C²M² invites you to join us in welcoming Anton Bezuglov, Vericast as a part of our C²M² Distinguished Speaker Series. 

Seminar Title

Tuning Personalized Recommendations with the Multi-Armed Bandit Approach

Seminar Abstract

While content-based and collaborative filtering are well-known types of product recommendation engines, their real-life application is sometimes problematic. This is due to the cold start issues, data veracity, or the multitude of hyperparameters. A combination of these factors makes it difficult to forecast which approach will produce the best fit products and for how long it will remain the best. This talk focuses on the optimization scheme where multiple algorithms run simultaneously and compete for the user audience. This optimization is more flexible when compared to A/B or A/B/n testing and it saves more user conversions.

Speaker Bio

Anton Bezuglov has a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of South Carolina. He worked in academia for 12 years — first as a  Professor of Computer Science (Benedict College), then as a Professor of Data Analytics (Buena Vista University). Since 2020, he has been a Data Scientist at Vericast. His areas of focus are digital advertising, ad optimization, brand safety, and personalized recommendations.

C²M² would like to thank Dr. Mhafuzul Islam, General Motors R&D for taking part in our C²M² CPS Frontiers Series. Dr. Islam spoke on March 18, 2022.

Seminar Title

Hybrid Quantum-Classical Machine Learning for Cloud-supported In-Vehicle Cyberattack Detection

Seminar Abstract

Quantum computing is an emerging area, where using the computational power of a quantum computer a vast number of calculations can be performed simultaneously compared to classical computers. Though utilizing the true power of a quantum computer is far-fetched, a hybrid setup of quantum and classical computers can achieve a computational advantage over a classical computer only. In this talk, Dr. Mhafuzul Islam will present one of his studies of using a hybrid quantum-classical neural network to detect a cyberattack on the in-vehicle communication network. This study found that using a hybrid quantum-classical neural network, it is possible to achieve a higher attack detection accuracy compared to a quantum-only neural network, and a classical neural network.

Speaker Bio

Dr. Mhafuzul Islam is currently working as a Senior Researcher in General Motors R&D, USA. He received his Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Civil Engineering from Clemson University and B.Sc. degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). His research area includes transportation cyber-physical systems with an emphasis on data-driven connected autonomous vehicles. During his Ph.D. and M.Sc., Dr. Mhafuzul Islam worked under the supervision of Dr. Mashrur Chowdhury and worked on multiple C2M2 funded research projects. He previously worked as a senior software engineer at Infineon Technologies AG, Germany.  

C²M² invites you to join us in welcoming Elham “Ellie” Masoomkhah, Harvard University, as a part of our C²M² Distinguished Speaker Series. 

Seminar Title

Racist Highways!

Seminar Abstract

US highway system is considered one of the critical infrastructures in the history of transportation in this country. We all use them! We all enjoy the goods and services delivered to us through them. Our cities and towns are interconnected by them. It is almost impossible to imagine our lives without the vast network of interstates that spatially connect us to one another in today’s world. However, there were and still are social and economic costs to these enormous networks of roads. This talk will discuss some of those spatial disparities that are disproportionately burdened by minorities.

Speaker Bio

Ellie is a Geography Information Systems (GIS) enthusiast and actively working to increase spatial awareness by learning, using, teaching, and sharing GIS. She started her GIS career in 2014 at Clemson University Campus Planning and Design as a GIS Specialist. From there, she joined Clemson Center for Geospatial Technologies as GIS Manager, where she managed the daily operations of the Geospatial Center (CCGT). This included managing the geospatial technology consultation services, the implementation, and management of cloud-computing and web-based GIS platforms, sustaining and strengthening the GIS program as the primary provider of GIS-based services, research consultation, and user education to Clemson University students, faculty, and staff from all departments across campus and developing customized training materials for class instruction and project support.

She considers her work as part of CCGT as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that she was fortunate to have as she participated in the development and growth of one of the best geospatial centers nationwide. She is now with the Center as a GIS Consultant since she left Clemson in September 2021 to work as GIS Manager at Harvard University Planning and Design office.

