Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship Program

The National Center for Sustainable Transportation at UC Davis awards undergraduate research fellowships to students interested in continuing their studies over the summer by conducting research related to environmentally sustainable transportation. We are very excited to have these students working with us!

Learn about how you can apply for our fellowship program!

2024 NCST Undergraduate Research Fellows

Luca Alioto Aldana

Major: Political Science & Community and Regional Development

Mentor: Dr. Jamey Volker

Luca investigated recent California legislation on accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and its impacts on gentle density and housing diversity in Sacramento. Luca analyzed parking supply, travel behavior, and demographic trends to understand both the restrictions on ADU development and who benefits from it.

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Emmet Barwick

Major: Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning

Mentor: Dr. Elisa Barbour

Emmet investigated the impacts of the California legislation SB 375 on land use and transportation planning for metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs). He researched the effectiveness of Regional Transportation Plans and Sustainable Communities Strategies published by MPOs in achieving state greenhouse gas reduction targets, and whether they are consistent with local land use plans.

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Annabella Del Rosario

Major: Sustainable Environmental Design

Mentors: Dr. Kari Watkins and Marcus Chan

Annabella assisted with ridership prediction models and projects on UC Davis Unitrans buses through conducting a literature review of related urban commuter transit methods and datasets. She worked on validating automated passenger counter data in order to research the technological processes of improving prediction accuracy. 

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Cecelia Faller

Major: Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning

Mentors: Dr. Kari Watkins and Maha Ahmad

Cecelia worked to better understand how commuter rails are recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. She compiled data on commuter rail agencies across the nation and programs they have implemented to increase ridership.

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Harjot Gill

Major: Computer Science

Mentor: Dr. Christopher Nitta

Harjot collaborated with MioCar to develop a cost-efficient mobile and backend app for their electric vehicle car sharing service. The project included researching and modeling costs, automating manual processes, and integrating a solution with existing backend systems.

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Lev Gordon-Feierabend

Major: Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning

Mentor: Dr. Elisa Barbour

Lev contributed to a project evaluating state programs for reducing greenhouse gas emissions via changing land use policies (SB375) on a contract from the state air resource board. 

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Leo Hecht

Major: Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning

Mentor: Juan Carlos Garcia Sanchez

Leo worked on several projects developing interactive mapping tools to visualize spatial data related to directing sustainable transportation investments to disadvantaged communities. 

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Lynn Kyaw

Major: Statistics

Mentor: Dr. Basar Ozbilen / 3 Revolutions Future Mobility Program team

Lynn researched how mobility limitations and private vehicle access affect activity participation in the post-pandemic period. This investigation aimed to reveal how these factors influence individuals' ability to engage in various activities, highlighting the lasting impacts of the pandemic on mobility and transportation access. Lynn's work provides valuable insights into post-pandemic mobility inequalities and helps inform policies to enhance accessibility for all.

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Joey Lieberman

Major: Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning

Mentors: Dr. Scott Hardman and Anya Robinson

Joey worked on a project to create a tool for developing governments to use to create their own supply side vehicle emissions policy. He analyzed comments from manufacturers and other entities to understand how the auto industry reacts to regulation.

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Jack Perrin

Majors: Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning & Economics

Mentor: Dr. Caroline Rodier

Jack contributed to a team evaluating a mobility wallet pilot program in Los Angeles using survey data from treatment and control groups. He created data summarizations and visualizations along with conducting statistical analysis to explore the relationship between variables.

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Léa Skille

Major: Design

Mentor: Dr. Beth Ferguson

Léa collaborated with Prof. Ferguson to understand ways to increase shared micromobility ridership, focusing on financial accessibility, ease of use, and the psychological impact of payment plans. The methods taken during this research project include a literature review, survey tool development, field observations, and Spin mobility map design. 

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Nina Smith

Major: Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning

Mentors: Dr. Susie Pike and Bailey Affolter

Nina researched how youth populations are impacted by fare-free transportation programs. She focused on how factors like driver's licensure and employment status in teen populations affect ridership on the Santa Cruz Metro.

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Manreet Sohi

Majors: Computer Science & Economics

Mentor: Dr. Basar Ozbilen / 3 Revolutions Future Mobility Program team

Manreet researched the non-linear relationship between online shopping and shopping vehicle miles traveled using machine learning. 

