Chinese Overseas Transportation Association

Dr. XianBiao (XB) Hu, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
The Pennsylvania State University
Tel: 814-863-0523
Email: xbhu@psu.edu
Website: https://sites.psu.edu/xbhu

Qualification/Background Information
I am XianBiao (XB) Hu, and through this letter, I wish to express my interest in the COTA Board of Directors position. Currently, I serve as an Assistant Professor at Pennsylvania State University in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. I hope to contribute to COTA’s growth and success and work with you all to continue strengthening COTA’s stature as a welcoming and resourceful organization.

Firstly, allow me to briefly introduce myself. I hold BS and MS degrees from Tongji University and a Ph.D. degree from the University of Arizona. Before my current role at Penn State, I was a founding team member and Director of R&D at Metropia Inc., and from 2017 to 2021, served as an Assistant Professor at Missouri University of Science and Technology. My research interests span smart mobility applications, automated vehicles, electric vehicles, active demand management, and dynamic system modeling. Professionally, I have undertaken roles such as Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, Handling Editor of Transportation Research Record, Assistant Editor of the Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems, and Associate Editor of The International Journal of Transportation Science and Technology. Additionally, I am the Committee Research Coordinator and Paper Review Coordinator for the TRB Committee on Maintenance and Operations Management (AKR10).

My engagement with COTA has been a significant and enriching part of my professional journey. I became a COTA member in December 2019, and my active membership will continue until 2026. Over the last few years, I have actively participated in various capacities. I am one of the Area Editors for 2024 CICTP in Shenzhen next summer, and I was a session chair for the 2022 COTA TRB Symposium, focusing on connected and automated technologies. I have attended multiple CICTP conferences and reviewed many papers for CICTP over the years. Back at Metropia Inc., we sponsored the 2016 CICTP hosted by Shanghai Maritime University. My long-term, active involvement with COTA is a testament to my commitment to this vibrant community.

Envisioned Commitments/Proposed Activities
If elected, I will be devoted to expanding COTA’s reach and influence and continue to strengthen COTA’s stature as a welcoming and resourceful organization. I will strive to promote and organize more COTA activities, such as monthly or bi-monthly webinars, creating a platform for members and friends to engage, connect, learn, and share insights. These webinars will not only foster a sense of community but also ensure that COTA remains a beacon of knowledge and innovation in transportation. My aim is to make COTA an even more valuable resource for the Chinese scholar community, addressing their unique needs and helping to shape the future of transportation. I envision COTA will continue to be a platform that allows Chinese scholars to meet, explore friendships and collaboration opportunities, and ultimately benefit from such interactions.

In conclusion, my blend of academic expertise, professional experience, and deep commitment to advancing transportation research and practice positions me as a strong candidate for the Board of Directors. I am enthusiastic about the prospect of contributing to COTA’s ongoing success and eagerly anticipate the opportunity to collaborate towards our shared goals.

Endorsement:
Dr. Jianming Ma, Traffic Management Section Director, Texas Department of Transportation (BOD and COTA President).
Dr. Wei Fan, Professor, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. (BOD);
Dr. Junfeng Jiao, Associate Professor, The University of Texas at Austin. (BOD).

Dr. RuiMin Ke, Ph.D

Assistent Professor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Tel: (518) 276-7097
Email: ker@rpi.edu
Website: https://faculty.rpi.edu/ruimin-ke

Qualification/Background Information
Dr. Ruimin Ke embarked on his journey at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as an Assistant Professor in August 2023. He was a faculty member at the University of Texas at El Paso from 2021 to 2023. Dr. Ke possesses profound expertise in intelligent transportation systems (ITS), with a specialization in developing machine learning algorithms and edge computing systems tailored for ITS applications. Dr. Ke's academic background includes a Ph.D. and M.S. in Transportation Engineering from the University of Washington, an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and a B.E. in Automation from Tsinghua University. His scholarly contributions to the field comprise over sixty peer-reviewed papers, a published book at Elsevier “Machine Learning for Transportation Research and Applications”, and a few patents. He has led projects funded by the National Science Foundation, US Department of Transportation, and North America Development Bank, among others. Dr. Ke is an editor of four journals: Nature-Scientific Reports, Transportation Research Record, Data Science for Transportation, and Journal of Air Transport Management. He received multiple academic awards in recognition of his collaborative efforts, such as the 2023 TRB Best Paper Award, the 2022 Outstanding Paper Award from IEEE DTPI Conference, the 2022 ASCE ExCEEd Fellowship, the 2020-2021 COTA Best Dissertation Award, and the Editor's Choice Paper Award from Journal of Transportation Engineering. He holds memberships in the TRB standing committee on Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Applications (AED50), the TRB standing committee on Statewide/National Transportation Data and Information Systems (AED10), the ASCE T&DI Infrastructure Systems Committee, the ASCE T&DI Artificial Intelligence in Transportation committee, and IEEE. Earlier this year, Dr. Ke was appointed as the Chair of the TRB Edge Computing Subcommittee at AED50. It is worth noting that Dr. Ke was on the COTA BOD as the student BOD member from 2016 to 2019 – he is familiar with the values and activities of COTA, and has been making significant contributions since 2016.

