Event Calendar
Past Event
NUTC Seminar Series| "Flow Through Tensors: A New Computational Architecture for Layering Computational Graphs in Transportation Network Optimization" - Xuesong (Simon) Zhou, Arizona State University
Northwestern University Transportation Center
4:00 PM
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Ruan Conference Center, Chambers Hall
Details
Abstract
The increasing complexity of transportation networks demands computational architectures that integrate data, algorithms, and scalability in a unified framework. This talk introduces a tensor-based approach to transportation network modeling and optimization, emphasizing the use of layered computational graphs to handle flows, travel times, and system-wide performance. By leveraging layered tensor operations, network flows are redefined as multi-dimensional entities, enabling efficient propagation of origin-destination (OD) flows, path probabilities, and link travel times. This architecture bridges classical optimization techniques with neural methodologies to address challenges in dynamic traffic assignment, vehicle routing, and multimodal transport systems.
Bio
Xuesong (Simon) Zhou is a Professor of Transportation Systems at the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University (ASU), Tempe, Arizona. Dr. Zhou's research focuses on developing methodological advancements in multimodal transportation planning applications, including dynamic traffic assignment, traffic estimation and prediction, large-scale routing, and rail scheduling. Dr. Zhou has served as an Associate Editor of Transportation Research Part C, is currently the Executive Editor-in-Chief of Urban Rail Transit, and an Editorial Board Member of Transportation Research Part B. He has also chaired the INFORMS Rail Application Section (2016 and 2025) and currently serves as a subcommittee chair of the TRB Committee on Transportation Network Modeling (AEP40).
Dr. Zhou is the Director of the ASU Transportation+AI Lab, where he is the principal architect and programmer for several open-source packages, including DTALite, NEXTA, and OSM2GMNS, which have collectively received over 100,000 downloads and many system deployments at various metropolitan planning agencies and state DOTs. He has published over 100 papers in Transportation Research Part B, Transportation Research Part C, and other leading transportation journals, with an H-index of 60 and a total of 11,000 citations in Google Scholar.
In addition to his academic achievements, Dr. Zhou is passionate about connecting practitioners, researchers, academics, students, and others involved in transportation planning and travel modeling. He serves as the conference chair for the TRB Innovations in Travel Analysis and Planning Conference in 2023, and a board member of Zephyr Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing transportation research and education.
Time
Thursday, April 10, 2025 at 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Location
Ruan Conference Center, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern University Transportation Center
Regular registration for Winter quarter begins
University Academic Calendar
All Day
Details
Regular registration for Winter quarter begins
Time
Monday, November 16, 2026
Contact
Calendar
University Academic Calendar
NUTC'S 70th Anniversary Workshop
Northwestern University Transportation Center
12:15 PM
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Room 2350, Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center
Details
12:15 PM Registration and Networking - 70th Anniversary Industry Workshop
12:45 PM Welcome
Bret Johnson, Interim Director, NUTC
1:00 – 2:30 PM Session 1: Talent, Leadership, and Purpose in Preparation for the Next 30 Years
Moderator: Elsy Ocejo, Fractional COO/CSCO
J. Edward Colgate, Walter P. Murphy Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Allen and
Johnnie Breed Senior Professor in Design; Director, NSF Engineering Research Center
on Human AugmentatioN via Dexterity (HAND)
Xiaopeng Li, Harvey D. Spangler Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering, Director, USDOT Rural Autonomous Vehicle Program for People Movement, University of Wisconsin, Madison
2:30 – 3:00 PM Break
3:00 – 3:30 PM Presentation: Retrospective of the Transportation Center over 7 Decades
Rachel Cole, Head of Northwestern Transportation Library
3:30 – 5:00 PM Session 2: 70 Years Forward: NUTC's Legacy and the Next Chapter in Transportation & Supply Chain Systems
Moderator: Joseph Schofer, Emeritus Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Northwestern
Ben Mclean, CEO, Ruan Transportation Management Systems
Ian Savage, Associate Chair, Professor of Instruction, Department of Economics, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern
Karen Smilowitz, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education, Northwestern; James N. and Margie M. Krebs Professor of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences,
McCormick School of Engineering & Applied Science; Professor of Operations, Kellogg
School of Management
Jeff Silver, CEO, Master Logistics Systems; Chair, NUTC Business Advisory Council (BAC)
Justin Zubrod, Managing Partner, Justin Zubrod & Company; former Chair, NUTC BAC
Time
Tuesday, November 17, 2026 at 12:15 PM - 5:00 PM
Location
Room 2350, Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern University Transportation Center
NUTC 70th Anniversary Speaker - Karen M. Jones, Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer & Head of New Product Development, Ryder System.
