Yangming Research Group

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Our mission is to develop data-driven solutions to improve human performance and augment human capabilities (physical and mental). We conduct research in areas that include Virtual Reality (VR)/Augmented Reality (AR), Human-centered Artificial Intelligence(AI), Human-robot interactions, and human factors in the context of civil infrastructure systems.

Recent News

2025

  • August. Congratulations to Ryan Gerlitz for receiving the Mines Undergraduate Research Fellowship (MURF) award from Colorado School of Mines.
  • August. Congratulations to Devan Neil for receiving the Mines Undergraduate Research Fellowship (MURF) award from Colorado School of Mines.
  • June. Congratulations to Ziming Liu for receiving the Best Track Paper Award during the 2025 Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) Annual Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
  • June. Dr. Shi participated the 2025 Kiewit Faculty Open House Event in Louisville, Kentucky as Kiewit faculty scholar.
  • May. Congratulations to Jiuyi Xu for receiving the ASCE Data Sensing Analysis (DSA) Best Dataset Award during the 2025 ASCE International Conference on Computing in Civil Engineering (I3CE) in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
  • May. Dr. Shi was selected as the session chair for Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) Annual Conference & Expo 2025.
  • April. Dr. Shi was selected as the program committee member and session chair for the 2025 IEEE Winter Simulation Conference (IEEE WSC 2025) in Seattle, Washington State, USA.
  • April. A Journal paper by Ranjana K Mehta, John Kang, Yangming Shi, and Jing Du on “Effectiveness of training under stress in immersive VR: an investigation of firefighter performance, gaze entropy, and pupillometry” was published in the Frontiers in Virtual Reality (IF=3.6).
  • April. A Journal paper by Ziming Liu, Jiuyi Xu, Christine Wun Ki Suen, Meida Chen, Zhengbo Zou, and Yangming Shi on “Egocentric camera-based method for detecting static hazardous objects on construction sites” was published in the Elsevier Journal of Automation in Construction (IF=11.5).
  • March. A Journal paper by Tolulope O Sanni, Jianli Chen, Wanyun Shao, Jun Liu, and Yangming Shi on “Investigating the feasibility of adopting virtual reality as a method for natural hazard risk communication” was published in the Elsevier International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction (IF=4.5).
  • January. Dr. Shi was selected as the organizing commitee member for the 12th ACM International Conference on Systems for Energy-Efficient Buildings, Cities, and Transportation (BuildSys 2025).
  • January. Ziming Liu presented his research works in 2025 Transportation Reserach Board (TRB) Annual Meeting.

2024

  • October. Two papers from the lab were accepted and will be presented at the 2025 Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting.
  • September. Congratulations to Dr. Shi for receiving a four-year R01 grant from CDC/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) with Dr. Jun Liu from the University of Alabama to investigate and develop interventions to reduce struck-by injuries and fatalities among tow-truck operators.
  • September. Ziming Liu presented one peer-reviewed research paper at the 2024 Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) International Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
  • July. Dr. Shi got the ASCE Excellence in Civil Engineering Education (ExCEEd) Fellow.
  • July. Ziming Liu, Tolu Sanni, and Jiuyi Xu presented three peer-reviewed papers and two posters at the 2024 ASCE International Conference on Computing in Civil Engineering (I3CE) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
  • July. Qi Yin and Jiuyi Xu joined Yangming Research Group as Ph.D. students in Robotics. Welcome, Qi and Jiuyi!
  • July. Congratulations to Dr. Shi for receiving and leading a three-year project from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to upskill automotive workers for future electrical vehicle maintenance and repair through immersive experiential learning.
  • June. Dr. Shi participated the 2024 Kiewit Faculty Open House Event in Dallas, Texas as Kiewit faculty scholar.
  • June. Congratulations to Tolu Sanni, who passed her Ph.D. dissertation defense. Good job, Dr. Sanni!
  • May. Dr. Shi was selected as the program commitee member for the 2024 IEEE Winter Simulation Conference (IEEE WSC 2024).
  • March. Ziming Liu and Tolu Sanni presented two peer-reviewed papers and one poster at the 2024 ASCE Construction Institute (CI) & Contruction Research Congress (CRC) confernce in Des Moines, Iowa, USA.
  • March. A Journal paper by Biao Kuang, Yangming Shi, Yuqing Hu, Zhaoyun Zeng, and Jianli Chen on “Household Energy Resilience in Extreme Weather Events: An Investigation of Energy Service Importance, HVAC Usage Behaviors, and Willingness to Pay” was published in the Elsevier Journal of Applied Energy (IF=11.2).
  • March. Congratulations to Tolu Sanni who will join the California State University, Fresno as Tenure-track Assistant Professor this coming fall.
  • February. Congratulations to Tolu Sanni who is the recipient of the Engineering Council of Birmingham (ECOB) award for the 2023 Civil Engineering Graduate Student of the year.
  • January. Ziming Liu and Tolu Sanni presented their research works in 2024 Transportation Reserach Board (TRB) Annual Meeting.

