Chinese Overseas Transportation Association

Dr. Zhen (Sean) Qian

Assistant Professor
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Heinz College
Carnegie Mellon University
4800 Forbes Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 14213
Tel: 412-268-7202
Fax: 412-268-7813
Email: seanqian@cmu.edu
Web: https://www.cmu.edu/cee/people/faculty/qian.html

PERSONAL BACKGROUND:
Zhen (Sean) Qian joined the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in July 2015. He directs the Mobility Data Analytics Center (MAC) at CMU. Qian was most recently an assistant research professor jointly appointed at the Heinz College and Institute for Complex Engineered Systems. Qian's research lies in the integration and optimization of civil infrastructure systems. The primary focus of his research is to manage aging and overcrowded transportation infrastructure systems, and to build sustainable and resilient infrastructure networks. He is particularly interested in large-scale dynamic network modeling for multi-modal transportation systems, in development of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and in urban system interdependency modeling. He was a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University from 2011 to 2013, and received his PhD degree in Civil Engineering at the University of California, Davis.

Dr. Qian is an active participant of Chinese communities. He served as an associate area editor for CICTP 2011, and was invited to a spotlight talk for CICTP 2015, Beijing. He developed a better understanding about the mission and scope of COTA.

STATEMENT:

Endorsement:
Dr. Yafeng Yin (COTA BOD Member), Professor, University of Florida;
Dr. Haizhong Wang (COTA BOD Member), Assistant Professor, Oregon State University, and
Dr. Shanjiang Zhu (COTA BOD Member), Assistant Professor, George Mason University.

Dr. Zhijun (Tony) Qiu

Associate Professor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
6-271 Donadeo Innovation Centre for Engineering
University of Alberta
9211 116 St., Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6G 1H9
Tel: 780-492-1906
Fax: 780-492-0249
Email: tony.qiu@ualberta.ca
Web: http://www.transportation.ualberta.ca

Dear COTA Members:

I have been a member of COTA for the past 11 years, since I was a student, and now I wish to give back to the Association by serving on the Board of Directors. My passion for the field of transportation has driven my success in conducting both fundamental and applied research and collaborating with a variety of individuals and groups from government, academic institutions and industry. With strong connections in Canada and the U.S., I can help to promote COTA, enhance networking among its members, and expand the Association’s existing channels for disseminating information and knowledge on transportation development.

I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta, which is one of the top 3 universities for engineering in Canada. My educational background shows my longstanding passion for the transportation engineering profession: I hold a Bachelors of Science (2001) and Masters of Science (2003) from Tsinghua University, China, and a Ph.D. in Transportation Engineering from the University of Wisconsin Madison, United States (2007). I worked as a postdoctoral researcher from 2008 to 2009 with California PATH at the University of California Berkeley. Since joining the University of Alberta, Canada, in 2009, I have founded the Centre for Smart Transportation.

Appointed as the Director of the Centre for Smart Transportation, I am working to foster Canadian competitiveness in Connected Vehicle (CV) technology and research. To accomplish this, I am leading the development of Canada’s first CV test bed network, called ACTIVE-AURORA, with support from municipal, provincial and federal governments as well as several industry partners. To initiate and fund the test bed, I was awarded 3.66 million dollars funding from prominent agencies, including Transport Canada, Alberta Transportation, Alberta Innovates and Advanced Education, the City of Edmonton, NSERC and Canadian Foundation for Innovation. The ACTIVE-AURORA test bed will facilitate many research projects and collaborations between both the public and private sectors and shareholders, as well as improve roadway safety and mobility for all road users. As the first of its kind in Canada, this test bed will be able to address unique research topics that test beds in the U.S. cannot, for instance, research that must factor in the influence of extreme cold weather. As a result, I have also developed connections with organizations in the U.S. and can help to strengthen COTA’s relationship between China and North America.

Regarding my overall body of work in the past 6 years, I have received approximately 5 million dollars in research funding, completed over 25 research projects, and published over 35 peer-reviewed journal papers. My research has also garnered awards, including the 2013 Minister’s Award of Excellence in Process Innovation and the 2015 Faculty of Engineering Research Award from the University of Alberta for research excellence, out of over 230 professors.

In addition, I am an active member of several organizations and have served on a number of committees. Most recently, I was elected to serve as Chair of the Transportation Division for the Canadian Society for Civil Engineers (CSCE) from 2014 to 2017, and this year, I was asked to be Chair of the Sanford Fleming Award Selection Committee. With respect to COTA, I have been active in attending the annual symposium and CICTP Conference, as well as serving as an Associate Editor for CICTP’s paper submission. As a member of the COTA Board of Directors, I would be able to continue to contribute to the Association in a greater capacity. I have the resources available to help promote the CICTP Conference in North America.

If you need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you for your consideration.

Endorsement:
Dr. Yafeng Yin (COTA BOD Member), Professor, University of Florida;
Dr. Haizhong Wang (COTA BOD Member), Assistant Professor, Oregon State University, and
Dr. Yinhai Wang (COTA Member), Professor, University of Washington.

