Engineering professor honored for distinguished scientific research

Nazzal’s work has focused on translating recent progress in nano-scale science and engineering to  transportation infrastructure design practice. To accomplish this, Nazzal and his team have used nano-scale techniques to characterize nano-structural properties of various infrastructure materials that can be used to interpret their macro-scale responses and optimize their performance.

“Dr. Nazzal is considered to be one of the pioneers in using nanotechnology to study the behavior and performance of infrastructure materials,”  said Walaa Mogawer, Commonwealth Professor and Director of Highway Sustainability Research Center at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. 

Nazzal and his team focus their research on the use of connected and autonomous (self-driving) vehicles for road assessments, with preparation of infrastructure for next-generation transportation. Recently, Nazzal developed an artificial intelligence system that uses connected and autonomous vehicle sensor data to assess damage in infrastructure assets, such as potholes. This research has established a new direction for using vehicle sensors data for infrastructure asset evaluation, and is one the first efforts to prepare roadways for future mobility needs including autonomous vehicles.

Nazzal is partnering with Honda, the infrastructure engineering firm Parsons Corp., the consulting firm i-Probe and the Ohio Department of Transportation on the first project in the world to use sensors in production-level vehicles to examine assets of transportation infrastructure. The results of this project will have major impacts in the transportation sector, aiming to reduce costs, improve public safety by reducing accidents, and facilitate the safe, widespread deployment of connected and autonomous vehicles. 

“This partnership with Professor Nazzal will result in a paradigm shift in road infrastructure asset evaluation, management, and maintenance, by enabling drivers to contribute to building a safer and smoother roadway. In addition, it will proactively prepare roadways for future mobility needs (such as connected and autonomous vehicles)," said Sue Bai, chief of data business at American Honda Motor Company, Inc.

Featured image at top: Munir Nazzal presents his transporation research. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand