New York Tech Co-Hosts Prestigious Transportation Tech Symposium

Pictured: NYIT College of Engineering and Computing Sciences Dean Babak Behesthi, Ph.D.

New York Institute of Technology and the University Transportation Research Center welcomed high-ranking officials and experts in the transportation sector to NYIT Auditorium on Broadway on November 1 for the 2019 Transportation Technology Symposium on Innovative Mobility Solutions.

In her introductory remarks, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Diana Furchtgott-Roth underscored the critical role technology plays in the transportation industry—from connectivity to big data and research that can drastically reduce the occurrence of small- and large-scale accidents. “One-hundred people a day die in car crashes, and people just take that for granted,” she noted. “Technology can and should make a tremendous impact on reducing that rate.” In her role in the research and technology arm of the DOT, she oversees $1 billion in research funds annually and facilities including the Transportation Safety Institute and the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center.

NYIT College of Engineering and Computing Sciences Dean Babak Beheshti, Ph.D., welcomed attendees at the standing-room-only event. Officials from the New York City Department of Transportation, the Port Authority of NY/NJ, NJ Transit, executives from Volvo and tech startups and experts from NYU, the University of Alabama, Stevens Institute of Technology, Cornell, Hunter College and others tackled topics during the daylong event that included traffic and mobility management; data modeling and applications; and connected and automated vehicles.

During a breakout session on using technology and data to improve transportation equity, accessibility, and sustainability, New York Tech Associate Professor Cecilia Dong, Ph.D., and students Denisolt Shakhbulatov, Arshit Arora, and Roberto Rojas-Cessa shared research on blockchain implementation for analysis of carbon footprints across the food supply chain.

Student and faculty researchers shared poster presentations during morning and afternoon networking breaks, and New York City Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez provided the afternoon keynote address.