Xueping Li, a professor in the Department of Industrial Systems Engineering, co-director of the Health Innovation Technology and Simulation Lab, and director of the Ideation Laboratory at the University of Tennessee, won the best paper award at the 51st International Conference on Computers and Industrial Engineering. 

The conference aims to gather researchers to spread and discuss state-of-the-art advancements in the areas of industrial engineering, supply chain management, operations management, computer science, manufacturing, management, and more. The theme of the conference was “Towards Smart, Sustainable, and Resilient Systems,” which perfectly fits Li’s paper. 

Li’s paper, titled “Empowering Cognitive Digital Twins with Generative Foundation Models: Developing a Low-Carbon Integrated Freight Transportation System,” focuses on finding a more efficient and effective monitoring system for freight transportation systems. The paper addresses the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) that come from freight transportation, saying it makes up 38% of energy-related missions. These greenhouse gases are detrimental to Americans. The United States aims to stop greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector by the year 2050, so any developments that can be made to help reduce emissions are crucial to achieving this goal. 

Li and his team focused on creating a cognitive digital twin for the U.S. backbone intermodal freight transportation system. The system would maximize efficiency and resiliency while minimizing life cycle GHG emissions. With recent developments in AI technology, more is now possible. The system, Resiliency and Emission Control through Optimizing Intermodal Logistics (RECOIL), allows for the national freight system flow planning, scheduling, and optimization within 24 hours. It is also capable of providing locally optimized route rescheduling due to disruptions within one hour. 

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Rhiannon Potkey (865-974-0683, [email protected])