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Jermaine Swaby

Major: Civil Engineering

Mentors: Dr. Michael Zhang and Dr. Shenyang Chen

Jermaine worked on a project to create multiple simulated models using Simulation of Urban MObility (SUMO) software. He used the software to model and compare data from different signal-controlled all-way stops and roundabouts to enhance pedestrian safety and optimize traffic efficiency.

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2023 NCST Undergraduate Research Fellows

Hrithika Chittanuru

Major: Environmental Science and Management
Mentor: Dr. Susie Pike

Hrithika worked on a research project exploring the consumer market of Microtransit services like ‘SmaRT Ride’ in the Sacramento area. She is looking to analyze the effect of Microtransit services on consumer health by using survey data to create models. 

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Graham Deleon

Major: Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning
Mentor: Dr. Susie Pike

Graham investigated the effectiveness of SB 375, a CEQA streamlining exemption, which allows for city planners to bypass the environmental impact report (EIR) process if certain conditions are met.

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Jonathan Fung

Major: Environmental Engineering
Mentor: Dr. Ali A. Butt and Dr. John Harvey

Jonathan worked with the UC Pavement Research Center to develop a framework and first-order estimate of global warming potential from build-out, maintenance, and rehabilitation, of the world’s roadway infrastructure networks to 2050. 

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Alivia Gharib

Major: Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning
Mentor: Dr. Jamey Volker

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Kaylee Gorham

Major: Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning
Mentor: Dr. Susie Pike

Kaylee researched California transit agencies' perceived obstacles in adopting open-loop payment systems. As cashless transit fare alternatives become more prevalent, her research aims to determine a transition most equitable for underserved populations.

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Thomas Howe

Major: Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning
Mentor: Dr. Elisa Barbour

Thomas researched Regional Transportation Plans and Sustainable Communities Strategies implemented by California’s Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) pursuant to SB 375. He is assisting in a research project for the California Air Resources Board to evaluate how well the MPOs have been working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from passenger vehicles in relation to local land use policies and decisions.

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Randi Huang

Major: Electrical Engineering
Mentor: Dr. Gil Tal

Randi researched the electric vehicle (EV) population within California to find possible trends of EV sales to study the secondary EV market, specifically for battery and plug-in hybrid EVs.

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Wendi Jiang

Major: Environmental Science and Management
Mentor: Dr. Jamey Volker

Wendi studied the effects of the construction of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on homeowners' parking supply and travel behavior.

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Anthony La

Major: Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning & Sustainable Environmental Design
Mentor: Dr. Jesus Barajas

Anthony studied the barriers affecting electric vehicle adoption in marginalized communities to better understand how we can overcome them and achieve equitable electrification of EV transportation overall. 

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Jackson Mills

Major: Community and Regional Planning & Political Science
Mentor: Dr. Elisa Barbour

Jackson researched the Regional Transportation Plans and Sustainable Communities Strategies approved by Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) in California. He is contributing to a research project that analyzes the effectiveness of these plans in terms of land use policies and local implementation strategies.

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Alana Nakafuji

Major: Mechanical Engineering
Mentor: Dr. Dillon Fitch

Alana researched existing and developing bicycle/pedestrian traffic sensor technologies, specifically those with computer-vision software. Quantifying bicycle/pedestrian data ensures adequate funding and infrastructure development for non-motorized means of transportation.

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Melinda Poley

Major: Political Science - Public Service
Mentor: Dr. Susie Pike

Melinda worked with Susan Pike on a Microtransit project which explores pilot adoption and its impact with various transportation modes. She is focusing on the travel behaviors of SmaRT Ride passengers collected from surveys. The process of her data analysis includes identifying the characteristics of nine service zones and how each of them cover the needs of transit riders in relation to one another.

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2022 NCST Undergraduate Research Fellows

Sydney Cliff

Major: Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning
Mentor: Dr. Dillon Fitch

Sydney helped to design a research study investigating the cost and magnitude of bicycle theft, as well as the impacts bicycle theft has on travel behavior and bicycle usage. She conducted a literature search, developed a conceptual model of bike theft, and helped design a survey instrument to collect data for the comprehensive evaluation of the magnitude of bike theft in the U.S. 