Ellie earned a B.Sc. in Architectural Engineering from the National University of Iran in 2012. She worked as an architect and an urban planner in Iran for a while before leaving home. She obtained her Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning program at Clemson University.

C²M² would like to thank Dr. Taimi Olsen, Clemson University, for taking part in our C²M² Distinguished Speaker Series on January 26th, 2022.

Seminar Title

Inclusive Teaching for Today’s Engineering and Science Students

Seminar Abstract

This interactive talk will address our understanding of and interactions with today’s students, as we think through mindsets, motivations, and engagement practices that can work with Gen Zers and be inclusive and support all students. As experienced educators, how do we know what practices are inclusive, and how do we avoid unintentionally adding barriers to student academic success in higher ed?

Speaker Bio

Dr. Taimi Olsen is an educator and faculty developer with four decades of experience in higher education. She is devoted to universal, transparent teaching, bringing her passion to teaching first generation students, women and students of color, international students, and students with disabilities—and to bring educational support to faculty in these positionalities.

C²M² is happy to share our latest collaborative effort with Clemson’s College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Science to showcase our research in the emerging field of Quantum Artificial Intelligence for Transportation Cyberphisycal Systems. This video features Dr. Mashrur “Ronnie” Chowdhury and explains this exciting new field of research.

Attribution theory refers to the psychological phenomenon where one person tries to perceive others’ cognitive behavior by ascribing their own emotions, opinions, and desires. For instance, while passing at an intersection, a driver expects that the maneuver of other drivers coming from the opposite direction or conflicting movements would be like their own. When expected behaviors do not match the opposite or conflicting movement driver’s future behaviors, a collision is likely to occur. This research investigated the application of attribution theory to assume the opposing drivers’ cognitive behavior and performance at a highway intersection. This phenomenon was evaluated by utilizing the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP-2) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data sources. From the data analysis, it was observed that drivers aged 25-34 years were involved in the highest number of fatal accidents from 2009-2018 in the USA. Besides, it was found that younger drivers (aged 20-years old or less) contributed fewer fatal collisions (44,404 crashes) than elderly drivers (aged 65-years old or more, 62,572 crashes). The impact of the attribution theory and driver age in highway intersection-related collisions were examined from simulation models. From simulations, it was observed that there was a high possibility of collisions when an elderly driver was turning left. In this research, the combination of an elderly driver turning left, and the younger driver going straight resulted in the highest number of collisions compared to other groups. The key findings confirm elderly and younger drivers have different driving behavior that could be ascribed to their attribution. These results can assist transportation agencies to develop training and design strategies to better accommodate elderly drivers due to their declined physical and cognitive abilities and improve drivers’ education programs for younger drivers.

• Final Report
• Technology Transfer Report
• Report Data

C²M² invites you to join us in welcoming Dr. Yunyi Jia, Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research, as a part of our C²M² Distinguished Speaker Series.

Seminar Title

Cloud-based Collaborative Road Condition Monitoring using In-Vehicle Smartphones

Seminar Abstract

Ensuring the safety of transportation systems requires monitoring the conditions of roads. Traditional monitoring and inspection of road conditions require surveyors to go along the roads to search for defects. Such processes are very time consuming, expensive, and labor intensive. Recent automated road condition monitoring approaches require specially equipped vehicles with specific sensors associated with complex processing systems, which is still time consuming and expensive. In addition, all these approaches cannot provide real-time monitoring of road conditions. Therefore, we investigate a more efficient and cost-effective approach to monitor the road conditions through cloud-based collaborative monitoring using in-vehicle smartphone data from conventional vehicle users. We first collect motion and vision data from smartphones and leverage deep learning approaches to detect road conditions. We further send the information from various smartphones to the cloud and fuse the detection results in the cloud in order to generate more complete and precise detection results. Based on the fusion, the road conditions are updated in real time from data reported by the smartphone users and visually displayed in a map which can be viewed by the concerned authorities through a webpage.

The project is sponsored by the USDOT Center for Connected Multimodal Mobility (C²M²) and is a collaboration between Benedict College and Clemson University.

