Engineering Commons^™

Advancements In Pavement Marking Practice And Standards, Joseph Bruno

Purdue Road School

This Road School presentation details INDOT's initiative to improve road user safety through upgrades to pavement marking practices and standards. The presentation also discusses other recent changes to INDOT pavement marking standards and design guidance.

Mentoring To Retain Engineering Students And Graduates, Carly Schiene, Thomas Ford, Gail Lee

Purdue Road School

ITE has identified work force development as one of three key issues facing engineering firms today; yet, as many as 50% of all graduate engineers may leave the engineering profession within 10 years of graduation. Mentors and mentees will discuss the role that mentorship can play in engineering student and graduate engineer retention in the work force.

Low Cost And Systemic Safety Treatments For Local Governments, Taylor Ruble, Daniel Mccoy

Purdue Road School

The INDOT Traffic Engineering team WILL discuss lowcost safety options that can be used by local governments with or without dedicated safety funding. We’ll dive into the details and specifics of these treatments and discuss when they are appropriate for use. This interactive workshop is a great way for city and county engineers and local elected officials to gain a better understanding of systemic safety treatments.

The Evolution Of Traffic Signal Detection Technology, Carly Schiene, Haydn Malackowski

Purdue Road School

How has traffic signal actuation changed over time? Originally, a traffic signal’s main purpose was to assign the right-of-way to vehicles for collision avoidance, and now they are crucial tools to manage traffic flow, alleviate congestion and provide safety for pedestrians and bicyclists. This presentation will explore early detection methods, evaluate current technology, and explore the future of detection technology

Preserve Your Hma Pavements From The Start, Tim Zahrn, Andrew Eicher

Purdue Road School

This presentation will review sustainable preservation treatments and their application timeline to extend the life of asphalt pavement. We will discuss how pre-preservation treatments like a void reducing asphalt membrane, early-life preservation treatments such as rapid penetrating emulsion, and topical rejuvenators can reduce future maintenance and delay reconstruction. We will also look at mid-life treatments, such as micro-surfacing, fit into a preventative maintenance preservation plan. And finally cover end of life cold pavement recycling alternatives.

Lessons Learned From The Warsaw Airport, Nathan Lienhart, Nicholas King

Purdue Road School

An overview of two recent projects that are currently under construction at Warsaw Municipal Airport. The presentation provides project background and details, along with project nuances and lessons learned.

Louisville Viasmart Over-Height And Flood Driver Prevention And Protection Systems, William R. Lyon, Dana Spratt, Terri Combs, Chris Seidt

Purdue Road School

This exciting project is a federal grant project that deploys and uses the latest advancements on transportation technology to prevent over-height truck from striking tunnel/bridge overpasses and viaducts and to prevent all drivers from entering dangerous flooded roadways. These systems use the latest cyber-security and connected/automated vehicle (CAV V2X & X2V), Artificial intelligence (AI) and Machine Language solutions. The system also deploys new experimental technology assured to enhance all existing traveler notification systems currently in use. This project was specifically called out by then acting transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at the 2024 ITS America Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. He called …

Dynamic Wireless Power Transfer, George Mccue, Dionysios Aliprantis, Patrick Patterson, Benjamin O'Brien, Chiara Cervini, Bruno Krause Moras

Purdue Road School

Purdue University, in partnership with INDOT, PC Krause and Associates, White Construction, William Charles Electric, and Cummins, Inc. transitioned the embedment of dynamic wireless power transfer (DWPT) technology from a controlled test setting to real roadway implementation. This presentation delves into the construction process of the quarter-mile DWPT project on northbound US 52/231 in West Lafayette and outlines the plans for testing the technology with a Cummins truck later this year.

Bell Ford Bridge Reconstruction Project, Daniel Kurdziel, Jim Barker, Matt Lee

Purdue Road School

The Bell Ford Bridge was originally constructed in 1869 until it collapsed in the 20th century. The remains were salvaged and stored for 20 years until it was to be rebuilt in Hamilton County, IN. This is the only remaining Combination Post Truss in existence and was rebuilt using 95% of the original iron and 10% of the original timber.

Winning Your Team With Intentional Connection, Jessica Miller, Kenny Franklin

Purdue Road School

152. Winning Your Team With Intentional Connection As the leader of a team, how do you inspire others even when you don’t have all the answers? This session will introduce ways to be intentional in our relationships and make deeper connections with our team members. We hope you leave this session with the courage to be vulnerable and drive your vision.

