Umair Jalil Malik – Civil Engineering – Young Scientist Award

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 Mr. Umair Jail Malik distinguished academic and researcher in the  Civil Engineering. He is a dedicated Laboratory Engineer at NUST, Pakistan since September 2023, where he delivers engaging lectures to undergraduate students, offering guidance and support in designing and executing research and laboratory experiments. With a keen eye for detail, he meticulously manages lab maintenance and operations, ensuring a conducive environment for academic pursuits. His role extends to conducting lab testing and preparing comprehensive reports to document findings.

Prior to this role, he served as a Junior Engineer at INN Consulting Engineers, where he adeptly prepared reports, designs, and working drawings for various projects. Collaborating closely with architects, he integrated their perspectives seamlessly into designs for client review and approval, showcasing his ability to work within interdisciplinary teams.

His journey in the field began as a Research Assistant, contributing significantly to diverse industrial and commercial projects under the guidance of Dr. Rao Arsalan Khushnood, the Head of Research. Here, he honed his research skills, conducted thorough data analysis, and meticulously documented project progress.

Moreover, he gained valuable experience in construction project management during his tenure at the Project Management Office – NUST, where he excelled in tasks such as cost estimation and quantity takeoff. Earlier, during his internship at Universal Construction Company (Pvt.) Ltd., he developed proficiency in concrete takeoff and structure planning, alongside mastering tools like AutoCAD and Primavera.

 

🌐 Professional Profiles

Educations📚📚📚

He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Islamabad, Pakistan, in June 2023. With a major in Structural Engineering, he achieved an impressive CGPA of 3.81 out of 4.00. His academic journey culminated in a thesis titled “Evaluation of Effective Stiffness of High-performance Fiber Reinforced Cement Composites (HPFRCC)/Engineered Cementitious Composite at the Material Level, Cross-section Level, and Structural Level.”

Throughout his undergraduate years, he demonstrated a strong commitment to academic excellence and a keen interest in structural engineering. His thesis focused on evaluating the effective stiffness of advanced materials such as High-performance Fiber Reinforced Cement Composites (HPFRCC) and Engineered Cementitious Composite across various levels, showcasing his dedication to exploring innovative solutions in the field.

.Research Interest

 >  High-performance Fiber reinforced cement composites (HPFRCC)/Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC)
>  Engineering Geopolymer Composite (EGC)
>  Innovative & Sustainable Concrete Technology/3D Printed Concrete
>  Micro-Mechanical Modelling
>  Applications of ML in civil engineering
>  Seismic design
>  Finite Element Analysis
>  Performance Based Design

🏆🏆Award and Honour🏆🏆

He received recognition and accolades for his academic and research achievements. Notably, he participated in the National Competition on Design of Long Span Buildings organized by NED UET Karachi, Pakistan, in February 2022. His project involved the design and performance-based seismic evaluation of a long-span steel structure for an aircraft hangar, securing the 5th position among 30 teams representing 12 different universities across Pakistan.

Additionally, he earned the NUST Merit-Based Scholarship for outstanding academic performance in the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 7th semesters of his undergraduate studies. This scholarship is awarded to the top three students in each class based on GPA, highlighting his consistent excellence throughout his academic journey.

Furthermore, he received research funding for his Final Year Project from Prime Engineering & Testing Consultants, underscoring the quality and relevance of his research endeavors. These honors and awards reflect his dedication, proficiency, and noteworthy contributions to the field of civil engineering and structural design.

He has pursued several professional development courses to enhance his skills and expertise. These include ongoing coursework in Supervised Machine Learning covering Regression and Classification through Stanford University & DeepLearning.AI on Coursera. He also completed an AUTOCAD course from June 2021 to September 2021 as part of the DigiSkills Training Program offered by Virtual University. Additionally, he undertook a course on Building Information Modeling (BIM) Application for Engineers from National Taiwan University on Coursera in April 2021. Furthermore, he enhanced his proficiency in Excel with the Essentials course from Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia, on Coursera in December 2020. Moreover, he sharpened his communication skills by completing the Speak English Professionally course from the Georgia Institute of Technology on Coursera in December 2020. His dedication to continuous learning and acquiring new skills underscores his commitment to professional growth and development.