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Vincent Colas

Major: Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning
Mentor: Dr. Susie Pike

Vincent worked on a research project that consists of evaluating factors which have contributed to the decrease in active transportation mode use in California since 2012. Precisely, the analysis aimed to examine if the introduction of AB-60 driver's licenses played a role in such decrease between 2012 and 2017.

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Nathan Durwood

Major: Philosophy
Mentor: Dr. Susan Handy

Nathan researched strategies and measures that reduce vehicles miles traveled (VMT) in order for CalTrans to offset the VMT impact of a highway expansion project. He compiled measures and reviewed research on the effectiveness of said measures in reducing VMT.

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Julianne Mackey

Major: Environmental Science and Management
Mentor: Dr. Fraser Shilling

Julianne will be investigating the ecological impacts of Interstate-580 on East Bay Area wildlife communities at the UC Davis Road Ecology Center. Her research involves placing and monitoring camera traps adjacent to I-580, identifying species from animal signs and camera trap photos, and processing California Highway Patrol wildlife collision reports. This project aims to identify potential road barrier effects and areas of conservation concern along I-580. 

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Bruce Markman

Major: Wildlife, Fish, & Conservation Biology
Mentor: Dr. Fraser Shilling

Bruce collaborated with scientists on researching Mountain Lion movement in response to traffic noise and light pollution in Southern California by performing spatial data collection and analysis on the study area using GIS. This study aimed to help establish a management plan for Mountain Lion corridors in Southern California and aid in their conservation.

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Junhong Qu

Major: Landscape Architecture
Mentor: Dr. Elisa Barbour

Junhong investigated the barriers and trade-offs of transit-oriented development by analyzing the progress and accomplishment of transit-oriented development projects in different major cities in California. He helped contribute to a report on these projects that identifies ways to overcome the challenges and tensions in transit-oriented development. 

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Jiawen Tang

Majors: Environmental Science and Management & Statistics
Mentor: Dr. Dahlia Garas

Jiawen compared different institutions' data on the importance of incentives and rebates on people's decisions to change to or continue using plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) instead of vehicles with internal combustion engines. Combined with the comprehensive data, Jiawen helped to produce suggestions for PEV policy support in California's electrification goal for 2035.

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Huy Tran

Major: Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Mentor: Dr. Seongkyu Lee

Huy studied the dynamic stall mitigation due to using a micro cavity beneath an airfoil. Dynamic stall is an adverse, unsteady aerodynamic problem that results in a large excursion of moment and, hence, limits the performance and speed of aerial transportation vehicles. Huy used high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics to investigate the flow instability caused by a micro cavity, which aids to alleviate the dynamic stall phenomenon. This research helps to improve the performance and sustainability of various aerial transformation vehicles, including helicopters, drones, and urban air mobility aircrafts.  

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Zhengyan Zhang

Majors: Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning & Economics
Mentor: Dr. Giovanni Circella

Zhengyan helped to support the research work conducted in the 3 Revolutions Future Mobility Program, specifically on the research projects that focus on the the effects of COVID-19 on transportation patterns. He participated in the implementation and analysis of a survey that tracked lifestyle and transportation adjustments before, during, and after the pandemic. After that, he analyzed the survey results and potential outliers.

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• 2021 NCST Undergraduate Research Fellows
• 

  Rosanely Alvarez-Coria

  Major: Managerial Economics
  Mentors: Dr. Elisa Barbour, Amy Lee, Dr. Susan Handy

  Rosanely’s research involved a series of case studies on land use and transportation projects around California; specifically, looking at their effects on travel behavior and vehicle miles traveled (VMT). She also worked with Amy Lee on coding transportation projects and comparing regional transportation plans to the projects that will ultimately be funded. Additionally, Rosanely worked with Dr. Elisa Barbour on a study considering the impacts of COVID-19 on transportation and implications for state policy efforts to reduce driving and promote efficient transportation for the California Air Resources Board. 

  View Presentation | Download Final Report

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  Marc Arenas

  Majors: Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning & Political Science
  Mentors: Dr. Jesus Barajas

  Marc assisted with a multidisciplinary project that examined four consequences of freeway construction on minority neighborhoods: direct disruption, increasing segregation, diminished access to job or education opportunities, and health impacts due to increasing mobile sources of pollution. In the future, his research efforts will help to identify the racial demographics of the people and communities that were displaced, the impacts on the localized housing market, and the environmental characteristics of the affected neighborhoods by examining the contemporary levels of transportation-related pollutants using geospatial analysis. 

