The Board of Directors of CTRF is pleased to announce the students that are being awarded scholarships for the 2013-2014 academic year.

CTRF wishes to thank once again the sponsors for the current scholarship program, namely Canadian Pacific Railway, CN, Transport Canada and many individuals.

Scholarship Competitions 2013 – 2014

– Award Winners –

• Jonathan Arnold – Simon Fraser University (unable to accept)
• Coady Cameron – University of New Brunswick (unable to accept)
• David Flynn – University of Manitoba
• Amir Jamshidi – University of Alberta
• Kathy LaFramboise – Université Laval
• Mehdi Nourinejad, University of Toronto
• François Sarrazin – Université Laval
• Marc-André Tessier – École Polytechnique de Montréal

Biographies of the scholarship winners can be found below.

Canadian Pacific Railway Scholarship $5,000

François Sarrazin – Université Laval

François Sarrazin is a Ph.D. student at Université Laval in the Department of Forestry. His PhD thesis aims to study the development of a logistical centre common to several companies in the forest sector. Such multimodal center could be a means to favour collaborative planning, minimize delivery costs, and greenhouse gas emissions. The first phase requires defining how such a center could function, in terms of services, participating members, etc. Thereafter, productivity gains incurred by the potential improvement of the distribution capacity will be estimated as well as the savings obtained using different scenarios.

In the course of his project, Francois will compare available options by building a mathematical model which will aim to maximize profits for all involved actors. The management of such a center, and the methods of gain sharing to use, as well as the assets necessary to insure its good functioning will also be explored. Such a project could facilitate collaboration between companies and allow for a more efficient use of available transportation capacity, and therefore a diminished impact on the environment.

François has previously earned his Master’s degree (MSc.) in logistics at HEC Montreal in 2010. He has since worked for the FORAC research consortium at Université Laval to improve, and test with industry data a new software, designed to optimize wood transportation between forest sites and sawmills. He distinguished himself by receiving the Social Science and Humanities Research Council Scholarship in 2008 and the Fonds québécois de la recherche sur la société et la culture Scholarship in 2009.

CN Scholarship $6,000

Mehdi Nourinejad, University of Toronto

Mehdi Nourinejad is a Ph.D. student at University of Toronto in the Department of Civil Engineering. His Phd thesis mainly focuses on development of optimal decision support systems for management of urban carsharing systems. Urban carsharing services provide individuals with access to a fleet of shared-use vehicles without the costs and responsibilities of private vehicle ownership. Members of these services typically pay for subscription-access plans and are charged hourly rates.

Carsharing organizations can be divided into one-way and two-way systems. Two-way systems require users to return the vehicles to their original pick up stations whereas one-ways systems do not. Each system has benefits and drawbacks to different market segments. While two-way systems are more common and account for 94% of all North American carsharing memberships, one-way systems are less adopted due to the vehicle imbalance between the parking stations because of the no-return policy. One way of mitigating the imbalance of vehicles is to relocate them between the stations. Decision support systems can therefore be used to find optimal relocation operations.

Transport Canada Scholarship in Safety and Security $6,000

David Flynn – University of Manitoba

David Flynn is a Master’s of Science in Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Manitoba (U of M). He graduated with a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering with Distinction from the U of M in May 2012. David’s Master’s project involves the investigation and understanding of failure mechanisms of road and highway embankments built in regions of degrading permafrost. The research consists of field instrumentation, data collection, laboratory testing, and numerical modelling. David is interested in pursuing a career in cold regions engineering for the unique challenges in each project but also for opportunity in improving the socio-economic conditions in the north.

Transport Canada Scholarship in Safety and Security $6,000

Amir Jamshidi – University of Alberta

Currently a Structural Engineering Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Alberta, I received my B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from Azad University in Iran, and my M.Sc. in Structural Engineering, with Distinction, from Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic) in Iran as well. During my academic career, I have received numerous awards and scholarships such as Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship, GL Kulak Scholarship, etc.

My research, which consists of both experimental and analytical investigations, is focused on comprehensive investigation of progressive collapse mitigation of steel structures, which is an entirely new and innovative field of research. This research is a state-of-the-art topic which is expected to advance the field of progressive collapse mitigation and to provide new options to designers for meeting requirements of building and bridge codes that are currently in development for progressive collapse resistance.

Transport Canada Scholarship in Economics, Efficiency and Competitiveness in Transportation $6,000

Kathy LaFramboise – Université Laval

Kathy Laframboise is a Ph.D. student at Université Laval in the Department of Geography. Her PhD thesis covers a geoeconomic subject that aims to answer of « How the location of mining or oil companies operating sites in the Arctic influence their transportation strategy – sea or land – of ores and hydrocarbons ? » The main objective is to analyse mining and oil companies decisions in a way of supplying clients in minerals and petroleum at the lower cost of transportation. Every action to develop the economic potential of the Arctic is to improve the life condition of the population in respect of the particular environment.

