Keynote Speakers
Nikiforos Stamatiadis
Professor at the University Kentucky
Dr. Stamatiadis is a nationally recognized leader in geometric design, context sensitive solutions, and practical design. For over 30 years, he has led research efforts on these topics for federal, state, and local organizations. His work has influenced how transportation practitioners approach planning and designing roadways using practical design and context sensitive solutions. Working alongside multidisciplinary teams, he has addressed effects of geometric features on safety, developed context sensitive performance measures addressed designs and solutions for non motorized users, and developed guidelines and tools for practical design. Dr. Stamatiadis was instrumental in developing the Context Classification that has been incorporated into the Green Book 7th Edition, DOT manuals and guidelines, and design processes.
GREEN EVOLUTION OF ROADWAY DESIGN
The primary goal of roadway design is to provide a safe and efficient transportation system for all users. In the early 60s and 70s, the focus of roadway design was to deliver a system that prioritized mobility needs and emphasized the need for quick connections considering automobile mobility as the primary mode of transportation mobility options. This approach resulted in developing solutions that did not consider other users and creating an environment that was not conducive to other modes of transportation. In the late 90s, providing roadway designs that could address the needs of all users while emphasizing the necessity of flexibility in design to address competing project needs emerged. Flexible design has been the primary goal of Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS), Practical Solutions, and Performance Based Practical Design (PBPD) initiatives that many Departments of Transportation (DOTs) have adapted. CSS and PBPD approaches attempt to find “right-sized” transportation solutions for roadway users while accommodating all users. Critical to the success of this effort was the revision of the Functional Classification to improve the binary Urban/Rural designation of roadway projects. The new Context Classification addresses the need of incorporating all users, i.e., automobile drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users, considering them from the outset of the project. Complete Streets also focus on addressing this and can facilitate roadway design concepts aimed at resulting in a greener highway deign approach.
Virginia Sisiopiku
Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
Dr. Virginia Sisiopiku is a Professor of Transportation Engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She is the founding director of the UAB Transportation Engineering and Development Laboratory (TREND Lab) and serves as the UAB Transportation Program director. She has over 30 years of academic and consulting expertise in traffic operations, intelligent transportation systems, data analytics, and sustainable transportation. Her research seeks engineering and technology solutions to minimize the adverse impacts of traffic and ensure safety, mobility, and accessibility for all transportation users.
Dr. Sisiopiku is a Fellow of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), and the recipient of the 2007 President’s Excellence in Teaching Award, the 2010 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Mentorship, the 2017 Educator of the Year Award by the Engineering Council of Birmingham and the 2023-24 Excellence in Transportation Engineering Education Award by the Southern District Institute of Transportation Engineers. Most recently, she received the prestigious 2025 Transportation Research Board (TRB) Charley V. Wooten Best Paper in Transportation Policy and Organization Award, and was recognized by Business Alabama as one of Alabama’s Top Women in Tech.
IMPACTS OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY ON SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION
Cutting-edge digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data, automation and robotics, and connectivity are revolutionizing the transportation sector, with various applications across all modes of transportation. Such technologies can boost sustainable transportation by enabling smart traffic management to reduce congestion and emissions, optimizing Electric Vehicle (EV) efficiency and battery management, promoting ride-sharing and public transportation through real-time data sharing, and improving the efficiency of freight logistics by minimizing empty runs and utilizing predictive maintenance. These advancements can lead to reduced fuel consumption, lower carbon footprints, and more efficient resource use across the transportation sector. However, some technological, regulatory, and institutional challenges remain that need to be recognized and addressed. For example, growing AI/data-center demand may multiply electricity use and adversely affect sustainability efforts. Careful and efficient integration of digital technologies with renewables and low-emission transportation options has the potential to transform existing socio-technical systems and foster fundamental transitions towards more sustainable transportation in the future.