Beyond Cultural Responsiveness: Elevating African American Stem Education Through African-Centered Models, Deanna Bailey, Charnee Bowens, Tamara Altman

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Researchers posit that the way science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are taught to African Americans contributes to their underrepresentation in the STEM fields. STEM educators are increasingly utilizing culturally relevant pedagogy, culturally responsive teaching strategies, and culturally sustaining pedagogy to engage the African American STEM learner. However, these techniques are limited in addressing the holistic development, healing, and needs of African people.^[1] This essay advocates for the use and study of a new educational model titled African-centered STEM education (ACSE). The authors contend that this model is effective for African American STEM learners and African people and benefits …

Completing The Crossing - Status Of I-69 Orx Section 2, Patty Dunaway, Danny Corbin, Amanda Spencer

Purdue Road School

The presentation as part of 2025 Purdue Road School is an overview of the status of I-69 ORX Section 2. The discussion includes the Ohio River Crossing project's history, overview, and the proposed next steps and procurement process. Challenges and solutions, risk and mitigation, request for information questions and summary, and target dates are discussed.

Ohio Dot Automated Driving System Deployment Project Findings, Ben Ritchey

Purdue Road School

Attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of the findings from the OhioDOT Automated Driving Systems (ADS) Deployment project of tractor semi-trailers and Ford transit vans operating on Ohio public roads using Level 2/3 technology. The tractors used truck platooning technology and were operated by a motor carrier in revenue service. The passenger vans operated in three project designated routes using HD maps and were operated by project team members.

Lifting-Line Predictions For The Ideal Twist Effectiveness Of Spanwise Continuous And Discrete Control Surfaces, Zachary S. Montgomery, Douglas F. Hunsaker, James J. Joo

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Modern materials and manufacturing technologies have allowed the construction of morphing wings that are able to continuously vary certain airfoil parameters such as twist, camber, or control surface deflection as a function of span. This work presents a twist effectiveness parameter as a means of comparing the ideal aerodynamic efficiency of spanwise continuous control surfaces (morphing wings) and spanwise discrete control surfaces (standard wings). A numerical algorithm is used to compute the twist effectiveness of both continuous and discrete control-surface designs over a wide range of planform shapes with evenly spaced actuation for inviscid, incompressible flow. Results included here show …

Multi-Channel Features Combined With Gray Features For Remote Sensing Image Classification, Khaled Hasan, Hussien Harb, Lamiaa A. Elrefaei, Hala M. Abdel-Kader

Mansoura Engineering Journal

Image classification in remote sensing is crucial for various applications like deforestation monitoring and Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) mapping. While grayscale images offer simplicity, recent advancements have enhanced classification by integrating spatial and relative data. However, relying solely on grayscale images overlooks valuable color information from different channels. To overcome this, researchers have explored two strategies: combining diverse features and utilizing multi-channel features. These methods merge spatial information and exploit shared features across channels. Despite their improved performance compared to grayscale, they face increased dimensionality, necessitating dimensionality reduction techniques. In our study, we propose a novel approach that integrates spatial …

Enhancing Road Performance With Void Reducing Asphalt Membrane, Tim Zahrn, Todd Thomas, Randy Miller

Purdue Road School

This presentation will discuss how using the technology of a Void Reducing Asphalt membrane can improve performance of our Asphalt Pavements by creating a more durable asphalt surface that resists cracking and reduces permeability. Void Reducing Asphalt Membrane (VRAM) Specifications: VRAM reduces voids in longitudinal joints, which improves the longevity of a quality road surface. INDOT has already required VRAM on certain road designs. We will review the current specifications for VRAM and outline specifications that may update with the technology. We will also discuss the Impact of Rumble Strips on Longitudinal Joint Performance. The session will also highlight how …

Charging Indiana’S Crossroads, Kerri Garvin, George Mccue, Jack Sinton

Purdue Road School

Join us for an insightful update on INDOT’s Charging the Crossroads Program. Speakers will highlight the latest program activities, key milestones and challenges with Round 1 and Round 2 projects, and offer a glimpse into activities beyond the stations themselves. Learn how Indiana is paving the way for a sustainable, accessible, and equitable deployment of DC fast charging infrastructure.

Presentation Speakers/Participants

• George McCue, INDOT, [email protected]
• Jack Sinton, HNTB Corporation, [email protected]
• Kerri Garvin, HNTB Corporation, [email protected]

Innovative Intersection Public Involvement: Strategies That Work, Nathaniel Shellhamer, David Reamer

Purdue Road School

This presentation will share best practices for effectively engaging the public and local stakeholders during the development of innovative treatments. We will cover why innovative treatments work; their selection process; case studies from finished projects; and tips and tricks for effective, positive engagement and collaboration. This presentation will benefit project managers, public involvement professionals, and engineers involved in developing innovative treatments.

