NTC Students Receive Awards at 60th Annual IHEEP Conference in Lincoln

In September 2018, Lincoln hosted the 60th annual International Highway Engineering Exchange Program (IHEEP). The event brought together one of the most diverse groups of influencers and highlighted innovation in better processes and technology advancements. Attendees included International, Federal, State, and local levels of government employees, professionals at engineering consulting firms, and some of the biggest technology partners

Two NTC students won awards on their research during the conference. Ernest Tufuor, a Civil Engineering graduate student, entered his work on “Land Suitability Analysis for EMS Posts along State Highways” in California. The study was developed out of a concern with the response time of emergency vehicles to rural areas. HIs paper demonstrates the viability of using Geographical Information System (GIS)-Multi Criteria Analysis in road safety management and provides a logical and consistent approach for identifying potential locations of emergency medical services.

M. Ebrahim Mohammadi, a PhD student in Structural Engineering, received first place for his work on “Automatic Bridge Damage Detection through Point Cloud Data.” His research outlines the importance of cloud based applications are taking in a variety of disciplines. Th study works to introduce a workflow to detect surface damage and other surface imperfections from point cloud data based on cloud geometry. The developed algorithm evaluates two classes of features, geometrical and statistical, to identify and quantify the location of potential surface defects of bridges.

The conference focused on project delivery, E-Construction initiatives, data/document management, and business innovation and transformation. Tufuor and Mohammadi were able to share their studies and learn from some of the biggest influencers in the transportation industry. One of the most important applications to their research was presenters' advice to examine experiences gained and lessons learned during the entirety of a project's process, not jus the successful completion.