Envisioned Commitments/Proposed Activities
As a candidate for the COTA BOD 2024, I envision a future where COTA not only serves as a hub for professional networking and knowledge exchange but also evolves into a pioneering force driving technological and sustainable advancements in transportation. My commitment is to:

1. Foster Academic-Industry Collaboration: Leveraging my academic connections, I aim to facilitate stronger ties between industry and academia, ensuring COTA remains at the forefront of emerging transportation technologies and trends.
2. Empower Next-Generation Leaders: Having been a student BOD member, I understand the importance of nurturing young talents. I plan to initiate mentorship programs and educational opportunities that cater specifically to students and early-career professionals.
3. Promote Sustainable Transportation Practices: In light of global environmental challenges, I will advocate for research and discussions within COTA on sustainable transportation solutions, emphasizing eco-friendly practices and innovations.
4. Expand COTA's Global Reach: Recognizing the importance of a global perspective, I aspire to extend COTA's influence beyond North America and China, making it a truly international platform for transportation professionals.

Qualification/Background Information
My commitment to COTA is unwavering. I pledge to serve with integrity, passion, and a relentless drive for excellence. Together, we can steer COTA towards new horizons of success and impact in the world of transportation.

Endorsement:
Dr. Cong Chen, Research Associate, University of South Florida. (BOD)..
Dr. Xiaokun (Cara) Wang, Professor, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (BOD and Past COTA President).
Dr. Yinhai Wang, Professor, University of Washington (Member and Past COTA President).

Dr. Jun Liu, Ph. D.

Assistant Professor
Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering
University of Alabama
Tel: 205-348-9569
Email: jliu@eng.ua.edu
Website: https://jliu.people.ua.edu/

Qualification/Background Information
Dr. Jun Liu is a faculty member in civil engineering at the University of Alabama (UA). Before joining UA, he worked as a transportation planner at the Virginia Department of Transportation and as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Texas at Austin. He earned his PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Dr. Liu's primary research interests span various areas within transportation engineering, including shared mobility, travel behavior, road safety, responder safety, transportation planning, intelligent transportation systems, connected and/or automated vehicles, and sustainable transportation. He has authored over 200 scholarly works, including book chapters, journal articles, conference papers, and technical reports. Dr. Liu's research has received significant recognition, evidenced by over 2,100 citations, an H-index of 26, and an H10 index of 44 according to Google Scholar. Since joining UA in 2018, Dr. Liu has played a substantial role in securing $12 million in research funding. Over five years, he has been awarded a total of 20 projects, serving as the Principal Investigator (PI) for 15 of them. Funding sources include prestigious organizations such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), US Department of Transportation (US DOT), AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, State Departments of Transportation (Alabama and Georgia), KTH Royal Institute of Technology, and various local agencies. At UA, Dr. Liu has chaired dissertation committees for four completed PhD students and currently advises five PhD students and two master's students.

In addition to his research and teaching duties, Dr. Liu has actively engaged in various service roles within our transportation community. He serves as an Assistant/Associate Editor for the Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems, a Handling Editor for Transportation Research Record, an Associate Editor for IEEE Open Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems, and an Editorial Board Member for Accident Analysis & Prevention and the Journal of Safety Research. Additionally, he acted as a Paper Review Coordinator for TRB Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Computing (AED50) for the 2023 & 2024 TRB Annual Meetings. Dr. Liu has been actively engaged in organizing the Bridging Transportation Researchers (BTR) Conferences. He is a member of the TRB Committee on Geo-spatial Data Acquisition Technologies (AKD80) and a member/friend of the TRB Standing Committee on Transportation Safety Management (ACS10). From 2016 to 2019, he served as a member of the TRB Standing Committee on Visualization in Transportation (AED80). Dr. Liu also served on various NSF and the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) panels.

More information about Dr. Liu is available at http://jliu.people.ua.edu/ .

Commitments Statement
As a young scholar, I have remained closely connected with COTA over the past few years. I have willingly participated in various COTA activities by volunteering to chair and edit meeting sessions, as well as rigorously reviewing research papers. These responsibilities have allowed me to play a role in upholding the high standards of excellence associated with COTA's conferences and publications. In addition, I have actively taken part in presenting my research at various COTA events, such as the COTA Winter Symposiums, the 2023 CICTP Conference, and the 8th International Symposium on Transportation Safety. Importantly, my engagement with COTA extends well beyond being a passive participant. I have consistently undertaken the task of promoting COTA events on multiple occasions. This endeavor stems from my desire to foster increased participation and engagement within the transportation community and to raise awareness of the valuable opportunities that COTA provides.