Conferences and Seminars

He attended several seminars and international events focused on earthquake engineering and structural dynamics. One such event was on “Earthquake Risk Reduction in Pakistan – Issues and Challenges” held on 16/11/2022, where Dr. Fawad Ahmed Najam delivered a talk. Another significant seminar titled “Modeling and Analysis of Tall Buildings and Bridges” took place on 21/02/2022, featuring Dr. Naveed Anwar, the Vice President of the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand, as the speaker. Moreover, he participated in the “International Seminar on Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics” on 24/11/2023, where Dr. Igor Tomic shared insights. These events, held at the SCEE Seminar Hall, NICE, H-12, NUST, Islamabad, provided valuable knowledge and networking opportunities in the field of earthquake engineering and structural dynamics.

📝🔬Publications📝🔬

Taqwa Alhadiddi – Transaportation Engineering- Best Researcher Award

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Taqwa Alhadiddi – Transportation Engineering

Asst. prof Dr. Taqwa Alhadiddi  distinguished academic and researcher in the field Transaportation Engineering. Dr.TaqwaI.Alhadidi is the assistant professor of the Intelligent Transportation Systems and Data Analytics in the Department of Civil and Environment Engineering at Al-Ahliyya Amman University(AAU). Prior joining AAU,Dr.Taqwa worked as a Research Assistant in the Center of Sustainable Mobility at Virginia Tech Transportation Institute from 2017 until she received her Ph.D in June 2020. From 2016-2017 Dr.Taqwa was a visiting graduate student at Illinois Institute Technology in Traffic simulation lab.Dr.Taqwa is an active member in different professional committees including ASCE, WTS. She is also an active reviewer in different journals.

🌐 Professional Profiles

Educations: 📚🎓

From August 2017 to June 2020, she pursued her Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering with a focus on Transportation and Infrastructure Systems, specializing in Traffic Engineering and Modeling at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. Her dissertation, titled “Modeling Transit Vehicle Travel Time Components for Use in Transit Applications,” showcased her dedication to advancing knowledge in the field. During this period, she undertook a range of main courses, including Traffic Characteristics and Flow, Applied Stochastic Processes, Traffic Signal Systems Control and Operations, Urban Computing and Design, and Data Analytics. Additionally, she completed a Graduate Certificate in Urban Computing from Virginia Tech, enhancing her expertise in areas such as Traffic Flow and Characteristics, Data Analytics, and Urban Computing.

Before her Ph.D., she earned her Master of Science degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering with a focus on Transportation Engineering from the University of Jordan in Amman from February 2013 to June 2015. Her thesis, “Unconventional Intersection Designs for Improving Traffic Operation Along Arterial Roads,” demonstrated her commitment to innovative solutions in transportation. During her master’s program, she delved into courses like Advanced Pavement Design, GIS, Transportation Planning, and Traffic Flow Theory.

Her academic journey began from September 2008 to August 2012 when she completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Highway and Bridges Engineering from the Faculty of Engineering Technology. This foundational period equipped her with essential knowledge and skills that laid the groundwork for her subsequent achievements in the field of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

 

ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE
POSITIONS 

In the academic years of 2015-2016, she served as a full-time lecturer at Al-Ahliyya Amman University, where she played a pivotal role in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Her responsibilities encompassed teaching various undergraduate courses related to transportation engineering, covering aspects of planning, operation, and design. In addition to her teaching duties, she actively contributed to administrative tasks, including student advising and representing the department at the ABET committee. As a student advisor, she guided students through registration processes, assisted in creating study plans, and provided support during their post-graduation orientation. Her participation in the ABET committee offered her a valuable experience in academic accreditation, allowing her to contribute to the formulation of qualitative and quantitative measures necessary for ABET accreditation or other accreditation types.

