The Drive Forward Podcast

Episode 17: Looking beyond the pavement

As we anticipate the emergence of autonomous and connected vehicles and freight, asphalt pavements face significant design and safety challenges. Join Audrey Copeland, National Asphalt Pavement Association President and CEO, on the latest episode of The Drive Forward Podcast as she discusses the future of asphalt pavements. Hear her share her vision to maximize asphalt pavements as part of next-generation solutions, promote stewardship to combat climate change and advocate for Women of Asphalt and aspiring young professionals. Copeland also shares NAPA’s commitment to the asphalt industry as well as in pursuing partnerships and research efforts to prepare for the future of asphalt pavements. Check out more ways to stream The Drive Forward Podcast on • iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-drive-forward-podcast/id1495386094 • SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-355428809 • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6a5apYSBsT6TE8EjEIzJGm?si=Y8EHvWa3RpamWgM78SEwbQ • YouTube playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzHPEMKzCp8HUBVYXewURqmwJK33YnHmz

Episode 16: Dream big

No dream is too big for Ana Barros. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering’s department head joins the latest episode of The Drive Forward Podcast to discuss her short- and long-term goals for the department. One of her biggest goals? Seeing the Illinois Autonomous and Connected Track come to fruition. The high-speed, multimodal connected and autonomous track planned for Rantoul, Illinois, offers endless “possibilities” for research and navigating the future of transportation. Barros also shares the “big adventure” that was entering a lead role during the middle of a pandemic. Hear her excitement in welcoming students back to campus. Check out more ways to stream the The Drive Forward Podcast on • iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-drive-forward-podcast/id1495386094 • SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-355428809 • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6a5apYSBsT6TE8EjEIzJGm?si=Y8EHvWa3RpamWgM78SEwbQ • YouTube playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzHPEMKzCp8HUBVYXewURqmwJK33YnHmz

Episode 15: Prepare for takeoff

Stop and think about it. When’s the last time you boarded a flight and gave much consideration of the pavement beneath you? No need, right? That’s all thanks to civil engineers like Dallas Little, a professor at Texas A&M, who ensures we’re ready for takeoff. Join Little on the latest episode of The Drive Forward Podcast as he highlights the ins and outs of pavement materials like asphalt, concrete and bitumen, and why their applications are vastly different when it comes to roadways and runways. Little shares how the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Illinois Autonomous and Connected Track, a high-speed, multimodal connected and autonomous track in Rantoul, Illinois, will be an “opportunity to really validate” ongoing pavement research for future transportation. Check out The Drive Forward Podcast on • iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-drive-forward-podcast/id1495386094 • SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-355428809 • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6a5apYSBsT6TE8EjEIzJGm?si=Y8EHvWa3RpamWgM78SEwbQ&nd=1 • YouTube: https://youtu.be/n-5eaWPEAmU • YouTube playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzHPEMKzCp8HUBVYXewURqmwJK33YnHmz

Episode 14: Putting Illinois on the map

State roads aren’t just point A to point B routes for big business and ensuring a stable economy, they’re vital in ensuring a safe journey for those that matter most — our loved ones. Join Omer Osman, secretary of Illinois Department of Transportation, as he unravels his transportation agenda, including updating our infrastructure to make it a “21st Century transit system” all while giving Illinoisans a reason to “raise their family and stay in the state of Illinois.” Osman highlights IDOT’s partnership with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to build a “futuristic” autonomous vehicle track, known as the Illinois Autonomous and Connected Track in Rantoul, Illinois. He shares how this effort will advance mobility and “sustain” our freight ensuring feasible movement of people and goods for Illinois families and businesses for years to come. Check out The Drive Forward Podcast on • iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-drive-forward-podcast/id1495386094 • SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-355428809 • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6a5apYSBsT6TE8EjEIzJGm?si=Y8EHvWa3RpamWgM78SEwbQ • YouTube playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzHPEMKzCp8HUBVYXewURqmwJK33YnHmz

Episode 13: What shapes you?

Experiences shape you. Kevin Hall’s University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign experience certainly did. Hear how his doctoral student journey, learning from the “godfathers” of UIUC’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, shaped his trek to becoming the associate dean for research and professor at the University of Arkansas. Hall also highlights challenges — like climate change, sustainability and urbanization — the next generation of civil engineers face in paving the future of infrastructure. The alumnus also shares what a “tremendous opportunity” UIUC has in its efforts to build an autonomous vehicle track, known as the Illinois Autonomous and Connected Track, in Rantoul, Illinois. Hall foresees such university-led tech providing interdisciplinary education and research.