Page 16 - CEGE Spring 2024

Yielding to people in crosswalks should be a very pedestrian topic. Yet graduate student researchers TIANYI LI, JOSHUA KLAVINS, TE XU, NIAZ MAHMUD ZAFRI (Dept. of Urban and Regional Planning
at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology), and Professor Raphael Stern found that drivers often do not yield to pedestrians, but they are influenced
by the markings around a crosswalk. Their work was picked up by the Minnesota Reformer.
TIANYI LI (Ph.D. student advised by Raphael Stern) also won the Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation (DDET) Fellowship for the third time! Li (center) and Stern (right) are pictured at the Federal Highway Administration with Latoya Jones, the program manager for the DDET Fellowship.
The Three Minute Thesis Contest and t Minnesota Nice trophy has become an annual tradition in CEGE. 2023’s winner was EHSANUR RAHMAN, a Ph.D. student advised by Boya Xiong.
GUANJU (WILLIAM) WEI, a Ph.D. student advised by Judy Yang, is the recipient
of the 2023 Heinz G. Stefan Fellowship. He presented his research entitled Microfluidic Investigation
of the Biofilm Growth under Dynamic Fluid Environments
and received his award at the St. Anthony Falls Research Laboratory April 9. The results of Wei's research can be used in industrial, medical, and scientific fields to control biofilm growth.
FACULTY
BILL ARNOLD stars in an award-win- ning video about prairie potholes. The Prairie Potholes Project film was made with the University of Delaware and highlights Arnold’s NSF research. The official winners of the 2024 Environmental Communications Awards Competi-
tion Grand Prize are Jon Cox and Ben Hemmings who produced and directed the film. Graduate student Marcia Pacheco (CFANS/LAAS) and Bill Arnold are the on-screen stars.
Four faculty from CEGE join the Center for Transportation Studies Faculty
and Research Scholars for FY24–25: SEONGJIN CHOI, KETSON ROBERTO MAXIMIANO DOS SANTOS,
PEDRAM MORTAZAVI, and
BENJAMIN WORSFOLD. CTS Scholars are drawn from diverse fields including engineering, planning, computer science, environmental studies, and public policy.
XUE FENG is coauthor on an article in Nature Reviews Earth and Environment. The authors evaluate global plant responses to changing rainfall regimes that are now characterized by fewer
and larger rainfall events. A news release written at Univ. of Maryland can be found here: https://webhost.essic. umd.edu/april-showers-bring-may-flow- ers-but-with-drizzles-or-downpours/
A long-running series of U of M research projects aimed at improving stormwater quality are beginning to see practical application by stormwater specialists from the Twin Cities metro area and beyond. JOHN GULLIVER has been studying best practices for stormwater management for about 16 years. Lately, he has focused specifically on mitigating phosphorous contamination. His research was highlighted by the Center for Transportation Studies.
JIAQI LI, BILL ARNOLD, and RAYMOND HOZALSKI published a paper on N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) precursors in Minnesota rivers. “Animal Feedlots and Domestic Wastewater Discharges are Likely Sources of N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) Precursors in Midwestern Watersheds,” Environmental Science and Technology (January 2024) doi: 10.1021/acs. est.3c09251
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RANDAL J. BARNES received the Horace T. Morse - University of Minnesota Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education, given to teachers who reflect the University’s emphasis on the importance of high- quality undergraduate education. This is a very prestigious University- level award that also confers upon Barnes membership in the Academy of Distinguished Teachers at UMN. Barnes’ devotion to undergraduate education has long been noted
by students and colleagues. He
equips students with fundamentals, critical knowledge, and stimulates interest
in societal impact. He is an active student advocate and has played a critical
role in curriculum improvement and development both inside and outside the department. Barnes currently teaches a rotation of courses including Uncertainty and Analysis, Computer Applications I, Project Management and Engineering Economics, and Engineering Ethics and Professional Practice. Barnes received his award at a reception in the McNamara Alumni Center on April 8. Barnes’ name will be enshrined on the Scholars Walk.
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