Dr. Heng Wei

Professor and Director
Advanced Research in Transportation Engineering & Systems(ART-Engines) Laboratory
Department of Civil & Architectural Engineering & Construction Management
792 Rhodes Hall
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0071, USA
Tel: 513-556-3781
Fax: 513-556-2599
Email: heng.wei@uc.edu
Web: https://homepages.uc.edu/~weihg/

Brief Bio and Qualification:
Dr. Heng Wei is a Professor of Transportation Systems and Engineering, and Director of Advanced Research in Transportation Engineering & Systems (ART-Engines) Laboratory at The University of Cincinnati (UC). He has a wide spectrum of research interests and expertise in intelligent transportation systems (ITS). Since his faculty appointment at UC, he has secured 33 research projects from ODOT, FHWA, NSF, EPA, OTC, NEXTRANS Center, and UC URC/FDC. His research has resulted in 163 peer-reviewed papers and 9 professional books/chapters. He has been honored with UC College of Engineering and Applied Science Distinguished Researcher Award for Excellence in Research and Engineering Master Educator Award for Excellence in Teaching, as well as Honored Faculty/Staff Who Made a Real Difference in the Life of a UC Student. In addition, he has been a member of numerous outstanding professional committees, such as TRB AND20, ABJ70 and ABE90 Committees, ASCE T&DI Committees on Advanced Technology Committee and Transportation Safety and on Sustainability and Environment. He is the Chair of IEEE ITSS Travel Information and Traffic Management Committee and Immediate Past President of Chinese Overseas Transportation Association (COTA). Dr. Wei has successfully organized and/or chaired 27 international conferences/sessions and symposiums.

Dr. Wei is an active, renowned participant and contributor to Chinese transportation communities. He has served on the COTA Board of Directors (BOD) since he was first elected in January 2008. Later, he was elected as the President of COTA in January 2012. During his service on BOD and two-year presidency (01/2012–01/2014), he has successfully organized and chaired a number of international conferences, workshops, and symposiums. The success of those scholarly activities has greatly raised the international reputation and influence of COTA in the transportation field. He initialized several special events that have since become spotlights of the conference, typically including TRB Standing Committee Chairs Forum, COTA-World Bank China Transport Forum, and COTA Education Workshop. Those programs have greatly promoted the CICTP to be an internationally recognized and respected event, which has successfully attracted many prestigious international scholars and experts to the conference.

Dr. Wei has served as the Conference Chair for the CICTP in both 2012 and 2013, Chair of the Organizing and Executive committee for the ICCTP 2010, Chair of the Academic Committee for the ICCTP 2011, and Chair of the Advisory Committee for the CICTP in 2014. Moreover, he has worked with TRB ABE90 committee to successfully establish the ABE90-COTA China Conference Planning Subcommittee ABE90(3), which had contributed plenty to the COTA Winder Symposiums during past TRB Annual Meetings, especially for the period of January 2012 through January 2014.

Envisioned Commitment:
While COTA has experienced a stable development and growth in the past few years, we have to raise awareness of some challenges that we may be facing ahead to keep COTA actively sustainable. The current and past leaders have led COTA to the compelling milestones as we anticipated. With the new blood instilling into the COTA BOD, it is possibly a high time to create a new momentum to re-motivate ourselves for moving COTA forward towards a higher level. To that end, I am willing to continue my service on the BOD as a senior member to strongly support the young BOD members to solidify the organization under the leadership of the next new president. My term on the COTA Board will end in next January. I therefore decide to nominate myself as a candidate running for the BOD membership again. Based on the positions available, I am hence willing to run for the “Treasurer” position to continue my service on this great organization. My envisioned commitment includes, but not limited to, the following aspects.

In overall, I would like to be working together with other BOD members to make every effort to achieve the goals and objectives of COTA at a higher level. I will dedicate myself to enhancing productive communications among COTA members, boosting effective collaborations between COTA and other transportation organizations, and enhancing China-America exchange in transportation technologies and systems. I am fully confident of being ready to continually make the commitment to serving on the COTA BOD. I would also be eager and happy to assist implementing any creative ideas that you may have. I have developed a greater tolerance and capability to cope with and incorporate diversely new ideas for continuing COTA’s success and growth. I can be reached via voice 513-556-3781 or email heng.wei@uc.edu for any suggestions.
Your strong support is highly appreciated!

Endorsement:
Dr. Yinhai Wang (COTA Member), Professor, University of Washington;
Dr. Haizhong Wang (COTA BOD Member), Assistant Professor, Oregon State University;
Mr. Jason Wang (COTA Member), Senior Transportation Specialist, Appalachian Regional Commission; and
Dr. Ping Yi (COTA Member), Professor, The University of Akron.