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  Yusuf Azam

  Major: Design
  Mentor: Dr. Beth Ferguson

  Yusuf contributed to research on the Solar Charging Station (SCS) installation for Cruess Hall at the Adapting City Lab. His responsibilities for the SCS included Rhino rendering, design implementation and installation. The SCS combines solar technology, transportation infrastructure, and civic place-making, to provide the public an opportunity to recharge their mobile electronics, e-bikes or e-scooters.

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  Sean Bilter

  Major: Environmental Engineering
  Mentors: Dr. Giovanni Circella and Grant Matson

  Sean contributed to research involving the effects of COVID-19 on transportation patterns and mobility. He participated in the implementation and analysis of a survey that tracked lifestyle and transportation adjustments before, during, and after the pandemic. His work helps researchers better understand the transportation needs of workers in a post COVID-19 society.

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  Morgan Karcs

  Major: International Relations
  Mentor: Dr. Fraser Shilling

  Morgan participated in research on wildlife-vehicle collisions at the UC Davis Road Ecology Center. She processed data from California Highway Patrol reports which were used to update a map of wildlife-vehicle collisions for the online Wildlife Crossing Calculator. She then used this online tool to locate wildlife-vehicle collision hotspots where infrastructure such as fencing and crossing structures would be cost-effective and make the road safer for both humans and wildlife. Finally, she wrote reports proposing mitigation measures for each project area, which will be sent to policymakers.

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  Alma Meckler-Pacheco

  Major: Environmental Science and Management
  Mentor: Dr. Scott Hardman

  Alma contributed to research conducted at the UC Davis Electric Vehicle Research Center. She conducted research on where electric vehicle buyers get their information and how they become engaged in the transition to electric vehicles. Specifically, Alma was investigating word of mouth, internet sources, and other resources used in the decision to buy an electric vehicle. 

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  Holly Murphy

  Major: Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning
  Mentor: Amy Lee

  Holly worked with Amy Lee to illustrate the network of coalitions that oppose and support density and transit oriented housing legislation. They assisted with interview and survey design, creating a contact database of those weighing in on relevant legislation, and analyzing written sources to better understand different perspectives on zoning changes in California.

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  Anthony Nguyen

  Major: Civil Engineering
  Mentors: Dr. Giovanni Circella and Alimurtaza Kothawala

  Anthony's research focused on applications of congestion pricing within and outside of the United States in order to develop strategies and suggestions for building successful pilot programs. The process included gathering relevant literature in preparation for interviews with stakeholders and experts to gain an understanding of their views, vision, and assessment of congestion pricing implementation in Los Angeles. 

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  Felipe Ramirez

  Major: Sustainable Environmental Design
  Mentor: Dr. Jesus Barajas

  Felipe's research focused on the impacts of freeway siting on minority communities. He focused particularly on US Census data analysis and the consequences of freeway siting, including increasing segregation, diminished access to job or education opportunities, health impacts, and the disinvestment and loss of housing, local businesses and local institutions. 

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  Emil Rodriguez

  Major: Civil & Environmental Engineering
  Mentor: Dr. Elisa Barbour

  Emil researched the planning process of California’s 18 Metropolitan Planning Organizations in developing strategies for greenhouse gas emission reductions through land-use planning. He prepared a report for the California Strategic Growth Council analyzing the relationship between regional transportation plans and state and local plans on transportation, housing, and community development with the goal of informing methods to improve coordination and performance.

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  Claire Short

  Major: Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology
  Mentor: Dr. Fraser Shilling

  Claire participated in research on wildlife-vehicle collisions at the UC Davis Road Ecology Center. She processed data from California Highway Patrol reports which were used to update a map of wildlife-vehicle collisions for the online Wildlife Crossing Calculator. She then used this online tool to locate wildlife-vehicle collision hotspots where infrastructure such as fencing and crossing structures would be cost-effective and make the road safer for both humans and wildlife. Finally, she wrote reports proposing mitigation measures for each project area, which will be sent to policymakers.

