At the invitation of USSTBS, Professor Peng Zhongren from the University of Florida came to our school for academic exchanges. Through various forms of exchange such as keynote speeches and paper tutoring, he has had in-depth interactions with the faculty and students, bring cutting-edge knowledge and valuable experience.
On March 24, Peng Zhongren gave lectures on research methods and paper writing. Drawing on his rich experience, he systematically guided the teachers and students on topic selection, method design, and also the publication.
On March 25, Peng Zhongren delivered a lecture titled “AI as a Co-creator: Transforming Urban Systems and Other Fields”. The lecture was presided over by Liu Weiwei, vice dean of the Business School. Through a wealth of cases, Prof. Peng analyzed the challenges of AI in transportation discipline research. Finally, he put forward valuable suggestions for the cultivation of students majoring in transportation.
After the lecture, Peng Zhongren held a research salon for young faculty members. They actively asked questions and had in-depth discussions with Prof. Peng on topics such as the application of AI in urban planning, curriculum design, data processing, and modelling.
On March 26, at the sharing session on the current situation of teaching and research in American universities, Prof. Peng stated that the deep integration of AI and higher education is a complex system, and also brings new challenges and requirements to higher education. Attention should be paid to typical application scenarios such as intelligent teaching assistance and learning support, to promote the improvement of education quality.
This series of academic activities has built a bridge connecting our faculty and students with the world-leading scholar, broadening their international perspective, and enhancing their academic competence. It is also of great significance to the School's discipline construction, talent cultivation and international cooperation.
Introduction to Lecture Guests
Peng Zhongren is a tenured professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, UF, director of iAdapt, top 1% scientist in Google's academic planning field, non-resident senior fellow at the GeoTech Center of the Atlantic Council, and a member of the Transportation Geographic Information Science Committee and the Public Transport Planning and Management Committee of the Transportation Research Council of the American Academy of Sciences, senior advisor of the National Natural Science Foundation of the United States and editorial board member of the American Journal of Intelligent Transportation. His main research areas are transportation planning and management, climate change adaptation planning, urban planning, and AI. Currently, Prof. Zhong has published 178 papers, including 56 highly cited papers and 2 monographs.
Translated by Wei Xin
Reviewed by Liu Weiwei
