27th Annual NJDOT Research Showcase

“Preparing the Workforce for the Future”

The 27th Annual New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Research Showcase is an opportunity for New Jersey’s transportation community to experience the broad scope of ongoing academic research initiatives and share technology transfer activities being conducted by institutions of higher education (IHE) partners and their associates. It also serves to highlight the benefits of transportation research, including NJDOT’s own program. As part of the event, the annual implementation award and recognition of outstanding university students studying in a transportation-related field will be presented. The agenda will include a general session, topical breakout sessions, and a poster display area. Continental breakfast and buffet lunch will be provided.

This year’s event will be held in-person at Mercer County Community College – The Conference Center at Mercer, in West Windsor, NJ. The event will also be livestreamed for those unable to attend in person. PDH credit will only be provided to in-person attendees. You will be asked to select in-person attendance or virtual attendance when you register. Information on accessing the livestream will be provided in registration reminder emails.

The registration deadline is October 20, 2025.

All NJDOT personnel should follow internal procedures for permission to attend. Capital Program Management will have an approved list of attendees. Please ensure your name is on it prior to registering.

*When registering, NJDOT personnel will be asked to identify which Assistant Commissioner their unit reports to:

1. Reporting to Assistant Commissioner for Capital Program Management (CPM)
   Includes Highway & Traffic Design, Traffic Engineering, Pavement & Drainage Management, Right of Way & Access Management, Capital Program Support, Project Management, Bridge Engineering & Infrastructure Management, Maritime, Construction & Materials, and Construction & Materials/Alternative Project Delivery.
2. Reporting to Assistant Commissioner for Local Resources and Community Development (LRCD)
   Includes Local Aid & Economic Development, Community Development, Aeronautics and Modal Grants, Major Access Permits, and Environmental Resources.
3. Reporting to Assistant Commissioner for Statewide Planning, Safety, and Capital Investment (SPSCI)
   Includes Statewide Planning, Safety, and Capital Investment.
4. Reporting to Assistant Commissioner ​for Operations (OPS)
   Includes Transportation Mobility, Mobility Engineering, Operations Support & Engineering, and Emergency Management
5. Reporting to Assistant Commissioner Kelly Hutchinson (Administration)
   Includes Employee Services, Employee Op & Advancement, Support Services
6. Reporting to Assistant Commissioner Charles Maciejunes (Finance and Administration) Includes Budget, Accounting & External Audit, Procurement, Information Technology.

Agenda

9:30 a.m.          Introduction and Housekeeping

David Maruca, Program Development Administrator, Rutgers Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation

9:40 a.m.          Welcoming Remarks

Eric Powers, Assistant Commissioner of Statewide Planning, Safety and Capital Investment, New Jersey Department of Transportation

9:45 a.m.          Opening Remarks

Francis K. O’Connor, Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Transportation

9:50 a.m.          Keynote Address

Debra Sabatini-Hennelly, Resiliti

10:30 a.m.       Break

10:45 a.m.      Panelist Discussion: How are New Jersey Transportation Agencies Preparing the Workforce for the Future?

Moderator: Dave Maruca

• Anthony Ennas, Senior Director of Statewide Operations, New Jersey Department of Transportation
• Kelly Hutchinson, Assistant Commissioner of Human Resources, New Jersey Department of Transportation
• Savita Lachman, Deputy Chief of Human Resources for New Jersey Transit
• Christen Thomas, Senior Manager, Deloitte Consulting LLP

11:45 a.m.       Presentation of 2025 Awards

Presented by Giri Venkiteela, Innovation Officer, New Jersey Department of Transportation

• 2025 Outstanding University Student in Transportation Research Award
• 2025 NJDOT Research Implementation Award
• 2025 Best Poster Award
• 2025 NJDOT Build a Better Mousetrap Award
• 2025 NJDOT Research Excellence Award(s)
• 2025 AASHTO High Value Research Supplemental Award(s)

12:00 p.m.       Buffet Lunch/Break

 1:00 p.m.          Concurrent breakout sessions

• Safety Breakout Session
  • 1:00 PM- 1:20 PM – New Jersey Micromobility Guide (2025), presented by Hannah N. Younes
  • 1:30 PM- 1:50 PM – Time-to-failure and Socioeconomic Data Analysis for Bridge Assessment and Funding Allocation, presented by Lawrencia Akuffo
  • 2:00 PM -2:20 PM – A Multi-Stage Auxetic Metamaterial with Enhanced Stability and Energy Absorption for Transportation Protection presented by Linzhi Li
  • 2:30 PM – 2:40 PM – Harsh Braking as a Surrogate for Crash Risk: A Segment-Level Analysis with Connected Vehicle Telematics, presented by Md Tufajjal Hossain
  • 2:50 PM – 3:00 PM – Investigating the Safe System Approach and School Zone Safety, presented by Md Sadman Islam

  Infrastructure Breakout Session 

  • 1:00 PM- 1:20 PM -Evaluating Storage Stability and Performance Characteristics of Recycled Composite Plastic Modified Asphalt Binders, presented by Sk Md Imdadul Islam
  • 1:30 PM- 1:50 PM – Evaluating Internally Cured High-Performance Concrete Life Cycle Cost Savings in New Jersey Bridges, presented by Kaan Ozbay
  • 2:00 PM -2:20 PM – Real-time Monitoring of Far-Field Concrete Cracks Using Distributed Acoustic Sensing, presented by Yao Wang
  • 2:30 PM – 2:50PM – Beyond the Clock: Sustainable Solutions for Returned Ready-Mix Concrete, presented by Mohamed Mahgoub

  Workforce Development/Knowledge Transfer

  • 1:00 PM- 1:20 PM – Mapping the Future: GIS and GPS Applications for Modern Engineering and Surveying, presented by Avinash Prasad & Indira Prasad
  • 1:30 PM- 1:50 PM – Introducing Transportation Careers to Youth in New Jersey, presented by Todd Pisani
  • 2:00 PM -2:20 PM – GPI’s Workforce Development Challenges and Solutions, presented by Dave Wagner and Dave Kuhn
  • 2:30 PM – 2:50PM – Multi-agent Large Language Model Framework for Code-Compliant Infrastructural Design, presented by Jinxin Chen

• Poster Exhibit

3:00 p.m.          Adjourn

Call for Posters
Call for Abstracts
Research Implementation Award
Outstanding University Student Nomination