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  Paola Vargas

  Major: Environmental Science and Management
  Mentor: Dr. Gwen Arnold

  Paola worked with Professor Arnold, whose research strives to understand how economically marginalized, resource-dependent communities respond and create action after experiencing fracking-related impacts. Her research focused on data analysis collected through surveys that examined communities' perceptions of fracking.

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  Jonathan Wang

  Major: Civil Engineering
  Mentor: Dr. Adam Davis

  Jonathan contributed to research involving electric vehicle (EV) charging behavior. He analyzed anonymized GPS traces from California drivers collected as part of an electric vehicle miles traveled survey. He identified the frequency of long-duration stays at home and other locations throughout the day to gain a better understanding of when and where EV drivers charge their vehicles. 

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  Jordan Werkmeister

  Major: Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning
  Mentor: Dr. Gwen Arnold

  Jordan conducted research on the effects of hydraulic fracturing on resource dependent communities. Specifically, she investigated how communities respond to the boom-bust cycles created by the fracking industry and how the boom-bust cycle is conceptualized by governance participants. Additionally, Jordan investigated the impacts of fracking on transportation infrastructure within rural communities.

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  Lucy White

  Major: Sustainable Environmental Design
  Mentor: Dr. Beth Ferguson

  Lucy worked on improving micro mobility in Oakland, California through mobility hubs with the Adapting City Lab. Her projects include focusing on last and first mile connections between public transit and improving bike safety in urban design at the 11th & Broadway Transit center in San Diego, California.   

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• 2020 NCST Undergraduate Research Fellows

• Faiza Alvi

  Major: Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
  Mentors: PH&EV Center

  Faiza conducted research on existing and planned hydrogen infrastructure in California. Specifically, she looked at the different types of hydrogen refueling possible and how fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) can be supported as they grow in popularity. 

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  Emily Carlson

  Major: Design
  Mentors: Dr. Angela Sanguinetti and Dr. Beth Ferguson

  Emily worked on two projects, both exploring visual design’s role in influencing and educating the public on the benefits of sustainable transportation with automobiles. The first project was a survey that researched how to encourage the public to ride in shared autonomous vehicles. The second project was a website that compares electric vehicles to gas vehicles that tries to convince the user that electric vehicles are ultimately the better choice for the environment and the user.

  View EV Explorer Presentation | View RoboTaxi Presentation | Download EV Explorer Report | Download RoboTaxi Report

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  Tak Chun Marcus Chan

  Major: Civil Engineering
  Mentor: Dr. Giovanni Circella

  Marcus participated in the COVID-19 mobility study by analyzing how behaviors and attitudes have changed over time. He also analyzed how people adjusted to the COVID-19 impact in their lives. Specifically, he examined the responses obtained from online surveys and provided key data findings on transportation during this period of time which relate to various factors such as sociodemographic changes, significant locations affected, the scale of outbreak and the appropriate measures the government was implementing.

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  Aristide Fertig

  Major: Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
  Mentors: Dr. Lew Fulton & Dr. Behdad Kiani

  Aristide gathered data on the economic feasibility of the use of hydrogen as a dominant energy source in California. He investigated different methods of hydrogen production using electrolysis, and the amount of hydrogen already being produced in California. He also researched future prospects of hydrogen demand in California by looking at the state’s future in ammonia production and the energy consumption of steel plants.

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  Kailey Flynn

  Major: Environmental Policy, Analysis, and Planning
  Mentor: Dr. Susie Pike

  Kailey used previously-collected survey data to investigate how train users access the Davis Amtrak station and what affects their experience there. She specifically examined how certain variables, like age, gender, and reason for travel, might impact users' transportation choices. She analyzed these areas using regression or other models. She hopes that her work will contribute to our understanding of access modes and access barriers as well as inform the Davis Amtrak Station Access Program.

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  Emma Goldsmith

  Major: Environmental Policy and Analysis
  Mentor: Dr. Elisa Barbour

  Emma explored local policymaking patterns for transit-oriented development, transit, and active transportation in California's four largest regions: the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Sacramento, as well as other case study cities. Emma conducted a literature review of city documents and news coverage on transit-oriented development, transit, and active transportation projects. Additionally, she conducted interviews with key stakeholders and city staff.