Northwestern University Transportation Center
7:45 PM
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Walter Athletics Center
Details
While Northwestern celebrates its 175th Anniversary this year, the NUTC - Northwestern University Transportation Center is celebrating its 70th anniversary of operations. In 1954 the Northwestern Board of Trustees approved the establishment of the Center and in 1955 Franklin M. Kremil, who established the Traffic Institute of Northwestern in 1936, was named the acting director. The Center opened for formal operations on October 3, 1956.
Following the NUTC Fall 2026 Business Advisory Council & NUTC 70th Anniversary Dinner, NUTC's featured 70th Anniversary speaker is Karen Jones, Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer & Head of New Product Development, Ryder System.
Her talk is titled – The Times They Are a Changin’.
This is an invitation only event.
Time
Tuesday, November 17, 2026 at 7:45 PM - 8:30 PM
Location
Walter Athletics Center Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern University Transportation Center
NUTC Seminar Series: "Multimodal Freight Facility Simulation Analysis" - Cal Skiles, Northwestern
Northwestern University Transportation Center
4:00 PM
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Ruan Conference Center, Chambers Hall
Details
Time
Thursday, November 19, 2026 at 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Location
Ruan Conference Center, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern University Transportation Center
Dissertation, PhD Final Exam, and change of grade forms due to TGS for Fall PhD candidates
University Academic Calendar
All Day
Details
Dissertation, PhD Final Exam, and change of grade forms due to TGS for Fall PhD candidates
Time
Friday, November 20, 2026
Contact
Calendar
University Academic Calendar
Thanksgiving Vacation begins at 6:00 PM (No classes, University offices closed)
University Academic Calendar
All Day
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Thanksgiving Vacation begins at 6:00 PM (No classes, University offices closed)
Time
Wednesday, November 25, 2026
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Calendar
University Academic Calendar
Fall Classes Resume
University Academic Calendar
All Day
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Fall Classes Resume
Time
Monday, November 30, 2026
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Calendar
University Academic Calendar
Fall classes end
University Academic Calendar
All Day
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Fall classes end
Time
Saturday, December 5, 2026
Contact
Calendar
University Academic Calendar
Fall Exams begin
University Academic Calendar
All Day
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Fall Exams begin
Time
Monday, December 7, 2026
Contact
Calendar
University Academic Calendar
Fall exams end
University Academic Calendar
All Day
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Fall exams end
Time
Saturday, December 12, 2026
Contact
Calendar
University Academic Calendar
Northwestern Engineering PhD Hooding and Master's Recognition Ceremony
McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
4:00 PM
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Pick-Staiger Concert Hall
Details
The ceremony will take place on Saturday, December 12 in Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, 50 Arts Circle Drive.
Time
Saturday, December 12, 2026 at 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Location
Pick-Staiger Concert Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
Winter Recess Starts - University Closed Through January 1st, 2027
University Academic Calendar
All Day
Details
Winter Recess Starts - University Closed Through January 1st, 2027
Time
Thursday, December 24, 2026
Contact
Calendar
University Academic Calendar
Winter classes begin
University Academic Calendar
All Day
Details
Winter classes begin
Time
Monday, January 4, 2027
Contact
Calendar
University Academic Calendar
No classes- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
University Academic Calendar
All Day
Details
No classes- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Time
Monday, January 18, 2027
Contact
Calendar
University Academic Calendar