2023

  • December. Dr. Shi recieved a grant from Colorado Department of Transportion.
  • November. Two papers from our lab were accepted and will be presented at the 2024 ASCE Contruction Research Congress (CRC) confernce.
  • November. Tolu Sanni successfully passed her prelim exam.
  • August. Dr. Shi joined the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering & Robotic Program at Colorado School of Mines as an Assistant Professor.
  • June. A Journal paper by Jun Liu, Ningze Xu, Yangming Shi, Mizanur Rahman, Timothy Barnett, and Steven Jones on “Do first responders trust connected and automated vehicles (CAVs)? A national survey.” was published in the Elsevier Journal of Transport Policy (IF=8.03).
  • May. Congratulations to Ziming Liu and Tolu Sanni who received the University of Alabama Graduate School Travel Award.
  • May. Our lab visited the roadside emergency response companies located at Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, and Clanton in Alabama.
  • May. Four conference papers from our lab were accepted and will be presented at the 2023 ASCE International Conference on Computing in Civil Engineering (I3CE).
  • May. Dr. Shi was invited to be a Program Committee (PC) Member for Project Management and Construction track on the 2023 IEEE Winter Simulation Conference (IEEE WSC 2023).
  • April. Congratulations to Cole Miller who has finished his MS degree and he will work for Clayco, Inc this June.
  • April. Dr. Shi was invited to join General Motors (GM) electric vehicle emergency response workshop in Chicago
  • March. Congratualtions to Ziming Liu who has passed his qualify exam.
  • February. Dr. Shi was invited to be a track co-chair for Track 3: Computer Applications, Information Modeling and Simulation at ASCE Contruction Research Congress(CRC 2024).
  • January. Congratulations to Tolu Sanni who received a scholarship from the National Academy of Construction (NAC). Roll Tide!

2022

  • December. A Journal paper by Jieyu Chen, Nan Li, Yangming Shi, and Eric Jing Du on “Cross-cultural assessment of the effect of spatial information on firefighters’ wayfinding performance: A virtual reality-based study” was accepted and published in the Elsevier International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction (IF=5.05).
  • November. A Journal paper by Jun Liu, Ningze Xu, Yangming Shi, Timothy Barnett, and Steven Jones on “Are First Responders Prepared for Electric Vehicle Fires? A National Survey ” was accepted and published in the Elsevier Journal of Accident Analysis and Prevention (IF=6.376).
  • November. Dr. Yangming Shi (PI) and his collaborators at UA – Dr. Jun Liu, Dr. Xinwu Qian, Dr. Krishna Shah, and Dr. Laura Myers organized a workshop to discuss existing challenges and potential solutions for future electrical vehicle emergency responses. The workshop is sponsored by NSF and Alabama Transportation Institute. More details of the workshop can be found on our website at: https://nsfevfire.work/
  • October. Dr. Shi received the BEST PROPOSAL AWARD at the 2022 AECT/SICET International Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
  • October. Two conference papers by Jun Liu, Ningze Xu, Yangming Shi, Timothy Barnett, and Steven Jones on “Are First Responders Prepared for Electric Vehicle Fires? A National Survey ” were accepted and will be presented at the 2023 Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting.
  • August. Dr. Yangming Shi (PI) and his collaborators at UA – Dr. Jun Liu, Dr. Xinwu Qian, Dr. Krishna Shah, and Dr. Laura Myers received a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to develop new methods to help responders to deal with future Electrical Vehicle-Related emergency responses. Many thanks to the students, mentors, and collaborators, especially thanks to the support from Alabama Transportation Institute (ATI).
  • August. Ziming (Bruce) Liu joined Yangming Research Group as a Ph.D. student. Welcome, Bruce!
  • August. Babatunde Owolabi joined Yangming Research Group as a Master’s student. Welcome, Tunde!
  • August. Dr. Shi received a research grant from Alabama Transportation Institute.
  • June. A journal paper by Gilbert (Yang) Ye, Yangming Shi, Divya Srinivasan, and Jing Du on “Sensation Transfer for Immersive Exoskeleton Motor Training: Implications of Haptics and Viewpoints” was accepted and published in the Elsevier Journal of Automation in Construction (IF=10.517).
  • June. A journal paper by Gilbert (Yang) Ye, Yangming Shi, Pengxiang Xia, John Kang, Oshin Tyagi, Ranjana K Mehta, and Jing Du on “Cognitive Characteristics in Firefighter Wayfinding Tasks: An Eye-Tracking Analysis” was accepted and published in the Elsevier Journal of Advanced Engineering Informatics (IF=7.862).
  • May. Dr. Shi was selected as the track coordinator for project management and construction at the 2022 IEEE Winter Simulation Conference (WSC 2022).
  • May. A journal paper by Yangming Shi, Connor Johnson, Pengxiang Xia, John Kang, Oshin Tyagi, Ranjana K Mehta, and Jing Du on “Neural Basis Analysis of Firefighters’ Wayfinding Performance via Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS)” was published in the ASCE Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering (IF=5.802).
  • April. A journal paper by Tianyu Zhou, Qi Zhu, Yangming Shi, and Jing Du on “Construction Robot Teleoperation Safeguard Based on Real-Time Human Hand Motion Prediction” was published in the ASCE Journal of Construction Engineering and Management (IF=5.292).
  • March. Dr. Shi presented his research studies on desktop-based eye-tracking methods and haptic-driven exoskeleton learning at 2022 CRC conference, Arlington, Virginia.
  • January. Matias Mega visited our research group as a visiting undergraduate student from Universidad Nacional del Nordeste (UNNE) in Argentina. Welcome aboard!

2021

  • October. Dr. Shi was selected as the best reviewer for 38th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction (ISARC 2021).
  • August. Dr. Shi joined the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alabama as an Assistant Professor.
  • April. Dr. Shi was selected as the track coordinator for project management and construction at the 2021 IEEE Winter Simulation Conference (IEEE WSC 2021).