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  David Haddad

  Major: Computer Science and Engineering
  Mentors: Dr. Angela Sanguinetti & Dr. Beth Ferguson

  David’s research involved maintaining a tool called “Electric Vehicle (EV) Explorer", a tool that helps consumers decide whether an electric vehicle is right for them. Specifically, David was involved in researching inputs such as updated vehicle purchase and leasing costs, maintenance costs, and incentive amounts.

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  Janet Jin

  Major: Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning
  Mentor: Dr. Elisa Barbour

  Janet investigated how cities in California are adopting plans and policies to support transit-oriented development (TOD), transit, and active transport. Specifically, Janet drafted case studies on selected California cities that assess their motivations, obstacles, and priorities for promoting development near transit.

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  Eben Kohn

  Major: Managerial Economics
  Mentor: Dr. Debapriya Chakraborty

  Eben contributed to research conducted at the UC Davis Plug-in Hybrid & Electric Vehicle (PH&EV) Research Center. He contributed to an investigation of models that predict household vehicle choice and travel behavior. Eben and his team investigated how these models can be improved to account for electric vehicles as well.

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  Min Kyaw

  Major: Environmental Science and Management
  Mentor: Dr. Fraser Shilling

  Min analyzed the impact of COVID-19-related stay-at-home orders on the occurrences of wildlife-traffic collisions. Analyses were conducted through Caltrans' Performance Measurement System (PeMS) traffic data source and the California Highway Patrol's (CHP) vehicular incident reports. Additionally, Min assisted fellowship advisor Fraser Shilling by tagging wildlife images captured on the Wildlife Observer Network's (WON) camera operations for future analyses. 

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  Leo McGrath

  Major: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
  Mentor: Dr. Nesrin Serigul-Klijn

  Leo researched how to reduce unmanned aerial system noise levels with a focus on smaller package delivery systems. As a part of this effort, Leo designed a deployment system for a noise reduction device called a microtab that Professor Sarigul-Klijn researched.

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  Mae Moninghoff

  Major: Cognitive Science and Computer Science
  Mentors: PH&EV Center

  Mae assisted in the development of an intelligent fuel-optimization algorithm for hybrid electric vehicles which utilizes GPS data and charger location data to predict when a driver will next be able to charge their vehicle. She worked alongside graduate students in writing the code required to achieve this goal, as well as organizing and supplying relevant data to her team, such as charger location and usage statistics.

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  Tricia Nguyen

  Major: Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology
  Mentor: Dr. Fraser Shilling

  Tricia worked with the UC Davis Road Ecology Center to help research the impacts of the California COVID-19 stay-at-home order on the frequency of wildlife-vehicle conflicts and the effect of sea level rise on shoreline birds in habitat near coastal transportation infrastructure. Tricia analyzed Freeway Performance Measurement System (PeMS) and California Highway Incident Processing System (CHIPS) data, as well as developed a method for analyzing videos from time-lapse cameras at shoreline habitats. 

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  Zachary Ramalingam

  Major: Civil Engineering
  Mentor: Dr. John Harvey

  Zachary conducted research related to the development of a life cycle assessment framework for complete streets project. In particular, he reviewed performance measures for equity by examining case studies and testing the feasibility of the proposed socio-economic indicators. 

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  Malak Saleh

  Major: Environmental Science and Management
  Mentor: Dr. Fraser Shilling

  Malak worked with a group of undergrad students to analyze the effects the COVID-19 stay at home order has had on the rate of wildlife vehicle conflicts in California. Malak performed a data analysis to determine if there is any correlation between reductions in traffic and reductions in wildlife vehicle collisions. She also worked on a separate project to track the presence of wildlife near highways in the East Bay.

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  Grant Sles

  Major: Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning
  Mentor: Dr. Dillon Fitch

  Grant studied the relationship between the active transportation planning process and gentrification in the Sacramento area. Specifically, he evaluated the public engagement efforts made by transportation planners developing active transportation plans in low-income neighborhoods.

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  Chantheary Soth

  Major: Computer Science
  Mentors: Dr. Angela Sanguinetti & Dr. Beth Ferguson

  Chantheary worked working on the full-stack development of a custom survey tool that proposes design strategies for shared automated vehicles to encourage ride-share and mitigate risk to passenger privacy and safety. The survey provides insight to passenger behavior by their response to a given shared autonomous vehicle design followed by various scenarios. This custom survey tool provides great flexibility in creating a more realistic and interactive experience for survey participants.

