The Reconstruction of Penn Station
2023-08-15 12:00 - 13:30 (America/New_York)
Please join the NYU Rudin Center for Transportation for an illuminating presentation on the reconstruction of Penn Station, led by Jamie Torres-Springer, President, MTA Construction & Development. Delve into the planned transformation of this essential hub. The presentation will be followed by a conversation between Jamie Torres-Springer and Sarah Kaufman.

C2SMARTER RFP Requirements Webinar
2023-08-16 12:00 - 13:00
The purpose of the webinar is to inform prospective PIs and research teams on the new requirements of C2SMARTER Center projects, answer any questions, and provide a forum for potential team-building collaboration. The topics we will cover include:

Feedback on received project abstracts and potential teaming opportunities
Proposal submission requirements
New USDOT reporting requirements
Project management and tracking systems
Timelines and schedules
Q&A

PhD New Student Orientation
2023-08-24 | C2SMART Center Viz Lab, 6 Metrotech Center, Room 460, Brooklyn, 11201

Highlights of Lane-Free Automated Vehicle Traffic with Nudging
2023-09-01 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual, 6 MetroTech Center, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, United States
A novel paradigm (named TrafficFluid) for vehicular traffic in the era of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) was recently proposed, which is based on two combined principles. The first principle is lane-free traffic, which renders the driving task for CAVs smoother and safer, as risky lane-changing manoeuvres become obsolete; increases the capacity of the roadway due to increased road occupancy; and mitigates congestion-triggering vehicle
manoeuvres. Also, lane-free CAV traffic implies that incremental road widening (narrowing) leads to corresponding incremental increase (decrease) of capacity, and this opens the way for real-time internal boundary control on highways and arterials to flexibly share the total (both directions) road width and capacity among the two traffic directions in dependence of the bi-directional traffic conditions, so as to maximize the total system efficiency. The second principle is vehicle nudging, whereby vehicles may be influencing other vehicles in front of them; this allows for traffic flow to be freed from the anisotropy restriction, which stems from the fact that human driving is influenced only by downstream vehicles. Nudging leads to improved traffic flow capacity and stability.
After presenting the TrafficFluid motivation and general features, some highlights of related work will be outlined, such as: Nonlinear feedback control of CAV in lane-free traffic with nudging; Optimal path planning for individual vehicles and vehicle groups; Emerging macroscopic traffic flow modeling; Internal boundary control; Driving on large-scale lane-free roundabouts (Place Charles de Gaulle in Paris). See www.trafficfluid.tuc.gr

NY Statewide Behavioral Impact Decision Support Tool with Replica
2023-09-07 12:00 - 13:00
One of the enduring challenges in statewide transportation planning is that consistent population travel data remains scarce. This is changing with the availability of large-scale ICT data. A one-year project was initiated to develop a behavioral impact decision support tool based on NY statewide synthetic population data provided by Replica Inc. First, a NY statewide model choice model is developed to deterministically fit heterogeneous coefficients for trips along each census block-group OD pair, called group-level agent-based mixed (GLAM) logit. Considerations were made for four population segments, six trip modes, and twelve attributes. Second, a decision support tool for statewide mobility service region design was proposed. The tool is based on an assortment optimization problem with agent-specific coefficients and linear constraints, which can be efficiently solved through linear or quadratic programming (depending on variant). The decision support tool is applied to optimize service regions with one of the three objectives: (1) maximizing the total revenue; (2) maximizing the total change of consumer surplus; (3) minimizing the disparity between communities.
Presented by Xiyuan Ren; PHD Candidate, NYU; Joseph Chow, Associate Professor, NYU

ECE Seminar: Boundary Stabilization of Polynomial Reaction Diffusion Equations
2023-09-14 14:30 - 15:30 | 370 Jay Street, Room 1013, 370 Jay Street, Brooklyn
We show how to stabilize a polynomial reaction diffusion system using boundary control, integration by parts, completing the square and an infinite dimensional extension of Al’brekht’s method.
Presented by Alfred J. Krener.

