Anne Brewer Academic Scholarships Recipients:
2019 - Cecilia Kadeha
2019 - Yue Lishengsa
2019 - Saeid Soleimaniamiri
2019 - Jimoku Salum
2019 - John McCombs
2018 - Aschkan “Ash” Omidvar
Aschkan Omidvar is a highly accomplished graduate student at the University of Florida with a 3.95 GPA, who is a gifted researcher and has shown excellent leadership qualities.
Aschkan has been working on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) related research projects funded by Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and National Science Foundation (NSF). Examples include:
Optimization algorithms for connected and automated vehicle
The implementation of advanced ‘smart’ transportation technologies at the real-world testbed (I-STREET)
The optimization of freeway operations in relation to automated and connected vehicle technology
Mr. Omidvar’s qualifications are complemented by a significant portfolio of publications. He has been published in the journal of Transportation Research Record, six national and international conference presentations and in many top-tier scientific journals. Altogether, his peer-reviewed papers have been cited 58 times to date.
He is considered a highly talented researcher with a bright future in the field.
2018 - Md Shankur Rahman
Mr. Md Sharikur Rahman graduated with a M.S. in Transportation Systems Engineering from University of Central Florida in 2018 with GPA of 3.98 (out of 4.00) and is now working toward his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering.
Sharikur is a talented researcher and a strong and determined hard-worker, skilled in transportation modeling and data analysis. He is currently focusing on traffic safety evaluation under connected and automated vehicle technologies. He is also using “Aimsun Next” for an integrated active traffic management (IATM) project pertaining to the Central Florida area. His work is published and under review in several journals. His PhD advisor considers him one of the best students in his class.
2018 - Fatema H. Farzana
Ms. Farzana is currently completing her master’s degree in civil engineering at Florida International University with a focus on transportation engineering. She is also working on an externally funded research project to develop a tool to predict system performance under different ITS infrastructure and vehicle-based technology deployments. With her 3.81 GPA, Ms. Farzana is considered an excellent student.
Ms. Farzana had a paper accepted in the January 2018 Transportation Research Board (TRB) annual meeting.
Ms. Farzana has served as an officer of the FIU Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Student Chapter and was the Vice-President the FIU Women in Transportation Seminar (WTS) chapter.
2018 - Emily M. Jannace
Ms. Jannace is a hardworking student at Embry-Riddle University with a drive to succeed as an engineer. Her dedication to the field shows through her 3.625 GPA, the internships and jobs she has chosen, and the many societies that she has joined and led. She was named to the Dean's List at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, was awarded the Women in Transportation Central Florida Frankee Hellinger Undergraduate Scholarship. She also founded a chapter of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) at Embry-Riddle.
Emily is an International Student Membership Subcommittee member for the Institute of Transportation Engineers and is a member of other organizations such as Young Professionals in Transportation, Society of Women Engineers, American Society of Civil Engineers, etc.
Currently, Emily is as an Undergraduate Research Assistant conducting research related to transportation modeling and network disruptions.
2017 - Samaneh Khazraeian
Samaneh Khazraeian, Florida International University was awarded first place for her research work in ITS as she works to complete her PhD program in civil engineering. She has several published papers and is a former president of the FIU Women in Transportation Society (WTS) and is currently leading the Transportation You program. Samaneh has won many awards.
2017 - Leila Azizi
Leila Azizi, Florida International University was second place for her work on completing her PhD.
2017 - Adekunle Adebisi
Adekunle Adebisi, Florida A&M University — Florida State University, College of Engineering
2016 - Mr. Amir Ghiasi
Mr. Amir Ghiasi was the recipient of the first place scholarship award. Mr. Ghiasi is a PhD candidate at the University of South Florida. Along with ITE involvement, he currently leads two research tasks on Connected Automated Vehicles (CAV). The first task, sponsored by the FHWA Turner Fairbank Research Center, aims to utilize CAVs to achieve speed harmonization before a freeway bottleneck. He has helped them develop the core CAV trajectory control algorithm, which has been implemented in their full scale test CAVs and will be tested on public roads. The second task, sponsored by National Science Foundation, is to proposed traffic smoothing methods based on CAV trajectory control in mixed traffic on various geometries and highway types. His advisor noted that Mr. Ghiasi has done an excellent job in analyzing human-driven vehicle trajectory behaviors and is in the process of integrating human driving trajectories with the developed CAV control methods.
2016 - Mr. Whobi Bin Chung
Mr. Whobi Bin Chung was awarded the second place scholarship. Mr. Chung is a PhD candidate at the University of Central Florida. Mr. Chung has more than ten years of experience with ITS Korea. His advisor describes him as, “one of the outstanding PhD students that I have supervised during my over 20-year academic career”
2015 - Ms. Fartash
Ms. Fartash was the recipient of the first place scholarship award. She is in the United States to study for her PhD at Florida International University and is currently a Graduate Assistant. To illustrate the broad base of her experience, prior to coming to the US, while still working on her Masters, she was employed at Rahbord Taraddod (RTF) Consulting Engineering Co, Tehran, Iran. One of her interesting and informative projects was, the “Reduction of Traffic Air and Noise Pollution in Tehran Using Innovative Technologies and Intelligent Transportation Systems.”
Since beginning her studies at FIU, she has authored several high level studies, including one entitled, “Utilization the HCM Urban Facility Procedures for the Estimation and Real-Time Prediction of Travel Time with Consideration of Rain Impacts.” which was presented to the Transportation Research Board. She is highly recommended by her professors and maintaining a distinguished academic performance.
2015 - Md. Shahadat Iqbai
Md. Shahadat Iqbai (FIU) (tie for second) Prior to coming to the US, he was a Research Engineer at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. His main project was the “Development of a Microscopic Traffic Simulator with Mixed Traffic Simulation Capability for Evaluation of Alternative Transport Options for Dhaka City.
Currently, he serves as a Research Assistant and Teaching Assistant at FIU, working on his PhD. His current body of work includes projects such as, “Decision Support Systems for Transportation System Management and Operations (TSM&O)” and “Framework to Support Transportation Agency ITS Infrastructure and ITS Legacy Decisions with Consideration of Connected Vehicle Deployment and Autonomous Vehicle and Automated Vehicle Initiatives.
2015 - Mohsen Parsafard
Mohsen Parsafard (tie for second) is a Graduate Research Assistant at the University of South Florida working on his Dissertation for his Doctorate. In addition to the dissertation, he is working on few different projects funded by National Science Foundation and local-level agencies (e.g., state DOTs) such as: “The Mobility and Safety of Walk-and -Ride Systems”, “Interdependent Facility Location Design with Probabilistic Disruptions” and “TimeGeography-Based Mobility Measures for Geo-tagged Twitter Data.”
One of his most recent projects is a paper published in Transportation Research Part B, entitled, “Stop-and-go traffic analysis: Theoretical properties,
2015 - Trang Luong
Trang Luong (USF Master’s Candidate) was awarded third place. According to Ms.Luong’s professors, she is an outstanding student,with strong analytical skills, exemplary work ethic, high levels of energy and enthusiasm,and a laser focus on advancing her professional career. She has taken every opportunity to either intern or volunteer on different research projects, both at the University of South Florida as well as outside the university, including an internship in Germany (for which she learned German prior to going). Her resume includes an impressive set of awards she has received, including winner of 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) New Faces of Civil Engineering and the USF only “Most Outstanding Student for the Class of 2015.”
Her story is truly one of sacrifice and challenges met and exceeded.