Now that I have submitted my tenure package, I am fully prepared to engage in more community services by committing to serve on the 2024 COTA Board of Directors (BOD) and making a significant contribution to COTA's growth. If given the opportunity to be a part of the COTA BOD, I would like to work closely with other members and dedicate my time and ideas to further enhance COTA's impact both within and outside the transportation professional community. Specifically, I will focus on building a stronger bridge between COTA and young Chinese transportation professionals, especially those from underrepresented institutes and regions, such as Alabama. I have maintained close relationships with a sizable group of young Chinese transportation professionals, and I will collaborate with other COTA BOD members to develop a strategy for promoting the engagement of young professionals in COTA's activities and events. Furthermore, I am committed to fulfilling any additional responsibilities assigned by the COTA BOD, given my flexible work schedule and adaptable environment.

Endorsement:
Dr. Yinhai Wang, Professor, University of Washington (Member and Past COTA President);
Dr. Yafeng Yin, Professor/Chair, University of Michigan (Member and Past COTA President);
Dr. Lei Yu, Professor/Dean, Texas Southern University (Member and Past COTA President);
Dr. Yu Zhang, Professor, University of South Florida (Member and Past COTA President);
Dr. Cara Wang, Professor, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (BOD and Past COTA President);
Dr. Cong Chen, Research Associate, University of South Florida. (BOD).

Dr. Zhuo Yao, Ph.D.

Transportation Engineer (Civil)
Highway Performance Monitoring Branch
Office of Data Services and Technology
Division of Research, Innovation and System Information
Department of Civil & Architectural Engineering & Construction Management
California Department of Transportation
Tel: (916)-584-2189
Email: zhuo.yao@dot.ca.gov
Website: http://www.zhuoyao.net

Qualification/Background Information
Dr. Zhuo Yao is a Transportation Engineer (Civil) at California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). He is a leading staff working in the HPMS program at Caltrans. Prior to his joining at Caltrans, Dr. Yao worked as an Air Pollution Specialist at California Air Resources Board (CARB) in the Transportation Analysis Section, Sustainable Transportation and Communities Division. He is also an adjunct professor in the Civil Engineering Department at California State University Sacramento (CSUS). Dr. Yao holds a Ph.D. from the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management, College of Engineering & Applied Science, University of Cincinnati, a Master of Science degree from Beijing University of Technology, and a Bachelor’s degree from Polytechnic University of the Philippines. His areas of expertise include integrated land use, transportation and emission modeling, vehicle detection and classification, and traffic activity data inputs for emission modeling. Dr. Yao spent most of his career working with Caltrans, California EPA and other state agencies developing tools and data sets for decision support and performance measurement systems of evaluating policies, strategies, and modeling techniques for transportation and air quality. one of the key positions fighting for to reduce the GHG emissions from the transportation sector by implementing multiple legislations set by the state of California, such as Assembly Bill 32 (the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006), Senate Bill 375 (the Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act of 2008), Senate Bill 1014 (the California Clean Miles Standard and Incentive Program: zero-emission vehicles) etc.

Dr. Yao actively engages and contributes to COTA communities, establishing his involvement during his graduate studies since 2008 when he assumed the role of a communication officer. He provided substantial support to the COTA Board of Directors administration, undertaking tasks such as voluntarily redesigning the COTA logo, serving as the editor for the COTA newsletter, and acting as the webmaster for maintaining the COTA website. Subsequently, Dr. Yao received invitations to serve as a reviewer and area editor for the Conference of International Chinese Transportation Professionals (CICTP) for several years. Beyond his contributions to COTA communities, he extended his impact by serving as the webmaster for Great Lakes ITE and as an editor for the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Society Midwest newsletter. His multifaceted involvement underscores his commitment to various professional communities and his significant contributions to their development and initiatives.