The identification of all companies concerned, active or planified exploitation sites and the trajectory of Canadian Arctic products are essential steps to success. The repercussion on efficiency and competitiveness of strategic decision will be compared in term of calculation of different type of cargo and transport modality to destination. Moreover, the assessment of the conditions of profitability will bring together mining companies to similar requirements in the event of a possible cost-sharing in building port infrastructure. Thereafter, a cost-benefit of marine infrastructure analyses will give the best strategic answer. And concluding with a complete portrait of the Arctic economic development at a regional, national and international level.

Kathy LaFramboise holds a Master’s degree in economics, specialized in transportation at University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM) in 2010. Her master research is based on optimal pricing in the aviation sector. She presented her research at SUNY FARMINGDALE State College of New York in the department of aviation. Thereafter in 2011, the American Scientific Committee of San Francisco State University accepted two papers: “Financial Impact of Rate Discrimination from the Use of Airfield and Air Control Service at John F. Kennedy Airport” and “Empirical Test of Ramsey Model Pricing at the Universally John F. Kennedy Airport” for presentation at the International Business and Economy Conference in Guadalajara Mexico. Finally, she become a project member of ArcticNet in 2013.

Transport Canada Scholarship in Sustainable Transportation $6,000

Marc-André Tessier – École Polytechnique de Montréal

Marc-André Tessier has a Civil Engineering Bachelor oriented in transport from Polytechnique Montreal since 2013. He is currently a master’s student (MASc) at Polytechnique.

Research Project: “Developing Congestion Indicators for Planning and Monitoring”

Traffic congestion is a worrying phenomenon because it generates many negative impacts on different aspects of sustainable development. Over the last thirty years, roads’ traffic has grown faster than the development of road network in the major urban centers of Quebec, so that it became saturated at morning and evening peak, and even outside of these periods. To date, there is a need for tools that can assist in the analysis of traffic conditions as well as the measure of how these conditions vary in time and space. The objective of this research project is to define appropriate congestion indicators (either based on travel times, speed or other relevant variable) for different objects (segment, corridor, access) and conditions (time, incidents, weather) of the network, and the appropriate estimation methodologies from GPS data points.

This research fits within a larger project which aims to develop an integration, consultation and analysis tool of these data for planning in transport networks and monitoring circulation conditions.

In his career, Marc-André wants to participate in the evolution of Canadian transportation which will require a major collective effort in the coming years. He is also interested in the efficient development of public and active transport to curb the overuse of solo driving, as well as the intelligent management of related infrastructures. Transportation is an interesting field because it affects our daily lives. Indeed, sustainable transportation planning has a positive impact on the whole society and has a huge potential to leave a heritage. Therefore, he wants to provide a contribution to this field because he believes it’s worth the effort for the benefit of all and future generations.
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Marc-André Tessier est diplômé du baccalauréat en génie civil avec orientation en transport de Polytechnique Montréal depuis 2013. Il est présentement candidat à la maîtrise (M.Sc.A) à Polytechnique.

Projet de recherche : « Développement d’indicateurs de congestion à des fins de planification et suivi »

La congestion routière est un phénomène préoccupant car elle génère plusieurs impacts négatifs sur plusieurs aspects du développement durable. Au cours des trente dernières années, l’achalandage des routes a crû plus rapidement que le développement du réseau routier dans les principales agglomérations urbaines du Québec, si bien que celui-ci est devenu saturé aux périodes de pointe du matin et du soir, et même en dehors de ces périodes. À ce jour, il y a un besoin en matière d’outil de suivi et d’analyse des conditions de circulation et de leur variabilité dans le temps et l’espace. L’objectif de ce projet de recherche est de définir des indicateurs adéquats de la congestion (basés sur les vitesses, les temps de parcours ou autre variable pertinente) pour différents objets (segment, corridor, accès) et conditions (temps, incidents, météo) du réseau, ainsi que leurs méthodologies d’estimation à partir de données de traces GPS.

Ce projet de recherche s’inscrit à l’intérieur d’un plus grand projet qui vise à développer un outil d’intégration, de consultation et d’analyse de ces données aux fins de planification des réseaux de transport et de suivi des conditions de circulation.

Dans sa carrière, Marc-André veut participer à l’évolution du transport canadien qui demandera un effort collectif important dans les prochaines années. Il s’intéresse aussi développement efficace des transports collectifs et actifs pour freiner la surutilisation de l’auto solo, ainsi qu’à la gestion intelligente des infrastructures reliées. Le domaine du transport est intéressant du fait qu’il touche vraiment tout le monde de près comme de loin. En effet, la planification durable des transports a un impact positif sur l’ensemble de la société et a un potentiel énorme de laisser un héritage. Ainsi, il veut contribuer à ce domaine, car il croit que ses efforts en valent la peine pour le bénéfice de tous et des générations futures.