Catchings and Catherine Keathley, with T2 and KYTC staff, developed and delivered five sessions of KYTC’s first drone pilot training, including both preparation classes for obtaining FAA certification and classes for use cases like bridge inspection, construction progress inspection and surveying, and maintenance operations.
• Catherine Keathley updated and delivered "Drainage: The Key to Roads that Last" training to KYTC maintenance staff and local public agency staff.
• Bethany Paris, Gayle Marks, and Bryan Gibson presented a poster at TRB on “Labor Market Analysis of Aviation Mechanics and Service Technicians in the United States".
• Candice Wallace, Jon Wilcoxson, and Bryan Gibson (with Tracy Nowacyzk) presented a poster at TRB on “Facilitated Methodologies to Identify KYTC Performance Measures”.
• Candice Wallace facilitated several sessions for KYTC’s asphalt working groups.

Pavements, Materials, Geotechnology & Infrastructure Assessment

• Clark Graves and Kean Ashurst assisted Kentucky with their participation in the FHWA pavement ME Design Implementation Synthesis.
• Clark Graves was a panel guest on the FHWA Pooled fund webinar for Implementation and Coordination of ME Design.
• Two full-time staff have been added to the program: Clayton Cook and Adrienne Beggs.
• Kean Ashurst is participating in the 2025 AASHTP Product Evaluation & Audit Solutions Annual Meeting as a Technical Committee Chair.

 Project Development

• Jeff Jasper – NHI Instructor of Excellence 2024 and 2025
• “Best Practices in Highway Project Scoping” was selected as one of 16 research projects nationwide recognized by AASHTO’s 2024 High Value Research program.
• Jeff Jasper and Robin Baskette presented a poster at TRB on “Best Practices in Highway Project Scoping”.
• Conducted two Project Manager’s Boot Camps, raising total participation to 240.
• Delivered PM Boot Camp Xpress, bringing total participation to 455.
• At the 2025 PD&P conference, Jeff Jasper presented a breakout session on “Standard Drawings and ADA Compliance for Sidewalk Retrofits”.
• KYTC has adopted the Bullnose guardrail terminal, supported by an eleven-sheet Standard Drawing packet developed with help from KTC staff. The first installation in Kentucky was recently completed on I-69 near Madisonville.
• In collaboration with the Strategic Implementation Initiatives, published 40 Safe System Approach Tools, with KYTC-specific application recommendations.
• Developed a Safe System Approach Implementation Roadmap and Action Plan.
• Reviewed more than 400 historical Highway Design Memorandums and provided recommendations on archiving, retaining, revising, or addressing them as needed.
• Developed KYTC’s Context Classification Network and continued advancing guidance related to context-sensitive roadway design.
• Presented on KYTC’s Safe System Approach implementation and roadway design initiatives at statewide and national conferences, including the 2025 Partnering Conference, the 2026 Kentucky Safety Summit, and the TRB 7th International Conference on Roundabouts & Geometric Design.
• Developed and posted new and revised Standard Drawing drawings and packets for 7 roadside barriers. Presented updates at the 2025 Partnering Conference and the 2026 PD&P Conference.
• Developed the Roadway Geometry Fundamentals training, conducted the pilot, finalized the report, and scheduled three rounds of statewide training deliveries.
• Developed and conducted a Project Manager’s Boot Camp and PM Boot Camp Xpress training.

Strategic Implementation Initiatives

• Released 3 SPR Project summary videos:
  1. Incorporating Network Level Friction Data into KYTC’s Pavement Resurfacing Prioritization
  2. Balancing Infrastructure Demands: Analysis of Materials Pricing and Supply
  3. Development of a Health and Wellness Assessment for KYTC Personnel
• Samantha Klinger received her Master of Arts Administration.

Structures

• Won AASHTO Sweet Sixteen High Value Research Award for “Bridge Load Posting based on Load Testing”.
• Peiris, A., Cole, A., Russell, E., Hutchinson, C. and Harik, I. (2025). “Live Load Effects on Reinforced Con-crete Box Culverts.” Presented at TRB 104th Annual Meeting.
• Peiris, A. “Splicing Configuration for NSM FRP Strips.” ACI Committee 440D, American Concrete Institute Fall Convention, Philadelphia, PA, November 03, 2024.
• Ezra Brooks, Mary Audi and Chance Thomasy received the Lyman T. Johnson Fellowship for 2026.
• Mary Audi and Chance Thomasy received the College of Engineering Undergraduate Research Fellow award for Spring 2025.

Technology Transfer

• Conducted the Project Delivery and Preservation Conference and the Safety Summit in conjunction with KYTC. Dr. Adam Kirk spoke on Local Road Safety Plans at the Safety Summit.
• Adam Kirk presented the SS4A Project – Data Collection training to the Bluegrass ADD.
• Martha Horseman is co-chair of the Innovation Committee within NLTAPA.
• Multiple T2 Staff presented at the Regional LTAP Meeting in April.
• T2 held three Roads Scholar and Road Master Graduations in December. There were 195 Roads Scholars and 201 graduating Road Masters.
• T2 served on the committee and assisted in hosting the Project Delivery and Preservation Conference with 400 attendees in Louisville.
• Adam Kirk and Martha Horseman spoke at the Kentucky League of Cities Risk and Safety Conference and were asked back for next year.
• Adam Kirk delivered Safety Action Plans for Pennyrile, Green River, Lincoln Trail, NKY, and Gateway ADDs (part of the SS4A Grant Program). This includes over 50 counties, all with a Safety Action Plan.
• T2 developed the agenda and hosted the Southeast and Great Lakes Region LTAP Meeting in March with fifteen states represented. Jason Siwula, Shundreka Givan, and Ryan Tenges were able to attend and speak.

Traffic & Safety

• Paul Ross. “First Steps Using Machine Learning in Research Examining Crash Narratives”. Presented at the Road Safety and Simulation (RSS) Conference in October 2024, and at the 104th TRB Annual Meeting.
• Xu Zhang, Mei Chen. “A Graph-Based Approach to Conflating Third-Party Traffic Message Channel and Link-Based Networks with State DOT Linear Referencing System Networks.”. Presented at NSPE April 2025 and at the 104th TRB Annual Meeting.
• Eugene Boasiako Antwi, Xu Zhang, Mei Chen. “Enhancing Hourly Traffic Volume Estimates Using TabNet and Multi-Source Data Integration”. Presented at the 104th TRB Annual Meeting.
• Deepak Shah, Eugene Boasiako Antwi, Xu Zhang, Mei Chen. “Exploring the Effect of Speed on Crash Fre-quency: A Negative Binomial Lindley Approach.” Presented at 104th TRB Annual Meeting.
• The program area was selected to participate in NCHRP Project 07-35A as a subcontractor to VHB.