Dr. Guohui Zhang

Assistant Professor
Department of Civil Engineering
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131
Tel: (505) 277-0767
Fax: (505) 277 1988
Email: guohui@unm.edu
Web: http://www.unm.edu/~guohui

Background Information:
Dr. Guohui Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of New Mexico. Dr. Zhang received his Ph.D. from the University of Washington. Before joining UNM, Dr. Zhang had worked as a Research Associate at the Center for Transportation Research at the University of Texas-Austin for three years. Dr. Zhang’s research focuses on large-scale transportation systems modeling and simulation, traffic control and operations, traffic safety and security, traffic detection and sensor data analysis, and sustainable transportation infrastructure design and maintenance. Dr. Zhang has authored or co-authored nearly 80 peer-reviewed journal articles, conference papers, and technical reports. He has presented his research contributions numerous times at prestigious international and national conferences. Dr. Zhang has been serving as a member on the TRB Information Systems and Technology Committee and as a panelist for two National Collaborative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) projects.

COTA Involvement and Contribution:
Dr. Zhang has actively participated in various COTA activities since 2004 when he pursued his Ph.D. study at the University of Washington. He served as a member on the Organizing and Executive Committee and a session chair for 12th COTA International Conference of Transportation Professionals (CICTP 2012) in Beijing, China. He shared his research and education experience with young scholars and students via the CICTP 2012 Professional Development Forum, and the CICTP 2013 Education and Scholarship Development Workshop. Dr. Zhang also served as an area editor for the 9th International Conference of Chinese Transportation Professionals (ICCTP 2009) in Harbin, China and the 15th COTA International Conference of Transportation Professionals (CICTP 2015) in Beijing, China.

Commitments and Activities Proposed for the Communication Officer 2 - Social Media:

Endorsement:
Dr. Yafeng Yin (COTA BOD Member), Professor, University of Florida;
Dr. Jianming Ma (COTA BOD Member), Transportation Engineer, Texas Department of Transportation, and
Dr. Haizhong Wang (COTA BOD Member), Assistant Professor, Oregon State University.

Mr. Lei Kang

PhD Candidate
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of California, Berkeley
Tel: 510-693-9671
Email: kang119@berkeley.edu

Bio:
Lei Kang is a Ph.D. Candidate of the Institute of Transportation Studies in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley. He received his Master’s degree in Transportation and Infrastructure Systems Engineering at Purdue University. Lei's Bachelor’s degree is in Transportation Engineering from Tongji University in Shanghai, China. His research interests are decision-making under uncertainty and statistical learning. Lei has published 8 peer-reviewed journal and conference papers and he is currently an editorial board member of Studies in Engineering and Technology. He also provides paper review service for the following journals: Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Review of Economics & Finance, Scientific Research and Essays, Journal of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Transportation Letters: the International Journal of Transportation Research, Journal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability. He was the founder and committee chair of American Society of Civil Engineers Purdue Chapter (PU-ASCE) Transportation Group. Lei recently received an Honorable Mention Award of INFORMS Aviation Application Section Best Student Presentation Competition.

Ideas:

Endorsement:
Dr. Yi Liu (COTA BOD Member), Lecturer, University of California, Berkeley;
Dr. Peng Wei (COTA Member), Assistant Professor, Iowa State University, and
Mr. Cong Chen (COTA Member), Student, University of New Mexico.

Mr. Ruimin Ke

PhD Student
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Washington, Seattle
Tel: (206) 519-9298
Email: ker27@uw.edu

Background Information:
Ruimin Ke is currently a graduate student in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Washington (UW). Ruimin has a bachelor’s degree in Automation from Tsinghua University (2014). Ruimin is now working as a research assistant in the Smart Transportation Applications and Research Laboratory (STAR Lab) at the UW. In STAR Lab, Ruimin is working on developing a traffic big data analysis and visualization system named DRIVE Net as the group leader. Ruimin’s research focuses on traffic detection systems, traffic data management and analysis, and traffic control. Ruimin is the author of three conference proceedings, and the first author of three papers accepted for presentation at Transportation Research Board. Ruimin also won the second place at 2014 ITE PacTrans Student Poster Competition.

Ruimin is an active participant and contributor in multiple social and academic services. His experiences include director of foreign liaison department and director of sports competition department in the Student Union of Department of Automation, vice-president of Tsinghua Student Badminton Association, reviewer of IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, webmaster of University of Washington ITE Student Chapter, member of the technical program committee in 2015 IEEE International Smart Cities Conference, and IEEE student member. In addition, Ruimin is a badminton player in his spare time. He won three consecutive men’s singles champions in Beijing College Badminton Championships from 2011 to 2013.

Statements:
I am highly motivated with enthusiasm to contribute to COTA’s development and activities. Since it was established, COTA has played a significant role in connecting overseas transportation professionals in Mainland China and other countries. Having been a COTA student member for about one year, I have already benefited a lot from the information and opportunities COTA provided. I urge myself to take the turn to serve COTA to return the favor from pioneer volunteers. If I will be elected as a student member of the Board of Directors, I am committed to dedicating my time and energy to:

You are welcome to call me or email me for any suggestions. Your support is invaluable and highly appreciated.

Endorsement:
Dr. Jianming Ma (COTA BOD Member), Transportation Engineer, Texas Department of Transportation;
Dr. Haizhong Wang COTA BOD Member), Assistant Professor, Oregon State University;
Dr. Yinhai Wang (COTA Member), Professor, University of Washington, and
Dr. Heng Wei (COTA BOD Member), Professor, University of Cincinnati.