The Transportation Research Board 2024
On the Move: Highlights from the 103rd Annual Meeting
The Transportation Research Board (TRB) 103rd Annual Meeting was held in Washington, D.C. from January 7-11, 2024. It was my first time attending as a presenter, and I was excited to share some of the work we have been doing at ICT during my MS studies and my early involvement in the R27-252 "Impact of Commercial Electric Vehicles on Flexible Pavement Performance" project. Details about the presentations can be found in Table 1.
| Description | Presentation | Authors | Date and Time |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lectern Session 2020 Asphalt Pavement Network Evaluation for Heavy Loads TRBAM-24-00226 |
Impact of Dynamic Wheel Loading on Flexible Pavement Responses for Non-Free Rolling Conditions | Johann Cardenas Imad Al-Qadi |
Convention Center Monday, Jan 08 08:00 AM - 9:45 AM |
|
Lectern Session 2020 Asphalt Pavement Network Evaluation for Heavy Loads TRBAM-24-01926 |
Effect of Heavy-Duty Electric Vehicles on Pavement Contact Forces | Jaime Hernandez Angeli Jayme Johann Cardenas Imad Al-Qadi |
Convention Center Monday, Jan 08 08:00 AM - 9:45 AM |
|
Poster Session 2047 Pavement Structural Testing and Evaluation - Falling Weight Deflectomer, Traffic Speed Deflection Device, Accelerated Pavement Testing, and more B646 |
The Impact of Road Roughness on Tire-Pavement Contact Stresses During Vehicle Maneuvering | Johann Cardenas Imad Al-Qadi |
Convention Center, Hall A Monday, Jan 08 8:00 AM - 9:45 AM |
Going into the meeting, this time the goal was to present current work clearly, pressure-test it against expert feedback, and network with other researchers in the field. It is always good to come back with next steps and new ideas to explore. Thanks to Manuel Aspilcueta, another Fulbright grantee from Peru doing his MS in Civil Engineering at Purdue University, I was able to get along with the John E. Haddock Research Group. In Figure 1 (from left to right) are Alberto Castillo, Pablo Orosa, Oscar Moncada, and me (Johann Cardenas) at the TRB 2024 sign, located at the entrance of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. For some of them, this was their first time attending TRB. As usual, we arrived on Saturday for the APSE meeting, checked in to the hotel, and prepared for the next day.On Sunday, we attended the Exhibit Hall opening and some of the reception events. It was not really a good idea to stay out late the night before presenting (early Monday), but I made it work. While I had planned to carefully rehearse my presentations over the weekend, I ended up improvising most of it on the spot.
Fig 1. TRB Annual Meeting 2024 Sign
A First-Time Presenter
We made it this far! Now it was time to put a foot on the podium and present for the first time to an international community at a major conference. Prof. Al-Qadi is always in the room when his students present. Never gave this much thought before, but having him there is sort of a bulletproof vest. Although unusual, it is known that sometimes academics can be very critical of students' work, especially when they are just starting their research careers. Having your advisor present to shield you (just in case) is reassuring.
Fig 2. Lectern Session at TRBAM 2024
Somewhat nervous, but finished on time
On Monday, January 8th, at 8:00 AM, I presented my first lecture session titled "Impact of Dynamic Wheel Loading on Flexible Pavement Responses for Non-Free Rolling Conditions" as part of the Asphalt Pavement Network Evaluation for Heavy Loads session. The technical heart of this presentation is rather simple: pavements experience time-varying forces influenced by suspension dynamics, tire characteristics, speed, and the rollin condition (particularly when motion is not purely steady-state free rolling). That same morning, and right after my presentation, Jaime Hernandez presented "Effect of Heavy-Duty Electric Vehicles on Pavement Contact Forces", which focused on our early findings from the R27-252 project. Here, we explored how different electric semitruck configurations impact pavement contact forces compared to traditional diesel trucks, particularly under greater torque demands during acceleration.
Right after the presentations, I headed into Poster Session 2047, also scheduled for that same morning, to present "The Impact of Road Roughness on Tire-Pavement Contact Stresses During Vehicle Maneuvering". Aditya helped me set up the poster, and took care of things while I was presenting in the lectern session during the first half of the session. Posters at TRB are where you get the most interactions with other researchers. Students do not really ask many questions during lectern sessions, but at posters, they are more comfortable approaching you and asking about your work. People stop, point, challenge, and ask the questions they might hesitate to ask at a microphone in front of a large audience. This poster focused on how road roughness amplifies tire-pavement contact stresses at braking/acceleration. Because 3D contact stresses are used as inputs for pavement analysis, any change in these stresses leads to changes in critical responses within the pavement structure. ICT is still working on incorporating all of these complexities into pavement design and analysis tools.
Fig 3. Poster Session at TRBAM 2024
Final Remarks
This picture (Figure 4) was taken at the last day of the conference. We gathered on that iconic red staircase, suites on, ready to head back home after a busy week of presentations, networking, and learning. I believe is one of the most informal pictures we have ever taken of Prof. Al-Qadi with his students. From left to right: Aravind Ramakrishnan,. Aditya Singh, Mohsen Motlag, Imad Al-Qadi, Abdulgafar Sulaiman, me (Johann Cardenas), Greg Renshaw, Javier Garcia-Mainieri and Uthman Mohammed Ali. It was a spontaneous, fun, and a great way to end the trip. As a first-time presenter at TRB, I was grateful for the opportunity to share our work and contribute to the ongoing research at ICT, and knew that upcoming experiences would only be better. I think this was the year, that I finalize my reception crawl agenda, one that I've been following by the book ever sice. After three years, it is easier to know where to head, when to go, and who to meet. Looking forward to TRB 2025!