Envisioned Commitments
The success and accomplishments of COTA in various domains are undeniably the result of a highly professional and dedicated team of leaders. Witnessing the impact COTA has had in China, the United States, and other parts of the world fills me with pride. It is evident that the future success of COTA hinges on the dedication and contributions of every member in the COTA community. With deep affection and enthusiasm, I have been an integral part of COTA, observing its remarkable growth over the past decade. I am profoundly motivated and wholeheartedly committed to offering my service, time, ideas, and expertise to contribute to the future development and expansion of COTA. I am hence nominating myself to run for the board member position by providing my services to this great organization. As an active and dedicated member of the COTA, I pledge my unwavering commitment to contribute meaningfully to the organization's goals and objectives. With a passion for advancing transportation knowledge and fostering professional collaboration, I commit to the following principles:

• To expedite COTA's commitment to diligence and comprehensive efforts in boosting a globally dedicated community that fosters effective collaborations between COTA and other transportation organizations. This is accomplished by actively seeking knowledge and expertise exchange with stakeholders;
• To enhance COTA's influence and collaboration within the transportation sector by acting as the liaison between COTA and government agencies, educational institutions, and industry partners;
• To advocate for and support initiatives that enhance the professional development of COTA members. This includes promoting educational programs, mentorship opportunities, and networking events that empower our members to thrive in the dynamic field of transportation;
• To embrace COTA leadership and serve COTA members to support networking and collaboration of the association by organizing major COTA events, and activities. This aims to reinforce the cohesion of the COTA community, transforming it into a more robust and influential professional organization;
• To elevate the quality of newsletters and other communication services to the next level.

By embracing these commitments, I aspire to contribute to the continued success and growth of COTA. If elected, I will dedicate myself to serving the best interests of our members, advancing the organization's mission, and ensuring a vibrant and inclusive community for all transportation professionals associated with COTA.\

I can be reached via voice (916)-584-2189 or email zhuo.yao@dot.ca.gov for any suggestions.

Your strong support is highly appreciated!

Endorsement:
Dr. Jianming Ma, Traffic Management Section Director, Texas Department of Transportation (BOD and COTA President);
Dr. Cong Chen, Research Associate, University of South Florida; (BOD);
Dr. Heng Wei, Professor, University of Cincinnati (Member and Past COTA President);
Dr. Qingyi Ai, Senior Transportation Engineer, Arcadis (Member);

Shuyi Yin

PhD Student
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Washington
Tel: (650) 561-5205
Email: syin1@uw.edu

Qualification/Background Information
Shuyi Yin is currently a PhD student in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Washington (UW). He holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Environmental Engineering from Tsinghua University (2016), and two Master of Science degrees from Stanford University, in Civil and Environmental Engineering (2019) and in Statistics (2019), respectively. Shuyi now works as a research assistant in the Smart Transportation Applications and Research Lab (STAR Lab) at the UW, where he has worked on various projects, including an NCHRP project that updates capacity estimation methodologies in Highway Capacity Manual, and an FTA project that quantifies the benefits of collision avoidance technologies in transit use cases. Shuyi is the first author of multiple conference proceedings and journal papers. He has also won several awards since his PhD studies, e.g., best paper award from 2021 IEEE International Smart Cities Conference, Mobility Track Winner (representing the STAR Lab team) in the MetroLab Network Student Cup, Graduate Student Scholarship from ITE WA, etc.

Shuyi also assumes multiple leadership roles in social and academic services. At the UW, his roles included TA and predoctoral instructors for two Transportation Engineering courses, UW CEE Graduate Student Advisory Board (GSAB) member on the Undergraduate Education Committee, the president of UW ITE Student Chapter, the lab manager of the STAR Lab, reviewers of several academic journals, and student members for IEEE and ASCE. In addition, in his spare time, Shuyi also volunteers in a free online course organized by Stanford University, where he taught students coding in Python during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Envisioned Commitments/Proposed Activities
Since my membership four years ago, COTA has significantly enriched my academic life and helped my career planning: its research lightning talks introduced state-of-the art research topics from my peers; its webinars discuss professional services and career paths; its E-news publishes new opportunities at journals and institutions. Benefiting from its services, I am highly motivated to contribute to COTA’s growth and to serve the community in return. During my first office as the student chair in COTA BOD, I helped organize conferences and events, conducted a survey to understand young member’s career development needs, and organized a webinar featuring three young professionals (Dr. Ziran Wang, Dr. Chen Feng, and Dr. Osama Osman). My goal for the second office is to build students’ participation even stronger and connections even tighter. More specifically, if elected as the chair of student affairs, I am committed to

• Encouraging peer exchange in COTA student members, by promoting COTA-sponsored student programs and activities;
• Strengthening connections between COTA student members and professionals/ faculties;
• Growing the body of student members, especially in transportation programs where Chinese faculties are rare;
• Collecting and sharing opportunities at COTA newsletters and E-news, and
• Helping organize COTA events, including conferences and webinars.

If elected, I will work closely with fellow members for COTA’s future success. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there is any question for my application. Your support is highly appreciated.

Endorsement:
Dr. Yinhai Wang, Professor, University of Washington (Member and Past COTA President);
Dr. Heng Wei, Professor, University of Cincinnati (Member and Past COTA President);
Dr. Cong Chen, Research Associate, University of South Florida; (BOD);