Modeling And Analysis Of Wind Turbine Wake Vortex Evolution Due To Time-Constant Spatial Variations In Atmospheric Flow, Alayna Farrell, Fernando Ponta, North Yates

Michigan Tech Publications

Modern utility-scale wind turbines are evolving toward larger, lighter, and more flexible designs to meet the growing demand for renewable energy while minimizing logistical costs. However, these advancements in lightweight design result in heightened aeroelastic sensitivity, leading to complex interactions which affect the rotor’s capacity to withstand aerodynamic loading and the cascading effects that manifest in the wake’s vortex-structure evolution under variable atmospheric conditions. In this paper, we analyze the influence of stream-wise fluctuating atmospheric flow conditions on wind turbines with large, flexible rotors through simulations of the National Rotor Testbed (NRT) turbine, located at Sandia National Labs’ Scaled Wind …

Data-Driven Fusion Of Earth Observation And Hydrologic Data To Forecast Flood Extents At Regional To Continental Scales, Kel N. Markert

Theses and Dissertations

Accurate and timely flood inundation forecasts are crucial for mitigating the devastating impacts of floods, which affect 1.47 billion people globally and cause significant economic losses. While traditional flood forecasting methods, such as hydrologic and hydrodynamic models, have limitations in providing comprehensive and spatially explicit inundation information, recent research has focused on leveraging Earth observation data and machine learning for enhanced flood prediction. This dissertation advances the state-of-the-art in data-driven flood inundation forecasting by exploring the capabilities and scalability of the Forecasting Inundation Extents using Rotated Empirical Orthogonal Function (FIER) framework. This dissertation focuses on investigating different aspects of FIER …

Denitrification Processes, Inhibitors, And Their Implications In Ground Improvement, Yasaman Abdolvand, Mohammadhossein Sadeghiamirshahidi, Ishi Keenum

Michigan Tech Publications

Ureolysis and denitrification are the two major microbial metabolic pathways commonly used in Microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) for geoengineering applications. Although ureolysis is generally the more efficient pathway, the denitrification pathway has gained more attention recently because a diverse group of bacteria can precipitate calcite via denitrification, and no harmful byproduct is generated provided that the reduction of nitrate to nitrogen gas is complete. There are, however, many environmental factors that could inhibit or reduce the efficiency of the denitrification process in soil. Some examples of these factors include salinity, pH, temperature, biodiversity (abundance and species of denitrifiers and …

Denitrification Processes, Inhibitors, And Their Implications In Ground Improvement, Yasaman Abdolvand, Mohammadhossein Sadeghiamirshahidi, Ishi Keenum

Michigan Tech Publications

Ureolysis and denitrification are the two major microbial metabolic pathways commonly used in Microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) for geoengineering applications. Although ureolysis is generally the more efficient pathway, the denitrification pathway has gained more attention recently because a diverse group of bacteria can precipitate calcite via denitrification, and no harmful byproduct is generated provided that the reduction of nitrate to nitrogen gas is complete. There are, however, many environmental factors that could inhibit or reduce the efficiency of the denitrification process in soil. Some examples of these factors include salinity, pH, temperature, biodiversity (abundance and species of denitrifiers and …

Novel Method For Pure Polymer Vagus Nerve Stimulators, James Dodge Iii

ENGS 88 Honors Thesis (AB Students)

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has become a promising treatment for epilepsy, depression, obesity, and more. However, the state-of-the-art nerve cuffs use metal conductors, limiting the implanted VNS devices’ biocompatibility, electronic properties, and ultimately the device lifetime. Because the benefits of VNS treatment increase over time, and metal limits the lifetime of devices, a transition to non-metallic conductors with a better match to tissue material properties and safer electronic properties promises to increase the lifetime of VNS devices. To demonstrate the replacement of metal with a conductor with properties closer to that of body tissue, a novel fabrication scheme was designed …

Raising Awareness About Hydrographic Careers Through Sea-Going Opportunities, Juliet Kinney, Rochelle Wigley, Sara Cardigos, Fahima Bellabad, Larissa Marques Freguette

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

There is a worldwide shortage of hydrographic personnel (van Wegen, 2021, Hydro International 2008).  Calls for action to address this issue include the IHO’s Hydrography at Sea opportunities, while intiatiative such as Seabed 2030 are bringing broader attention to the field and helping to catalyze new discussions and partnerships in hydrography (IHO, 2024).  The global sea floor mapping community needs to develop a broader workforce pipeline.  We would like to highlight the importance of providing time at sea and leadership opportunities in developing a robust workforce.  We start with an overview of a selection of current exchange and training programs …

