The second annual Transportation Asset and Infrastructure Management (TAIM) Conference was held virtually Oct. 19-21. With a 10% increase in attendance over the 2019 event, this year's virtual presentation of TAIM was one for the record books!
Select presentations from the 2020 TAIM are now accessible through the TAIM website. Pre-recorded sessions may also be viewed in one convenient location by visiting the Larson Transportation Institute's YouTube channel.
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|  | | Alexis Withers | |
Participate in a Graduate Research and Postdoctoral Student Consortium workshop
The Graduate Research and Postdoctoral Student Consortium is currently looking for speakers to present to the group during future workshops.
Held monthly, the workshops bring together students from across the CIAMTIS consortium to discuss current research. The workshops are led by Alexis Withers, a master's student studying civil engineering with a concentration in transportation at the University of Delaware, and Bahar Shahverdi, a doctoral student studying transportation engineering at George Mason University.
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| | Bahar Shahverdi |
The group is comprised of approximately 60 students from the seven CIAMTIS universities: George Mason University, Lehigh University, Morgan State University, Penn State, University of Delaware, Virginia Tech University, and West Virginia University.
Faculty members and representatives from private or public sector organizations may contact Withers or Shahverdi at [email protected] or [email protected] to inquire about speaking opportunities.
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George Mason University researchers take a closer look at the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program
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| | Photo: George Mason University |
Jonathan Gifford, professor in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University (GMU), Narae Lee, a graduate research assistant, and a team of GMU graduate students measured the impact of credit support program application and approval processes on project delivery, as part of a research projected titled "The Impact of Accessing Public Credit Support on P3s." The project evaluated whether and how the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program's creditworthiness profile, measured via credit ratings, changed between the MAP-21 and FAST Act periods.
The GMU team determined that TIFIA, a public loan program for surface transportation infrastructure development projects funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, increased its support for more creditworthy projects under the FAST Act compared to MAP-21. This shift reduced the potential for loan defaults in TIFIA projects. However, it may also have undermined one of the program's objectives, which is to support projects that would not otherwise be viable without federal support.
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To view copies of all available final reports, please visit r3utc.psu.edu. Final reports for respective research projects are uploaded on an ongoing basis.
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Beginning Jan. 20, 2021, CIAMTIS will host a webinar series focusing on topics that align with the center's mission of improving the durability and extending the life of transportation infrastructure. With audiences comprised of research faculty, university students, and transportation industry professionals, the webinars will build awareness around a broad array of research and industry practices.
Scheduled to be held every third Wednesday of each month from noon to 1:00 p.m. ET, each webinar session is approved for 0.1 Continuing Education Unit (CEU). Registered attendees will earn a total of 1.2 CEUs for the full series.
For a low price of $75, registered attendees gain access to a full year of webinars. More information, including the full calendar and registration links, may be found on the Workforce Development page of r3utc.psu.edu.
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Research Thrust 1: Application of Innovative Materials and Technologies >>
Research Thrust 2: Condition Assessment and Health Monitoring >>
Research Thrust 3: Infrastructure Management and Innovative Financing >>
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The Center for Integrated Asset Management for Multimodal Transportation Infrastructure Systems (CIAMTIS) is the USDOT Region 3 (Mid-Atlantic) University Transportation Center (UTC) housed at the Larson Transportation Institute (LTI), on the University Park campus of Penn State. CIAMTIS focuses on improving the durability and extending the life of transportation infrastructure. The center has seven partners, representing five states in the Mid-Atlantic United States. Recognized as leaders at state, regional, national, and international levels, Penn State and its partners maximize contributions to solve current and future transportation infrastructure issues. |
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THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS
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The research conducted through CIAMTIS would not be possible without the support of industry partners. A variety of state transportation agencies, materials suppliers, professional trade organizations, and heavy highway contractors have helped fund CIAMTIS research. For a full and ongoing list of CIAMTIS industry partners, visit r3utc.psu.edu.
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