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  Gabrielle Trujillo

  Major: Biological Sciences
  Mentor: Dr. Fraser Shilling

  Gabrielle participated in organizing and analyzing data on animal collisions in relation to traffic values. She utilized systems, including PeMS and CHIPS, to draw conclusions on how the COVID-19 pandemic possibly alters trends in wildlife traffic incidents.

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  Anna Wang

  Major: Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning
  Mentor: Dr. Susan Handy

  Anna worked with her mentor, Susan Handy, on her research in finding factors that influence teenager’s attitudes towards driving. Anna composed the literature review to find existing research on the relationship between communication patterns among families and driving behavior, the impact of a graduated license system (GLS) on delayed licensure, and the associations of personality, self-identity, and peer behavior on adolescent attitudes on driving. In addition, Anna researched the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on transportation for the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in a project that identifies barriers to reduce the carbon footprint of transportation. Anna investigated and tracked changes in transportation policy and operations that emerged as a result of the pandemic.

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• 2019 NCST Undergraduate Research Fellows

• Sonia Anthoine

  Major: Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Mentors: Dr. Susan Handy & Dr. Dillon Fitch

  Sonia used travel data from two waves of surveys conducted in the Sacramento Region to better understand travel behavior in California's capital and the surrounding area. Sonia's analysis was part of a larger body of work that will provide valuable information that will help cities create better plans and regulations to promote reductions in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) through the use of bike and scooter share and other active transportation options.

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  Noam Baharav

  Major: Environmental Science and Management
  Mentors: Dr. Gil Tal & Dr. Debapriya Chakraborty

  Noam is first author on a study submitted for review to the Transportation Research Board. Her study was the first to examine gender differences in charging behavior for plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles (collectively known as PEVs) and potential motivations or barriers behind these behaviors. Noam conducted extensive literature review, transcription and overview of 40 participant interviews, performed data cleaning, and assisted with statistical analysis. Collaborating with and assisted by her mentors, Noam co-wrote the research paper for review. The study uncovered statistically significant gender differences in PEV charging behavior and explored potential causes for these differences.

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  Scott Begneski

  Major: Civil Engineering
  Mentors: Dr. Gil Tal & Dr. Debapriya Chakraborty

  Scott supported a project funded by BMW to understand the integration of used electric vehicles in the campus vehicle fleet.  The campus collected data from the vehicles in both the daily and hourly rental fleet, and this data was analyzed to compare how the electric vehicles are used compared to conventional gasoline or diesel vehicles or hybrid vehicles. The goals of this project were to understand the challenges to EV adoption in fleets, and potential cost savings, and the user experience.

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  Bingchu Chen

  Major: Geography and Environmental Studies
  Mentors: Dr. Susan Handy & Dr. Dillon Fitch

  Bingchu assisted with a literature review and data analysis in a research synthesis project about the benefits of bike/pedestrian programs and projects with a specific look at safety outcomes from road designs. The project focused on studies that quantify benefits from programs and projects with a focus on intervention and natural experiments, which will help inform California's process for reviewing proposals submitted for funding through the Active Transportation Program (ATP). This project also considered the current laws and regulations for designing and planning roads with a focus on safety outcomes and antecedents. It included current methods for setting speed limits and examined the California specific laws on road design, which part of the synthesis helped inform the California Zero Traffic Fatality Task Force (AB 2363).

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  Lorna Haworth

  Major: Environmental Science and Management - Ecology
  Mentor: Dr. Gwen Arnold

  Lorna’s research project consisted of a literature review about wildlife crossings across roadways. Data was collected from scholarly journals of specific projects under an array of parameters. Some of these parameters include geographic location, ecosystem, species type, listed status, and the degree to which success is measured. From this cumulation of data, Lorna analyzed and reported trends among wildlife corridors in the United States.

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  Danielle Levin

  Major: Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning
  Mentors: Dr. Giovanni Circella & Grant Matson

  Danielle assisted in the data refining and preliminary analysis process for a survey project that focuses on attitudes surrounding emerging transportation trends.  The survey involves a social science approach and reflects how apprehensive or excited different generations are about the future of autonomous vehicles.

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