Eleven University of Maine Graduate Students Participate in TIDC Student Poster Contest, Celebrated at TIDC Student Recognition Night
Eleven UMaine graduate students were recognized at the Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center (TIDC) Student Recognition Night on November 30th. The annual event highlights the accomplishments and contributions of TIDC students from six member universities, as well as the winners of the Student Poster Contest.
University of Maine graduate students received several recognitions. Felipe Saavedra was awarded second place for technically judged winners in the poster contest with his poster titled “Durability of Large-Scale 3D Printed Materials for Transportation Infrastructure,” while Jon Pinkham took third place with a poster titled “Development of Live Load Distribution Factors for CT Girder Bridges.”
Fan favorite posters, which are selected through vote by external viewers, included Jhan Kevin Gil-Marin in first place with a poster titled “Examining the impact of rumble strip installation in prevention of lane departure crashes in Maine,” and Felipe Saavedra, who collected a second award for his poster by tying for third place for fan favorite.
We congratulate our student researchers on their excellent work with the TIDC!
Danilo Botero-Lopez
“Analytical Methodology to Evaluate the Basal Stability of Column-Supported Embankments”
Danilo Botero-Lopez is a doctoral student, currently studying philosophy of civil engineering. After completing his bachelor’s in civil engineering at the National University of Colombia, Botero-Lopez joined the University of Maine community in 2020 for his master’s in civil engineering.
Advised by Dr. Aaron Gallant, Botero-Lopez’s poster utilizes physics-based methodology. He explores solutions to current setbacks with the traditional design of column-supported embankments. Ultimately, the goal of Botero-Lopez’s presentation and research is to “help practitioners in optimizing the column spacing of the system by determining a more accurate factor of safety against basal stability.”
Ennis Marshall
“Leveraging Probe Data to Model Speeding on Limited Access Highway Segments during the COVID-19 Pandemic”
Maine native Ennis Marshall is a master’s student studying civil engineering. He received his bachelor’s in civil engineering from the University of Maine in 2022. With a lifelong interest in trains, it is no surprise that Marshall is pursuing transportation safety research with advisor Dr. Ali Shiraz.
Marshall’s presentation analyzes traffic data collection to track the speeds and traffic flow information from drivers in Maine and Connecticut. His research found that during and since the COVID-19 pandemic, people are more likely to speed, and that improving roadway capacity and lowering traffic densities does not necessarily improve safety.
Felipe Saavedra
“Durability of Large-Scale 3D Printed Materials for Transportation Infrastructure”
Felipe Saavedra is a master’s student in civil engineering at the University of Maine. Born in Chile, Saavedra completed a bachelor’s in civil engineering at the Universidad de Concepción. Saavedra’s research focuses on the durability of 3D printed composite materials for transportation infrastructure. He is advised by Dr. Roberto Lopez-Anido.
Saavedra’s poster is motivated by the aging of highway culverts and the potential cost-effectiveness of 3D printing thermoplastic composite materials for culverts, Saavedra compares the characteristics of bio-based composite and synthetic materials, through environment exposures of moisture conditioning, freeze-thaw cycling, and UV exposure, to determine the most reliable and effective materials to use in 3D printing for precast concrete formworks and highway culvert rehabilitation.
Jhan Kevin Gil-Marin
“Examining the impact of rumble strip installation in prevention of lane departure crashes in Maine”
Jhan Kevin Gil-Marin is currently pursuing his master’s in civil engineering at the University of Maine with a focus on transportation safety research. Gil-Marin received his bachelor’s from the National University of Colombia, where he participated in a freight transportation research group. Before coming to Maine, he worked at his local Department of Infrastructure.
Gil-Marine is advised by Dr. Ali Shirazi. Gil-Marin’s presentation, titled “Examining the impact of rumble strip installation in prevention of lane departure crashes in Maine” is focused on making the roads safer for drivers. By collecting crash and rumble strip data from the Maine DOT, Gil-Marin investigates the impact of installing rumble strips with differing variables in preventing lane departure crashes. Conducting a Before-After study, preliminary results found that “Standard center rumble strips improved the safety of Other Principal Arterial with two lanes.”
Jon Pinkham
“Development of Live Load Distribution Factors for CT Girder Bridges“
Jon Pinkham is a master’s student studying civil and environmental engineering at the University of Maine. He completed his bachelor’s in the same field in May 2022. This is Pinkham’s first year as a graduate research assistant at the Advanced Structures and Composites Center after working as an undergraduate research assistant during his senior year. He is advised by Dr. Bill Davids.
Pinkham’s presentation, points out the need for composite tub (CT) girder bridges to have standard values that are applicable and communicative of their full capacities. Through the comparison of the live load distribution factors of CT girders and concrete type C box girders, Pinkham’s research shows the clear distinction between the two materials in terms of efficiency and strength.
