Session 3D: Don't Be in the Dark!

Moderator: Eileen Collins, PE, PTOE, Department Manager, Traffic Transportation Services, Dewberry Engineers Inc.

Speaker Bios:

Mark Wilbur launched his career designing wireless semiconductor chipsets for NASA more than 35 years ago. He has leveraged his wireless networking design and data encryption experience to lead a team of exceptional lighting design engineers to launch the GE LightGrid Wireless Lighting control platform. Mark holds several US patents for unique wireless antenna designs and data encryption entropy sources. He is the current chair of the ANSI C136.48 Networked Lighting Controls standard development team and a charter member of the International Lighting Controls Interoperability Standard (TALQ). Mark has presented multiple wireless lighting controls workshops at LightFair, IES-Street and Area Lighting Conference, and Strategies in Light. Mark’s current role as GE intelligent cities solution architect affords him the opportunity to further expand the capability of the GE Intelligent Cities platform to include security, parking enhancement, public safety, traffic control, and environmental monitoring.

Jonathan (Jon) Fleming has held various maintenance positions since beginning his career with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation in 2003. He currently holds the position of division chief of the Maintenance Technical Leadership Division in the Bureau of Maintenance and Operations. Jon manages various maintenance programs in Central Office including highway lighting, winter, emergency/incident management; and PennDOT area command including, maintenance environmental, storm water, and roadside sections. Jon earned his bachelor of science degree from Penn State. While not working at PennDOT, he is a non-suppression instructor for the Pennsylvania Fire Academy, a captain with his local volunteer fire department, and an active EMT with more than 24 years of experience.

Akhlaq Zafar has 24 years of experience in the field of traffic engineering and highway lighting. His experience includes design and maintenance of traffic signals, electrical systems, and highway lighting systems; and maintenance and protection of traffic plans and specifications for various agencies. He has extensive experience in signal deficiency study, data collection, model development, model calibration and validation, and analysis and report preparation for major transportation and redevelopment projects. Akhlaq has worked on a variety of design projects as design task lead for agencies such as NJDOT, NJTA, PANYNJ, and PENNDOT. He served as a lead engineer-architect (LE/A) on various PANYNJ projects from design to construction support and coordination which took him to the next level to engage with personnel representing the Construction Management Division (CMD) and the Port Facility. He has successfully worked with other branches at Dewberry to support work related to roadway lighting design (including two recently concluded roundabouts in Saegertown, Crawford County, and PennDOT- District 1), traffic signal design during work zone traffic control (Sellersville, Bucks County-District 6), and design of various traffic signals (Williamsport, Lycoming County-District 3). Akhlaq is a practicing professional engineer in the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Florida.

 
 

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The Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute is Penn State’s transportation research center. Since its founding in 1968, the Larson Institute has maintained a threefold mission of research, education, and service. The Institute brings together top faculty, world-class facilities and enterprising students from across the University in partnership with public and private stakeholders to address critical transportation-related problems.

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