Distinguished Lecture Series with Azim Eskandarian, Ph.D.
Speaker(s): Azim Eskandarian, Ph.D., Department Head and Nicholas & Rebecca Des Champs Professor — Virginia Tech, Director — Autonomous Systems and Intelligent Machines Lab
Presentation Title: Autonomous And Connected Vehicle Safety
Location: U-M Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) Collaborative Meeting Space
2901 Baxter Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (Room 139)
Date/Time: Tuesday, November 30th, 2021 | 2:00 PM ET
Continuing Education Units (CEU): .1*
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Abstract: A significant, persisting challenge in transportation is traffic safety which, despite a decrease in vehicle miles traveled (VMT), led to 38,680 deaths and over 2.8 million injuries in the United States last year. Traffic crashes also result in an estimated economic loss of over $230 billion annually. Integrated vehicle passive and active safety systems and connectivity are required to mitigate crashes or avoid collisions.
For the final Distinguished Lecture Series of 2021, the Center for Connected and Automated Transportation (CCAT) is pleased to welcome Dr. Azim Eskandarian to review some timely research areas on vehicle control systems, signal processing, and communication-enabled connectivity to address the pervasive vehicle safety problem. Dr. Eskandarian will also discuss a holistic approach to vehicular safety and its advanced research challenges, including connectivity, ranging from partial to full autonomy and collision avoidance implications. Attendees will see a critical perspective on personal mobility and the future of driving that ensures safety and congestion mitigation while minimizing energy consumption.
Speaker Bio:
Dr. Azim Eskandarian is the Department Head and Nicholas and Rebecca Des Champs Chair/Professor of the Mechanical Engineering Department at Virginia Tech. He established the autonomous systems and intelligent machines laboratory at VT to research intelligent and autonomous vehicles and mobile robotics. Before that, he was a Professor of Engineering and Applied Science at The George Washington University, the founding Director of the Center for Intelligent Systems Research, the Director of the “Transportation Safety and Security” University Area of Excellence, and the co-founder/Director of the National Crash Analysis Center. Earlier, he was an Assistant Professor at Pennsylvania State University, York, PA and worked as an engineer/project manager in the industry. He has over 36 years of academic and engineering experience and has conducted pioneering research in dynamics and control, intelligent systems, and applied mechanics, with applications in intelligent vehicles, vehicle dynamics and control, automotive safety, neuroengineering, and robotics.
Dr. Eskandarian was awarded the Society of Automotive Engineers Vincent Bendix Automotive Electronics Engineering Award in 2021, the IEEE Intelligent Transportation (ITS) Society’s Outstanding Researcher Award in 2017, and the GWU’s School of Engineering Outstanding Researcher Award in 2013. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Transactions on ITS. He has served as the associate editor and editorial board member of five other journals, including ASME Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurements, and Controls. He is the co-author and Chief Editor of “Handbook of Intelligent Vehicles”, which has been widely used, and due to popular demand, was translated into Chinese in 2014. He was among the highest cited authors of IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) between 2001-2010.
Dr. Eskandarian is a fellow of ASME, a senior member of IEEE, and a member of SAE professional societies, a member of Tau Beta PI and PI Tau Sigma engineering honor societies. He also served as president of GW’s chapter of the Sigma Xi scientific research society. He was the VP of Administration and the three times elected member of the Board of Governor of the IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Society. He is also active in ASME Dynamic Systems and Control technical committees. He received his BS, MS, and DSC degrees in Mechanical engineering from GWU, Virginia Tech, and GWU, respectively.