Using Thermal Camera Drones In Beef Cattle Roundup, Justin Wyatt Clawson, Eric Galloway, Shalyn Drake, Shawn Barstow, Ross Israelsen, Michael Pate

All Current Publications

Using drones with thermal sensors can be an effective tool in finding and collecting livestock from summer mountain ranges in the West. Drones can complete searches in much less time than required on horseback in demonstrated areas. Using drones reduces the workload of the rider and horse, saving time and energy and reducing the risk of injury. With proper training and certification, livestock producers can use drones to locate cattle and perform many other cost-cutting operations.

Enhancement Of Hardware-In-Loop Simulation Ability For Homing Guidance Through Adaptive Field-Of-View Method, Shizheng Wan, Yu Cheng, Xu Zhang, Xuwei Fan

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Considering homing guidance test in the hardware-in-loop simulation, commands of flight simulator and antenna array are likely to exceed their ranges when the target vehicle maneuvers with a large cross range. To solve this problem, the adaptive field-of-view method is proposed to enhance simulation ability in laboratory. Inflight aircraft attitudes and missile-target line-of-sight angles are chosen as state parameters, and the optimal performance function can be established with maximum servo angle of both flight simulator and antenna array. Gradient descent algorithm is applied to acquire the optimal bias angles between the laboratory coordinate system and the launch inertial coordinate …

Economic Optimal Scheduling Of Microgrid Considering Elastic Recovery, Jianghong Chen, Kanghao Shi, Jiahui Hu, Xiaohan Zhao

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To enhance the ability of microgrids (MGs) to withstand extreme disaster events, this paper proposes a multi-objective scheduling model considering resilience restoration and economic performance, based on the traditional concepts of power system resilience and reliability. Resilience is specifically quantified. The model integrates energy storage into the objective function and includes reliability indicators as constraints, building on traditional microgrid economic dispatch. The optimization problem is solved using an improved white shark optimizer (WSO) and multi-objective fuzzy programming, where different weights are assigned to each objective function, and the optimal weights are determined through case studies. A microgrid scheduling scheme …

Electric Vehicle Dispatching Strategy And Incentive Evaluation Based On Virtual Energy Storage, Shuo Chen, Hao Hu, Huimin Fang, Haiwei Wang, Xiaolong Chen, Chengcheng Mei, JiaʹNan Zhu, Qian Ai

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To address the multifaceted challenges arising from the widespread integration of electric vehicles into the power grid, harnessing the dispatchability features of electric vehicles becomes imperative. This paper based on a virtual energy storage aggregation model, optimizes the charging scheduling of electric vehicles and assesses their charging incentives through a composite weighting methodology. It establishes a framework for the participation of flexible loads in distribution network scheduling, formulates a second-order cone relaxation optimal power flow model, and develops dispatch strategies. By quantifying the contribution of electric vehicles concerning their flexibility and system stability, and simulating user charging preferences using …

Research On Robot Path Planning Based On Improved Harris Hawks Algorithm, Yuxin Bai, Zhenya Chen, Ruitao Shi, Weitao Su, Zhuoqiang Ma, Shangjin Yang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: In order to improve the convergence accuracy of the HHO algorithm, this paper proposes a GSHHO(gold sine harris hawks optimization) algorithm based on multi-strategies. An infinite iterative chaotic map is used to initialize the population, and an elite reverse learning strategy is used to improve population quality; A convergence factor adjustment strategy is used to recalculate prey energy, balancing the global exploration and local development capabilities of the algorithm; In the development phase of Harris Eagle, the golden sine strategy was introduced to replace the original position update method and improve the local development ability of the algorithm; Experiments …

Fine-Grained Traffic Flow Inference Model Based On Dynamic Back Projection Network, Ming Xu, Guangyao Qi, Geqi Qi

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To solve the problem of large errors in the inference results of existing fine-grained urban flow inference models in complex traffic areas, a fine-grained traffic flow inference model based on dynamic back-projection network is proposed. The multi-dimensional interaction between the input coarse-grained traffic flow and external factors is calculated, and the interaction results are dynamically and adaptively fused with the coarse-grained traffic flow, so that the features can interact and adjust each other to assist model reasoning. Combining deep convolution and self-attention mechanism to learn local information and global information, and improve the understanding of input data by subsequent …