MTC-Supported Research Assistants

The Midwest Transportation Consortium helps support approximately 30 graduate research assistants at CTRE/Iowa State University each year.

Following is a list of MTC-supported RAs and the non-MTC research projects they've contributed to:

• Current students
• Past students

Current students

Xudong Chai

• Development of a New Process for Determining Design Year Traffic Demands (TR-528)

Joshua Hochstein

• Synthesis of Procedures to Forecast and Monitor Work Zone Safety and Mobility Impacts

Hillary Isebrands

• Developing a Rural and Urban Roadway Lighting Practical Design Guide for Iowa (TR 540)
• Evaluating Speed Differences between Passenger Vehicles and Heavy Trucks for Transportation-related Emissions Modeling
• Improving Transportation for Large Scale Events Within the State of Iowa
• Modern Roundabout Guidance for the Iowa DOT
• Safety Impacts of Street Lighting at Isolated Rural Intersections, Part II
• School Zone Safety Handbook
• Update of "Roundabouts: An Informational Guide"

Caroline Kinzenbaw

• Developing a Rural and Urban Roadway Lighting Practical Design Guide for Iowa (TR 540)

Ping Lu

• Evaluation of a Bridge Constructed Using High Peformance Steel

Past students

Manish Agarwal

• Integration of Road Weather Information with Traffic Data
• Planning, Implementation, and Operation of the IPMP, Phase VI: Proposal to develop the Implementation and Operation of the IPMP

M. Birkan Bayrak

• Nondestructive Evaluation of Iowa Pavements, Phase 1

Vinod Binyala

• Implementation of Iowa DOT Pavement Management Optimization Model, 2001

Holly Boomsma

• Field Testing of Railroad Flatcar Bridges (TR-498)

Garrett Burchett

• Integration of Road Weather Information with Traffic Data
• Investigation of User Costs and Benefits of Winter Road Closures
• Rural Expressway Intersection Synthesis of Practice and Crash Analysis
• Synthesis of Procedures to Forecast and Monitor Work Zone Safety and Mobility Impacts

Neil Burke

• Implementation of HERS-ST in Iowa and Development /Refinement of a National Training Program
• Use of Functional Silos to Optimize Agency Decision Making

Byung-Ik Chang

• Development of Fatigue Design Procedures for Slender, Tapered Support Structures for Highway Signs, Luminaries, and Traffic Signals Subjected to Wind-Induced Excitation from Vortex Shedding and Buffeting
• Monitoring and Evaluation of the Westbound Roadway of the Iowa River Bridge
• Monitoring Wind-Induced Vibrations/Stresses in a High Mast Lighting Tower (TR-518)

Dong Chen

• Evaluation of Long Term Field Performance of Cold In-Place Recycled Roads (TR-502)
• I-235 Scheduling Support, Phase 3
• I-235 Scheduling Support, Phase 4
• Thin Maintenance Surfaces, Phase 3: Municipal Streets and Low-Volume Rural Roads (TR-507)

Zhili Gao

• Development of Object-Oriented Specifications for Iowa DOT and Urban Standards (TR-487)

Alper Guclu

• Implementing the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (TR-509)
• Nondestructive Evaluation of Iowa Pavements, Phase 1

Brett Hansen

• Iowa Drainage Law Manual (TR-497)

Derek Hemphill

• Evaluation of a Bridge Constructed Using High Peformance Steel

Benjamin Hermanson

• Improving PCC Mix Consistency and Production by Mixing Improvements (TR-505, Proj. 11)

Travis Hosteng

• Development of Acceptable Live Load Deflection Criteria for Various Timber Superstructure and Deck Types
• Evaluation of a Timber Bridge for the Secondary Road System Using FRP Reinforced Glulam Girders

Milan J. Jolley

• Evaluation of Corrosion Resistant Steel Reinforcing in the Deck Slab of a Three Span Prestressed Girder Bridge

Greg Karssen

• Access Management Plan for Des Moines MPO

Todd Knox

• High-Speed Expressway Intersections Study of Crash Risk Factors
• Safety Effectiveness of High-Speed Expressway Signals

Jeremy Koskie

• Investigation of Steel Stringer Bridges: Substructures and Superstructures (TR-522)

Yoon-Si Lee

• Evaluation of a Post-tension Strengthened Steel Girder Bridge Using FRP Rods/Strands
• Evaluation of a Steel Girder Bridge Strengthened Using Fiber Reinforced Polymer Plates
• Evaluation of Corrosion Resistant Steel Reinforcing in the Deck Slab of a Three Span Prestressed Girder Bridge
• Health Monitoring of Bridge Structures and Components Using Smart-Structure Technology

Lifeng Li

• Development of Object-Oriented Specifications for Iowa DOT and Urban Standards (TR-487)
• Field Evaluation of Compaction Monitoring Technology, Phase 1 (TR-495)
• Stringless Concrete Paving (TR-490)

Xiaojia (Joanna) Liu

• School Zone Safety Handbook

Jamie Luedtke

• Corridor Management Pilot Project, Phase I

Kim Mueller

• Evaluation of Racial Differences in Seat Belt and Child Restraint Use: A Review of Current Literature
• Impact of Left-Turn Phasing on Older and Younger Drivers at High-Speed Signalized Intersections

Molly O'Brien

• Effectiveness of All-Red Clearance Time on Intersection Accidents and Violation Trends

Eric Petersen

• Appropriate Traffic Calming Techniques for Small Iowa Communities (TR-523)
• Demonstration and Evaluation of Speed Management on Main Roads in Rural Communities

Cliff Plymesser

• Thin Maintenance Surfaces, Phase 3: Municipal Streets and Low-Volume Rural Roads (TR-507)

Jonathan Rees

• Access Management Plan for Des Moines MPO
• Corridor Management Pilot Project, Phase I
• Process to Identify High Priority Corridors for Access Management Near Large Urban Areas in Iowa

Thomas B. Stout

• Four-Lane to Three-Lane Analysis

Ryan J. Tenges

• Angle Parking on Iowa's Low Volume Primary Extensions in Small Towns
• Guidelines for Removal of Traffic Control Devices in Rural Areas

David Veneziano

• Comparison of LIDAR and Conventional Mapping Methods for Highway Corridor Studies
• Comparison of LIDAR and Photogrammetry for Highway Planning and Design
• Development of New Strategies for Locating Safety Improvements Candidate Locations
• Evaluation of Iowa’s Graduated Driver’s Licensing Program
• Evaluation of Racial Differences in Seat Belt and Child Restraint Use: A Review of Current Literature
• Remote Sensing to Support Linear Referencing Systems
• Safety Impacts of Pavement Edge Dropoffs
• Use of Remotely Sensed Data for Infrastructure Management, Access Management, and Inventory

Jonathan Wiegand

• Asset Management Strategies to Mitigate Freeway Work Zone Congestion
• Flexible Start/Fixed Duration Contracting for Construction of Transportation Projects: A Case Study of the Paseo Bridge
• Prefabricated Elements Case Study
• Synthesis of Practices for Mitigating the Impact of Work Zones on Traffic
• Updated Rule on Safety and Mobility

Deborah Witt

• Evaluation of Iowa’s Graduated Driver’s Licensing Program
• Evaluation of the Iowa DOT's Safety Improvement Candidate List Process

Jianzhong Zhang

• Using Scanning Lasers for Real-Time Pavement Thickness Measurement, Phase I (TR-538)