UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — As the fall semester winds down for Penn State students and faculty, transportation professionals from around the state, mid-Atlantic region and country will gather for the 23rd annual Transportation Engineering and Safety Conference (TESC). Held Dec. 6–8 at The Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center and hosted by the Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute, TESC brings together experts in industry and academia to discuss some of the most important issues in transportation.
Divided into five key tracks – safety, operations, planning, design and technology – the 2017 conference is themed “The Speed of Technology: Can We Keep Up?” Topics to be discussed include:
- Intelligent vehicle/highway systems
- New/revised state and federal transportation guidelines
- Public/private partnerships and innovative financing
- Work zone innovations
- Safety improvements
Featured sessions will highlight eCommerce in the commercial trucking industry, options to maximize regional mobility along the Interstate-76 integrated corridor and questions and concerns surrounding connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV) – undoubtedly to be one of the most popular topics of discussion at this year’s conference.
With moderators and presenters ranging from professors and state and federal agency representatives to corporate leaders in the industry, the CAV sessions and panel forums will discuss the planning and preparations currently underway in states, traffic and operational considerations in a CAV environment and the eventual deployment of connected and automated vehicles.
Esteemed Penn State faculty and Larson Transportation Institute-affiliated researchers Sean Brennan, professor of mechanical and nuclear engineering and Ilgin Guler, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, will each present research and offer insights about connected and automated vehicles. Vikash Gayah, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, will serve as a moderator. Additionally, Eric Donnell, director of the Larson Transportation Institute and professor of civil and environmental engineering, will discuss the role of the institute’s automated proving ground — one of ten federally designated sites in the nation — in the deployment of connected and autonomous vehicles.
TESC is made possible each year thanks in part to a long list of sponsors and exhibitors. This year’s platinum sponsors are HNTB, Jacobs, Michael Baker International, Pennoni Associates, Inc. and Stantec Consulting Services. For a full list of sponsors and exhibitors, visit https://transportation-engineering.outreach.psu.edu/exhibitors-and-sponsors/.
For more information about the 2017 Transportation Engineering and Safety Conference, visit http://www.larson.psu.edu/education/transportation-engineering-and-safety-conference.aspx or follow the conference on Facebook at @transportationconference.
The Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute is Penn State’s transportation research center. Since its founding in 1968, the Larson Institute has maintained a threefold mission of research, education and service. The institute brings together top faculty, world-class facilities and enterprising students from across the University in partnership with public and private stakeholders to address critical transportation-related problems.