Transportation & Urban Systems Fall 2023 Welcome Event
2023-09-14 17:00 - 18:00 | C2SMART Center Viz Lab, 6 Metrotech Center, Room 460, Brooklyn, 11201
C2SMARTER welcomes new and returning transportation students to the Fall 2023 academic year with a kick-off event. Learn about C2SMARTER, meet the faculty, and see the space. Come learn more about:

Monthly research presentations taught by consortium members and industry partners
Potential research opportunities
Transportation courses offered this semester:

Forecasting Urban Travel Demand
Traffic Operations & Control
Management of Transit Maintenance and Operations
Urban Transportation & Logistics Systems

Civil Engineering Clubs Welcome Party
2023-09-19 18:00 - 19:00 | C2SMART Center Viz Lab, 6 Metrotech Center, Room 460, Brooklyn, 11201

Seminar: Applications of data analytics in Smart Cities: Spatio-temporal crime prediction; and Epidemic forecasting based on mobility patterns
2023-09-20 15:00 - 16:00 | C2SMART Center Viz Lab, 6 Metrotech Center, Room 460, Brooklyn, 11201
The steadily increasing urbanization is causing significant economic and social transformations in urban areas, posing several challenges and raising new issues in city development, public policy, and resource management. However, leveraged by a pervasive and large-scale diffusion of sensing networks in modern cities, huge volumes of geo-referenced urban data are collected every day. Such ever-increasing volumes of urban-related data offers the opportunity to apply data analytics methodologies to discover useful descriptive and predictive models, which can support city managers in tackling the major issues that cities face, including, e.g., urban mobility, air pollution, virus diffusion, traffic flows, crime forecasts, etc.
This talk introduces how data analysis and machine learning techniques can be exploited to design and develop data-driven models as valuable support to inspire and implement smart city applications and services. Then, it presents two real-case studies showing how data analysis methodologies can provide innovative solutions to deal with smart city issues. The first one is an approach for spatio-temporal crime forecasting, based on multi-density clustering and auto-regressive models, to automatically detect crime hotspots in urban areas and to reliably forecast crime trends in each hotspot. The experimental evaluation has been performed on Chicago crime data, showing good accuracy in spatial and temporal crime forecasting over rolling time horizons.
The second one is an approach to discover predictive epidemic models from mobility and infection data. In particular, the algorithm first discovers mobility hotspots and patterns. Then, it detects how urban mobility affects the diffusion of epidemic hotspots, by extracting a regression model for each hotspot. The experimental evaluation has been performed on mobility and COVID-19 data collected in the city of Chicago, to assess the effectiveness of the approach in a real-world scenario.
Presented by Eugenio Cesario, Associate Professor, University of Calabria
Eugenio Cesario is an Associate Professor of Computer Engineering at University of Calabria (Italy). His research interests fall in the broad areas of Data Analytics and Parallel/Distributed Data Mining, and include Urban Computing, Smart Cities, Crime Data Mining, Energy-aware Cloud Computing, CloudGrid services architectures, Knowledge Discovery applications. He is a member of the Scientific Board of the Ph.D. in ICT of the University of Calabria. He is also member of the Scalable Computing and Cloud Laboratory (DIMES-UNICAL) and co-founder of DtoK Lab s.r.l., a spin-off of University of Calabria.

Oliver Wyman Forum, NYC Climate Week
2023-09-22 09:00 - 10:00 | 1166 Avenue of the Americas, NYC, NY
C2SMARTER Director Dr. Kaan Ozbay will be serving as a panelist at the Oliver Wyman Forum during NYC Climate Week.
About the Oliver Wyman foundation:
The Oliver Wyman Forum is Oliver Wyman’s global think tank developing solutions for public and private leaders on social issues, climate change, and sustainability. Our mobility program has been working for the past ten months on developing a model-based solution to support cities comply with the 1.5oC global warming target by 2030. Our model allows us to project to what extent cities should promote modal shares, mobility uses, or powertrains taking into consideration a set of realistic constraints like city-individual energy sourcing, socio-economic factors and infrastructure maturity. We have worked on an initial set of 12 cities globally (including New York) to project an individual, quantified path towards sustainable mobility.

