School of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Ph.D. Thesis Defense Announcement

NETWORK-LEVEL ANALYSIS OF TRANSIT RIDERS AND PEDESTRIANS’ THERMAL COMFORT

By Huiying (“Fizzy”) Fan

Advisor:

Dr. Randall Guensler

Committee Members:  Dr. Angshuman Guin (CEE), Dr. Adjo Amekudzi-Kennedy (CEE), Dr. Danfei Xu (College of Computing), Dr. Michael Rodgers (CEE/Oak Ridge National Lab)

Date and Time:  August, 9th, 2024.  3:00 – 5:00 P.M. EST

Location: SEB 122/ https://gatech.zoom.us/u/adOEUfAQF6 (passcode: 530444)

Complete announcement, with abstract, is attached.

Extreme heat, exacerbated significantly impacts travelers, especially vulnerable
groups. Despite efforts by transportation agencies to address this issue, there is a
disconnect between their mobility and accessibility goals and their reliance on
design-based or asset-based approaches. My thesis aims to develop a system to
evaluate cumulative heat impacts on travelers at the trip level, combining microlevel
simulations and macro-level surveys using transportation models and
meteorological data. The research involves modules for calculating thermal
comfort indices, estimating cumulative heat exposure, generating detailed activity
profiles, and predicting future heat risks. This study contributes to transportation
resilience and urban thermal comfort by enhancing theoretical understanding,
integrating interdisciplinary analytical techniques, and providing practical, opensource
tools for planning agencies.