Nazanin Morshedlou (Tajik), Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Mississippi State University. She received her B.S. from the Sharif University of Technology, her M.S. from the University of Tehran, and her Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma (OU). At OU, she was a graduate research assistant in the Risk-Based Systems Analytics Laboratory.

At MSU, she has established a cross-disciplinary, inter-university research center that integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, Machine Learning (ML), and Social Science (SS) concepts. Her goal is to form a problem-solving framework applicable to a wide variety of research thrusts, from cyber-physical-social infrastructure resilience to search and rescue planning, and from smart transportation to game-theoretic robotic designs.

Her publications have appeared in journals as Transportation Research Part B, IEEE Systems, International Journal of Production Economics, and Journal of Infrastructure Systems. She is a member of the Institute for Operations Research and Management Science (INFORMS), Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE), Production and Operations Management Society (POMS).

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Six early-stage AI companies — Augment, Fleetworks, GenLogs, HappyRobot, Qued and Vooma —are coming together with the Northwestern University Transportation Center at the Spring 2025 Industry Technical Workshop to show “how AI is moving freight.”

The Workshop will explore the growing role and potential of AI in automating communication, streamlining workflows, and improving overall efficiency in logistics management. The panelists will discuss actual applications of how AI-powered automation is improving task efficiency, reducing operational costs, enhancing service reliability, and potentially reshaping the industry.

Workshop Agenda

WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 2025

2:00 PM Welcome / Opening Remarks

Hani Mahmassani | Director | NUTC

Bret Johnson | Sr. Associate Director | NUTC

2:10 PM Presentations

Harish Abbott, Founder, Augment LLC

Jesse Buckingham, Co-Founder, Vooma

Kris Forrest, Head of Sales, GenLogs

Prasad Gollapalli, CEO and Chairman, Qued

Pablo Palafox, Co-founder & CEO, HappyRobot Inc.

Paul Singer, Co-founder & CEO, FleetWorks

3:15 PM Networking Break

3:45 PM Panel Discussion

Moderator - John Larkin, Strategic Advisor & Chair of Advisory Board, Clarendo Capital LLC

4:45 PM End of Program

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Bio:

Ricaurte Vásquez Morales was appointed Administrator of the Panama Canal Authority for a seven-year period starting September 2019.

Dr. Vásquez is a Panamanian economist with an extensive and successful professional career of 50 years in the government sector and in private companies in financial, economic and administrative management.

Within the public administration he has held prominent positions such as: Minister of Finance and Treasury, Minister of Planning and Economic Policy as well as of Economy and Finance in 2004. He was the first non-US Chief Financial Officer for the Panama Canal and later Deputy Administrator and President of the Board of Directors. In the private sector, his experience covers banking at Chase Manhattan Bank, mining development with Rio Tinto Zinc in the development of the Cerro Colorado copper project. More recently at General Electric with regional responsibilities and covering Gas-to-Power initiatives in Latin America, retiring in 2015 to carry out his professional practice with SIGMA Management Advisors Corp.

Ricaurte Vásquez holds a Ph. D. and M.S. from Rensselaer Polytechnic, a M.E. from North Carolina State University and a B.S. from Villanova University. He has been a professor of Economics and Finance in Panama and abroad. His professional experience is complemented as a university professor of Economics at Florida State University, at its headquarters in Panama

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The Annual William A. Patterson Distinguished Transportation Lecture is named for William A. "Pat" Patterson. In 1980, the NUTC established the Lecture as an integral part of the Patterson Endowment. It has since become an annual highlight at Northwestern University, drawing influential speakers from all facets of the transportation industry.

William A. "Pat" Patterson was a central figure in the United States air transport industry for more than four decades. He served as president and chairman of United Airlines from 1934 until his retirement in 1966. He was a life trustee of Northwestern University and was instrumental in the establishment and strategic leadership of the Transportation Center.

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Abstract

TBD

Bio

Mr. Talvitie is a transportation consultant and certified psychoanalyst. He resides in Chicago, IL, USA. He is Professor (Emeritus) at Aalto University, Finland. Previously, Mr. Talvitie was a Senior Transport Specialist at the World Bank, served as Director of Highway Construction and Maintenance in the Finnish Road Administration, and was Professor and Chairman of the Department of Civil Engineering at the State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY-Buffalo). Mr. Talvitie graduated from Aalto University, Espoo, Finland. He has an MSc and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. He is a Certified Psychoanalyst (Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis).

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Abstract

For the past thirty years, the MIT Transit Lab has been engaged in long-term research collaborations with a range of large urban public transport agencies including London (Transport for London), Boston (MBTA), Chicago (CTA), Washington DC (WMATA), San Juan (PRHTA) and Hong Kong (MTR). Much of this stream of research has focused on the role that automatic data collection systems can play in improving transit performance including tackling fundamental problems such as passenger origin-destination matrix estimation and measuring service reliability, using data from automated fare collection systems and automatic vehicle monitoring systems. This seminar will focus on recent MIT initiatives in transit operations analysis, much of which builds on the earlier work but also includes use of newer data sources and more advanced analysis methods.

Bio

Professor Nigel Wilson, director of the MIT Transit Research Program, has more than 30 years experience dealing with operations, management and planning issues associated with transit systems worldwide. His research and teaching focus on urban public transportation, including topics related to the operation, analysis, planning and management of transit systems. Specific research activities he has directed include using automated data systems to improve planning and operations, workforce planning in the transit industry, short-range transit planning methods, the role of private operators in public transportation and the potential for computers and communication systems to improve the performance of transit systems. During two leaves from MIT, he worked directly in three large transit agencies, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (1985-86), London Transport (1992-93) and Metro Transit (2008-2009) and has also consulted to a number of other North American transit authorities. Additional information about Professor Wilson can be found on MIT's Civil and Environmental Engineering website.

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2024-2025 Commencement Ceremony

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McCormick School of Engineering PhD Hooding and Master's Degree Recognition Ceremony. The most up to date information can be found on our graduation webpage.

McCormick School of Engineering Undergraduate Convocation. The most up to date information can be found on our graduation webpage.

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The aim of the ITEA Annual School is to provide young researchers with a high-quality introduction to academic research on transportation economics, including many recent advances in the field. The School’s program consists of a series of lectures and tutorials conducted by some of the most prominent researchers in transportation economics. In addition, the students are given the possibility to present their own work at the Conference.

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The aim of the ITEA Annual School is to provide young researchers with a high-quality introduction to academic research on transportation economics, including many recent advances in the field. The School’s program consists of a series of lectures and tutorials conducted by some of the most prominent researchers in transportation economics. In addition, the students are given the possibility to present their own work at the Conference.

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The aim of the ITEA Annual School is to provide young researchers with a high-quality introduction to academic research on transportation economics, including many recent advances in the field. The School’s program consists of a series of lectures and tutorials conducted by some of the most prominent researchers in transportation economics. In addition, the students are given the possibility to present their own work at the Conference.

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The aim of the ITEA Annual Conference is to promote scientific excellence in the field of transportation economics and to provide a forum for scientific exchange. Research presented at the conference covers both theory and empirical work, including all transport modes and a wide range of research methodologies.

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The aim of the ITEA Annual Conference is to promote scientific excellence in the field of transportation economics and to provide a forum for scientific exchange. Research presented at the conference covers both theory and empirical work, including all transport modes and a wide range of research methodologies.

Related Info

The aim of the ITEA Annual Conference is to promote scientific excellence in the field of transportation economics and to provide a forum for scientific exchange. Research presented at the conference covers both theory and empirical work, including all transport modes and a wide range of research methodologies.

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