Reconnecting Communities: Creating More Equitable Outcomes in Transportation Projects
2023-09-22 09:30 - 11:00 | NYU Wagner, 295 Lafayette Street
Presented by the NYU Rudin Center for Transportation and AECOMThe Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) represents an unprecedented investment in our country’s transportation system. As part of this investment, the Biden Administration is seeking not only to build more roads and bridges, but to address the harmful impacts of past transportation projects, which have disproportionately fallen on low income communities and communities of color. For neighborhoods around the country that remain divided or isolated by transportation infrastructure, this investment is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for reconnection. This panel discussion, co-hosted by AECOM, will address: How might we best reconnect communities? What does reconnection involve, and how can we ensure future projects mitigate any further disruption and displacement? Join us for a discussion of ongoing developments and how agencies and stakeholders can best seize this opportunity to create more equitable outcomes. Panelists: Ritchie Torres, United States Representative (NY-15) Meera Joshi, New York City Deputy Mayor for Operations Tom Prendergast, Executive Vice President & New York Metro Chief Executive, AECOM Moderator: Sarah Kaufman, Director, NYU Rudin Center for Transportation.

Reducing US Transit Costs: An Empirical Review and Comparative Case Study of Portland, Manchester Rail Systems
2023-09-22 11:30 - 12:30
Presented by Chetan Sharma and Prof. Joseph Chow

Developing a Framework to Optimize Floodnet Sensor Deployments Around NYC for Equitable and Impact-Based Hyper-Local Street-Level Flood Monitoring and Data Collection
2023-09-28 12:00 - 13:00
Urban floods can lead to significant damages, and accurately measuring flood extents and depths is vital for effective management. Traditional flood measurement methods can be costly and may not provide detailed mapping. Recent advancements in affordable flood-monitoring sensors offer real-time measurements, but there’s a challenge in prioritizing where to place them, especially when considering equity and the needs of various stakeholders. This research introduced a framework that uses expert input to determine potential uses for these sensors and metrics to decide where to deploy them. The method was tested in New York City and was found to be more effective than basic prioritization methods, ensuring stakeholder needs and equity concerns were met. This framework can help local governments prioritize sensor locations for better flood management, promoting resilient and equitable cities. Future studies can adapt and test this approach in different urban settings.
Presented by NYU’s Riccardo Negri and Prof. Luis Ceferino

Transportation Jeopardy! NYU ITE vs. Northeastern
2023-10-03 18:00 - 19:30 | C2SMART Center Viz Lab, 6 Metrotech Center, Room 460, Brooklyn, 11201
Think you know everything there is to know about traffic and transit? Put your knowledge to the test in this friendly competition between NYU’s chapter of ITE and Northeastern University’s chapter of ITE. Come prepared with bits of transportation trivia and be ready to buzz in when you know the answer!

Project Mjolnir : The Journey of Designing an Open Source Adaptive Mountain Bike
2023-10-12 10:00 - 11:00
Presented by NYU Shanghai’s Noel Joyce

Biweekly Coffee and Tea Break
2023-10-12 14:00 - 15:00 | C2SMART Center Viz Lab, 6 Metrotech Center, Room 460, Brooklyn, 11201
Come stop by the Data Viz Lab for some light refreshments!

CUE PhD Biweekly Friday Seminar
2023-10-13 10:30 - 11:00
Updated Quantifying and Visualizing City Truck Route Network Efficiency Using a Virtual Testbed
Presented by Haggai Davis, III

Student Learning Hub: Introduction to Neural Networks (NNs): How and When to Use Recurrent NNs and Convolution NNs
2023-10-13 11:30 - 12:30
Instructor: Haggai D. Davis, III, New York University
Hands-on exercise: Yes
Beginner level: No prior experience required.
Schedule: Friday Oct 13th, 11:30am-12:30pm
Description: Machine learning is an incredibly broad term that encompasses a lot of different algorithms which can be applied to solve a variety of problems. Neural networks are one category of ML algorithms which consist of layers of nodes (or neurons) which will activate to transmit information when certain thresholds are met. RNNs and CNNs are subclasses of neural networks whose differing structures allow for the analysis of different types of datasets, usually things like time-series and pattern-recognition, respectively.