Subsequently, from 2016 to 2017, she took on the role of a Graduate Visiting Student at the Illinois Institute of Technology. During this period, she played a key role in preparing the manuscript for the transportation asset management book authored by Zongzhi Li. Simultaneously, she conducted an extensive literature review across various transportation research areas. Additionally, she engaged in modeling Chicago transit trips using STOPS software and worked on modeling transit desert areas in specific Chicago regions, showcasing her multidimensional expertise.

Her academic journey continued from 2017 to 2020, where she served as a Graduate Research Assistant at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) under Virginia Polytechnic and State University’s Civil and Environmental Engineering department. In this capacity, she contributed to cutting-edge research in transportation, further enhancing her skills and knowledge in the field.

 

Membership

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In her academic and professional journey, she has been an active member of various prestigious organizations, showcasing her commitment to the field of transportation engineering. Since 2017, she has been a member of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Her dedication to promoting diversity and women in the field is evident through her membership in Women In Transportation-Virginia Tech chapter (WTS) since 2019. Moreover, she has been actively involved in the transportation committee at the Jordanian Engineering Association (JEA) since 2015 and has held leadership roles, including participation in the youth civil engineering committee at JEA since 2015. Her contributions extend to her role as a member in the TRB Standing Committee on Traffic Flow Theory (TRB-AHB45) since 2012.

Notably, she has been an active peer reviewer for esteemed journals and committees, including the Journal of Public Transportation, Journal of Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, Transportation Research Board’s Transit committee, and Intelligent Transportation Systems committee. Her commitment to the scholarly community reflects in her dedication to reviewing and evaluating research contributions since 2019.

In addition to her involvement in professional organizations, she has made significant contributions to academia. As a lecturer, she served as a guest lecturer with the Rab American Association of Engineers and Architects at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, delivering fundamental engineering sessions on November 19th, 2021. Furthermore, she has supervised multiple master’s theses, demonstrating her mentorship capabilities and commitment to advancing research in her field.

Her teaching portfolio spans a range of undergraduate and graduate courses, covering transportation engineering, public transportation engineering, pavement design and pavement lab, geometric design and railway, and senior graduation projects. In graduate studies, she has taught courses such as Analytical Techniques in Transportation Engineering and Traffic Simulation and Modeling. Her teaching responsibilities include not only delivering lectures but also overseeing grading, providing course projects, and evaluating overall course performance.

Her academic and professional journey showcases not only her expertise in transportation engineering and research but also her dedication to mentorship and education, contributing significantly to the advancement of her field.

 

Conference or Workshop Item

  • Alhindawi, R &Alhadidi.T (2024). Weather Conditions Using Bayesian Networks: A Scene-Based Approach with CARLA Simulation. Proceedings of Ninth International Congress on Information and Communication Technology : ICICT 2024, London, Volume 4.
  • ALHADIDI, T. (2023). A Framework for Implementation Public-Private Partnership in Roads’ Maintenance and Operating Projects in Jordan. The Eurasia Proceedings of Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics, 26, 760-769.
  • ALHADIDI, T., & ELHENAWEY, M. (2023). Modeling Crashes Severity Using Ensemble Techniques. The Eurasia Proceedings of Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics, 26, 357-365.
  • Alhadidi,T and Shbeeb.L “ Predicting Cycle Length at Urban Signalized Roundabout Intersection using Machine Learning Models” presented in the 10th conference on scientific research in Jordan, November, 2021.
  • lhadidi, T and H.Rakha. Estimating Transit Vehicle Travel Time Components in the Vicinity of Bus Stops (2020). Presented in the 100thAnnual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., USA.
  • Alhadidi, T., Elhenawy, M., & Rakha, H. (2019). Stochastic Modeling of Bus Passenger Boarding/Alighting Times. Presented at the 98thAnnual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., USA, January 2019 (No. 19-02703).
  • Lina Shabeeb, Amer Hijazi, and Taqwa Hadidi. Roadway User’s Behavior & Implication of Safety (2014). Presented at Fourth Jordan international conference and exhibition for roads and transport.

 

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