UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Council of University Transportation Centers (CUTC) recently named Ilgin Guler, assistant professor of civil engineering at Penn State, as the recipient of its 2020 Cambridge Systematics New Faculty Award. Presented annually to a tenure-track faculty member in transportation education, the award recognizes outstanding teaching and research contributions to the transportation field. 

“I am very excited to be selected for this prestigious award,” Guler said. “I was even more honored to receive encouragement both from past students and my colleagues who nominated me.”

Guler was nominated by Martin Pietrucha, professor of civil engineering, and Eric Donnell, professor of civil engineering and director of the Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute (LTI). Guler is an affiliate faculty member of LTI.

“Ilgin’s research related to multimodal traffic operations, infrastructure asset management, and traffic control for autonomous and connected vehicles is very impactful in the transportation industry,” Donnell said. “She is also a valued instructor and mentor to undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.”

A Penn State faculty member since 2015, Guler serves as a research adviser for both graduate and undergraduate students and teaches courses on highway engineering, traffic operations, public transportation systems and infrastructure systems management. Her research has resulted in 28 peer-reviewed journal articles and more than 40 reviewed conference proceedings. She was recently appointed to the Standing Committee on Traffic Flow Theory and Characteristics by the Transportation Research Board.

Guler will receive the award and $2,000 at the annual CUTC awards banquet on Jan. 11 in Washington, D.C.