TransportationCamp 2023
2023-10-14 | 370 Jay Street
TransportationCamp brings together thinkers and doers in transportation and technology. It’s not a traditional conference.
The core of TransportationCamp consists of presentations, discussions, and activities led and planned by attendees themselves. TransportationCamp will convene in-person for the ninth consecutive year of events.
This year’s event will be at NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering on October 14, 2023.

ITE MET Section Student Mixer
2023-10-14 12:30 - 13:30 | 370 Jay Street
During the lunchtime portion of TransportationCamp, members of the ITE Met Section student chapters can meet and chat! This will be a great opportunity to get to know interesting and like-minded people from Cooper Union, NYU, Manhattan College, NJIT and TCNJ.

Women in Transportation Seminar: Elaine Du, AKRF
2023-10-17 16:00 - 17:00 | C2SMART Center Viz Lab, 6 Metrotech Center, Room 460, Brooklyn, 11201

Let’s Talk About Infrastructure as Symbols that Construct Values and Behaviors
2023-10-18 16:00 - 18:00 | C2SMART Center Viz Lab, 6 Metrotech Center, Room 460, Brooklyn, 11201
Penalosa Lets Talk Infrastructure CMAA

Student Learning Hub: Contextualising Cloud-based Geospatial Analytics Techniques
2023-10-20 12:00 - 13:00
Instructor: Vidisha Chowdhury, University of Pennsylvania & Philippe Schicker, Carnegie Mellon University
Hands-on exercise: Yes
Beginner level: No prior experience required.
Schedule: Friday October 20th, 12-1 pm

Description: Google Earth Engine (GEE) and other cloud-based geospatial analysis platforms can be powerful tools for data scientists and researchers to analyze vast amounts of satellite imagery and geospatial data. In this one-hour introductory course, we are going to provide you with a basic understanding of GEE, contrast it to traditional geospatial techniques, and highlight how GEE can be used for applications such as environmental monitoring, land cover classification, and more.

Building Your Career in Transportation Planning & Engineering
2023-10-23 19:00 - 20:00
Working in transportation engineering and planning means having a direct impact on the safety, livability, efficiency, and equity of communities—and there are many ways to build a meaningful career in this profession. You could work for a public agency, representing a specific community. You could serve as a consultant in the private sector and work with a variety of clients and projects across the country. Or, you could dedicate your career to researching the ways our communities will move in the future, and educating the next generation of transportation professionals.
How do you know which career path is right for you?
Join us to learn about the career options that exist in the transportation profession, and why we’re so passionate about this work! Jane Lim-Yap, Brian Bustos, Sam Liu, Jacki Smith, and Kittelson CEO Brandon Nevers will describe how transportation planners and engineers impact communities, give an overview of the differences between working in the private and public sectors of the profession, and share their advice for finding a job or internship that aligns with your values and purpose.
After a brief presentation, the discussion will be built around what’s on your mind as you evaluate career options, so please come with questions!

Internships at Kittelson
2023-10-25 19:00 - 20:00
Kittelson interns work on a variety of real projects and build relationships with team members across the firm through project work, technical trainings, meet & greets, and a two-day SCOUT Summit. If you’re interested in a 2024 internship, we invite you to join us for this follow-up Q&A session to learn about the experience of interning with Kittelson, and what we look for in an internship application. You’ll hear from Sonia Daleiden, Kittelson’s director of staff development; Mark Heisinger, one of our internship program organizers; former intern Megan Mello; and Jade Ma, who interned with us most recently in Summer 2023.

