Key Research Area: Transportation

Gray sedan parked in front of the UNLV Science and Engineering Building

Key Research Area: Transportation

Why UNLV?

Serving a commuter community in the heart of Las Vegas and the U.S. Southwest, UNLV is ideally positioned for transportation research. With direct connections to Las Vegas' arterial roadways, the university tackles challenges in urban mobility, multi-modal systems, and pedestrian safety, turning theory into practice to benefit both the local community and the broader region.

UNLV hosts a strong team of multidisciplinary researchers who develop new transportation technologies and systems to serve the needs of Las Vegas, the state of Nevada, the Southwest, and the world. The university is also home to the Transportation Research Center, a research hub dedicated to facilitating and promoting transportation related research, education and outreach initiatives to address current, emerging, and long-term needs and challenges for a vibrant transportation system.

Transportation Expertise at UNLV

UNLV Engineering faculty engage with various aspects of transportation systems and infrastructure. Researchers collaborate with federal, state and county agencies to address many areas, including:

Traffic safety engineering
Traffic and pedestrian safety
Infrastructure management
Bridge and foundation engineering
Pavement materials
Construction safety
Rail engineering
Transportation systems analysis and evaluation
Traffic operations and control
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Research Highlights

The Power of AI in Making our Roads Safer

UNLV Engineering researchers are pioneering new frontiers by automating various segments of transportation crash data management. Project leads Jay Park, Shashi Nambisan, and Cristian Arteaga are using voice-activated AI to streamline the collection of traffic accident data, generating comprehensive crash reports in real-time with minimal human input. The project showcases the power of cutting-edge technology in enhancing human-computer interactions in order to make our roads safer.

For more information, email Jay Park at jee.park@unlv.edu.

Speed Bumps to Reduce Pedestrian Fatalities

A UNLV Engineering team has developed a technology to address distracted driving and help prevent rising pedestrian fatalities in Nevada. The UNLV-born Dynamic Rumble Strips (DRS) system is installed in roadways, and it activates only when necessary to alert drivers to pedestrians or bicyclists in a crosswalk by creating an on-demand rumble effect. The project, led by Brendan Morris, demonstrates how UNLV Engineering is translating lab research into real-world transportation solutions to enhance safety on our roads.

For more information, email Brendan Morris at brendan.morris@unlv.edu.

Driving the Future of Autonomous Vehicle Safety

A UNLV Engineering team is using intersections around campus as a laboratory and a training ground for students to make autonomous vehicles of the future safer. Led by Brendan Morris, the team is equipping the infrastructure around campus intersections with advanced sensors to monitor and model the movement of pedestrians and vehicles. Known as vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, the sensors can communicate in real-time with connected autonomous vehicles (CAVs), giving an expanded understanding of the surrounding environment for safer operations and enhanced intersection safety. The ultimate goal is to test this cutting-edge technology with a self-driving car completing a full loop around campus.

For more information, email Brendan Morris at brendan.morris@unlv.edu.

“My research has afforded me an exceptional platform to tackle real-world challenges in road safety. My work involves a detailed exploration of disparities in crash and fatality rates between rural and urban areas in Nevada and California. This research has been pivotal in advancing my understanding of how data-driven insights can significantly enhance road safety and save lives.”

Khandaker “Arafin” Islam, Civil & Environmental Engineering Ph.D. Candidate, Class of 2025