The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) successfully concluded its 2024 Summer Internship Program on Aug. 2, marking another year of impactful engagement with students through hands-on transportation research. Held over 10 weeks at the Texas A&M RELLIS Campus, the program was a collaborative effort between the Center for Advancing Research in Transportation Emissions, Energy, and Health (CARTEEH), the National Center for Infrastructure Transformation (NCIT), the Southern Plains Transportation Center (SPTC) and the University Transportation Center for Railway Safety (UTCRS).
Under the guidance of TTI research mentors, 11 students actively contributed to ongoing research initiatives within one of TTI’s University Transportation Centers (UTCs). Throughout the internship, students engaged in professional development activities, participated in technical tours and culminated their experience with a presentation showcasing their research findings at TTI’s Hall of Honor Conference room.
CARTEEH
CARTEEH is a Tier 1 center that focuses on the impact of transportation emissions on human health. CARTEEH advances research in transportation emissions including mapping the holistic tailpipe-to-lungs spectrum. The four students selected for the CARTEEH program addressed transportation topics that focused on transportation emissions, energy and health.
- Austin Gardner – Equity of transit systems in the 10 largest U.S. cities.
- Neha Alluri – Using machine learning to analyze unplanned road event patterns.
- Naomi Sasser – Environmental retrofitting of pre-existing parking lots.
- Christian Moreno – The impact of diesel vs. electric school buses on the environment.
NCIT
Led by Prairie View A&M University, NCIT is a national tier research and education center that aims to improve the resilience and sustainability of civil infrastructure systems. NCIT provides meaningful contributions in infrastructure design, maintenance and construction methods, and infrastructure planning and policy across transportation modes. The four students selected for the NCIT program researched topics related to infrastructure transformation.
- Mahshid Malazizi – Object detection for surveillance, self-driving cars and robotics.
- Jacob Nolte – Corridor analysis of US-Mexico trade.
- Kaleigh Spears – Infrastructure funding and policy.
- Teale Robison – Monitored roads contextualization.
SPTC
Led by the University of Oklahoma, SPTC is a regional tier center with a focus on improving the durability and extending the life of transportation and freight infrastructure. The three students selected for the SPTC program dove into topics addressing climate-related transportation challenges and resilience.
- Carly Loe – Complexities of hurricane evacuation decision making.
UTCRS
Led by University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, UTCRS is a research center focused on enhancing the safety of railway transportation. The two students selected for the UTCRS program focused their research on the development, testing, implementation and technology transfer of smart technologies for safer railways.
- Alberto Diaz
- Curtis Quintin Pena
“Through my internship at TTI, I not only learned about my research topic, but I also experienced the importance of professionalism and networking first-hand,” reflects Carly Loe. “Over the summer, I was able to value professional connections which led me to a student worker position at TTI in the fall!”