Biweekly Coffee and Tea Break
2023-10-26 14:00 - 16:00 | C2SMART Center Viz Lab, 6 Metrotech Center, Room 460, Brooklyn, 11201
Come stop by the C2SMART Data Viz Lab for some light refreshments!

Student Learning Hub: Solving Large-Scale Optimization Problems: A Practical Guide to High-Performance Computing (HPC) and Using C++ APIs for CPLEX
2023-10-27 12:00 - 13:00
Instructor: Yuhao Liu, NYU Shanghai
Hands-on exercise: Yes
Beginner level: No prior experience required.
Schedule: Friday Oct 27th, 12-1pm

Description: This course is designed to equip the audience with the basic knowledge and skills necessary to navigate the world of high performance computing (HPC) and leverage IBM’s CPLEX optimization studio for tackling complex optimization challenges. In this course, you will learn 1) how to run computation tasks on HPC clusters; 2) how to solve optimization problems using the C++ API of CPLEX; and 3) how to deploy and run CPLEX programs on HPC clusters for large-scale optimization models and/or parallel optimization algorithms.

Seminar: Advancing Sustainable Transportation: Policy Analysis and Operation Design for Electrified Ride-Sourcing Systems.
2023-11-01 15:00 - 16:00 | C2SMART Center Viz Lab, 6 Metrotech Center, Room 460, Brooklyn, 11201
Presented by NYU Shanghai’s Zhibin Chen

National Stem Day
2023-11-08 10:30 - 14:30 | C2SMART Center Viz Lab, 6 Metrotech Center, Room 460, Brooklyn, 11201
C2SMARTER and ITE MET Section are hosting a National STEM Day Event with students from Bronx high school(s) on Wednesday, November 8th.

Fireside Chat- From Classroom to Career: How Students Can Harness Experiential Learning for Future Success
2023-11-08 16:00 - 17:00
C2SMARTER’S Dr. Jingqin Gao will moderate a discussion with Prof. Gabriela Gongora-Svartzman from Carnegie Mellon University.
In this insightful fireside talk, we explore the synergy between data-driven careers, industry, and education, emphasizing the transformative power of data literacy in decision-making. Prof. Gongora-Svartzman will provide insights on maximizing the value of academic and experiential opportunities, bridging the gap between education and real-world applications, and offering guidance on post-graduation career transitions. Additionally, Prof. Gongora-Svartzman will delve into the pivotal role of technologists in building public trust through technology in the public sector and promoting tech for social good. She will address the critical importance of ethical data analysis, highlighting the role of data storytelling and visualization in projects. Join us to shape a future where data-driven professionals play a vital role in fostering positive societal impact.
BIO
Prof. Gongora-Svartzman serves as an Assistant Teaching Professor for Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University, where she teaches various courses, including Exploratory Data Analysis and Visualization with Python, Machine Learning Foundations with Python, and Data Analytics with Tableau. She also holds the role of faculty advisor for capstone projects for various graduate programs. Before joining CMU, she was an Adjunct Instructor at Stevens Institute of Technology’s Business Intelligence and Analytics Program and an Adjunct Associate Faculty at Columbia University’s Applied Analytics Program. Prof. Gongora-Svartzman’s research focuses on Urban Informatics, Data Visualization for Decision Making, and Resilience and Social Perception. Her work uniquely bridges technical service performance with human perceptions, covering areas like disaster preparedness through social media analysis, smart city service quality, social equity movements, transportation services, and decarbonization strategies. She actively contributes to the field as a member of INFORMS, leading sessions on diversity, equity, and inclusion and serving in various leadership roles. Beyond her academic pursuits, she champions women in STEM, diversity, equity, and inclusion in computing and mentors students in data competitions. She has also served as chair of the Early Career Teachers Network (ECTN 2021 and 2022), Secretary for Women in OR/MS (2021), current VP of Communications for Women in OR/MS (2022) and has been a mentor for the Women in OR/MS Mentorship program for 2019-2021.