Juan Sebastián Carvajal-Muñoz
“Lateral and Torsional Resistance of Helical Piles using a Novel Collar Vane”
Juan Sebastián Carvajal-Muñoz is pursuing a master’s in civil engineering at the University of Maine. His research focuses on geotechnical engineering, specifically soil-structural interaction. Originally from Colombia, Carvajal-Muñoz received his bachelor’s in civil engineering from the University of Antioquia in 2020.
Advised by Dr. Aaron Gallant, Dr. Aaron Bradshaw, and Dr. Keith Berube, Carvajal-Muñoz’s poster explores overcoming the limitations of helical pile (HP) lack of support for lateral and torsional loads by attaching a Collar Vane (CV) to increase torsional and lateral passive resistance. Carvajal-Muñoz’s research finds that the “vane located at shallow depths where piles mobilize most lateral resistance” is the more effective and efficient pile design to optimize construction and use of helical piles.
Katie Schweizer
“Recyclability of Large-Scale 3D Printed Formworks”
Katie Schweizer is a first-year master’s student in structural engineering and mechanics at the University of Maine. She received her bachelor’s in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Maine in 2022. Schweizer’s research focuses on the recyclability of large-scale 3D printed precast formworks with advisor Dr. Roberto Lopez-Anido.
Schweizer’s poster details the viability for recycling certain materials used in large-scale 3D printed formworks. Schweizer and team conducted thermal and mechanical tests to establish baseline results for the different materials, and show any degradation or alterations with subsequent recycling. The next phase of this work involves shipping formworks to Oak Ridge National Laboratory for shredding, pelletization, and printing new forms.
Sebastian Montoya-Vargas
“Structural Testing of Micropile Threaded Connections”
Sebastian Montoya-Vargas is a Ph.D. candidate in civil engineering at the University of Maine. Montoya-Vargas received a bachelor’s in civil engineering from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia at Medellin, Colombia. His current research, advised by Dr. Aaron Gallant and Dr. Bill Davids, focuses on the strength of materials.
Montoya-Vargas’ poster explains the Advanced Structures and Composites Center’s testing program for steel casing micropiles. Steel casings micropiles are a foundation system with high geotechnical capacities. The Center will be testing 63 micropiles to capture the behavior of micropiles threads for a wide range of conditions.
Zahra Ameli
“Surface Crack Detection and Segmentation Using Visual and Combined RGB and IR Images”
Zahra Ameli is a third-year doctoral student in structural engineering at the University of Maine. Ameli is working with advisor Dr. Eric Landis to study computer vision and machine learning. Before coming to the University of Maine, Ameli was a visiting scholar at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio.
Ameli’s poster explores using visual and thermal sensors for in bridge inspection. Visual sensors are commonly used in bridge inspections, while using thermal sensors “overcomes limitations of RGB sensors such as adverse environmental conditions, dust and vibrations effects.” This research evaluates combining thermal and RGB images into a single image to benefit from both imagery techniques.
Temitope Omokinde
“Optimum condition for soil carbonation and efficient CO2 consumption in a lime-treated silt”
Temitope Omokinde is a master’s student in civil engineering at the University of Maine. He received a bachelor’s in civil engineering from the Federal University of Technology in Akure, Nigeria. Omokinde is studying soil improvement and stabilization. He is advised by Dr. Aaron Gallant.
Omokinde’s poster notes that the freezing and thawing of pavement, and failed subgrade material in road pavement, leads to annual costly repairs and reconstruction. This research seeks to understand the influence of soil properties on the degree of carbonation, CO2 sequestration, and reducing the susceptibility of pavement subgrade materials to freezing and thawing.
SK Belal Hossen
“A Large-Scale Demonstration of Soil Carbonation for Subgrade Stabilization”
SK Belal Hossen is a Ph.D. candidate in civil engineering at the University of Maine. He has a bachelor’s in civil engineering from the Military Institute of Science and Technology, Bangladesh, and a master’s in philosophy of civil engineering from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Hossen’s research at the University of Maine focuses on sustainable transportation geotechnics. He is advised by Dr. Aaron Gallant.
Hossen’s poster, details research in developing a means to carbonate soil supporting new and existing infrastructure to increase the durability and lifespan of transportation infrastructure. The research found that soil carbonation is an effective chemical stabilization.
The Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center is the 2018 US DOT Region 1 (New England) University Transportation Center (UTC) located at the University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center. TIDC’s focus is on helping state DOTs extend the life and improve the durability of their transportation assets through the development of new technologies, materials, and structures. TIDC has six member universities within the New England Region.
To learn more about the Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center at the ASCC, click here.
Contact: Katelin Moody, katelin.moody@maine.edu