Speaker Bio

Dr. Yunyi Jia is the McQueen Quattlebaum assistant professor in the Department of Automotive Engineering at Clemson University. He directs the Collaborative Robotics and Automation (CRA) Lab and his research focuses on robotics, autonomous vehicles, and advanced sensing systems. He has been the receipt of the SAE Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award, NSF CAREER Award, NSF CPS CRII Award, and SAE Trevor O. Jones Outstanding Paper Award. He received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Michigan State University in 2014. He is currently a senior member of IEEE and a member of ASME and SAE.

Dr. Mashrur “Ronnie” Chowdhury, Eugene Douglas Mays Chair in Transportation, Clemson University, and C²M² Director, along with Dr. Vareva Harris, Assistant Vice President of Enrollment, Benedict College, and our  C²M² Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Chair, presented Ms. Pamela Foster, with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her 36 years spent advocating for civil rights in transportation. Ms. Foster received this award in person at Clemson University as part of the morning session of our C²M² 5th Annual Fall Conference.

During her 36 year career in government service, Ms. Foster was instrumental in starting the National Summer Transportation Institute Program at SCSU; the Southern Transportation Civil Right Executive Council  (representing and supporting eight southeastern state civil rights directors) where she served as Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Advisor for the past 25 years and planned Civil Rights Symposiums and developed learning essentials for advancing civil rights in transportation programs on a national level; and the Regional Entrepreneurial Development Institute for small and disadvantaged businesses now still being deployed in various states across the country
 
Ms. Foster teaches civil rights courses for State DOTs and other transportation agencies and is a highly sought-after instructor in the areas of Title VI, DBE, Equal Opportunity, and Contractor Compliance Programs.  She has authored and served as Subject Matter Expert for the Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) Certification Course now officially endorsed by FHWA for training State DOT certification analysts and FHWA Specialists nationally that are responsible for implementing federal DBE certification regulations under 49 CFR Part 26.

C²M² congratulates Ms. Foster on receipt of this award and looks forward to working with her in the future.

As part of our continuing dialogue on the involvement of HBCUs in University Transportation Centers, C²M² organized and hosted an HBCU Partnership Panel Discussion as part of our C²M² 5th Annual Fall Conference. This morning session was led by Dr. Vareva Harris, Benedict College, and Dr. Mashrur “Ronnie” Chowdhury, Clemson University, and featured the following panelists from various HBCUs around the nation.

• Deo Chimba – Tennessee State University
• Catherine Armwood-Gordon – Tennessee State University
• Stephen Arhin – Howard University
• KrishnaKumar Nedunuri – Central State University
• Mansoureh Jeihani – Morgan State University
• Gurcan Comert – Benedict College
• Judith Mwakalonge – South Carolina State University

Panelists discussed how their institutions currently work with UTCs, and the various barriers they face with involvement as well as their thoughts on how to improve these relationships including how to involve HBCUs that are not partnered with a UTC. They answered questions on how they thought UTCs could strengthen their relationship with HBCUs, increase student participation, and what support they would like to see from the USDOT and UTCs. Following the panel discussion, participants broke out into three break-out sessions where our panelists and audience members further discussed the following before returning to the main chat for a debrief.

• HBCU leadership and partnership in UTCs
  • Moderator: Dr. Mansoureh Jeihani
• Involving more HBCUs in UTCs
  • Moderator: Dr. Sakib Khan
• 2021 American Jobs Plan and HBCU partnership
  • Moderator: Dr. Vareva Harris

75 people participated in this dialogue and C²M² plans to use the takeaways compiled from this discussion to continue working with our HBCU partners and the USDOT to improve HBCU participation in UTCs.

In keeping with tradition, C²M² once again hosted a Student Research Presentation Competition as part of our 5th Annual Fall Conference on October 15th, 2021. This year 15 C²M² supported students took part, each giving a five-minute presentation on their C²M² supported research. Presentations were rated by a panel of outside judges and awards were given to the top three presenters as well as three honorable mentions. The following students received prizes this year:

• First Place $250.00 – Prakhar Gupta
• Second Place $200.00 – Vishal Badyal
• Third Place $150.00 – Jacquan Pollard
• Honorable Mentions – M. Sabbir Salek, Bhavya Padamabhan, Reek Majumder

Congratulations to all of our winners.