adairgarret@gatech.edu
Ph.D. Student
Research Interests:
Humans, Disasters, and the Built Environment
Education:
MS Civil Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, May 2023
Ph.D. Transportation Systems Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, anticipated graduation: May 2026
Adair is pursuing a Ph.D. in Transportation Systems Engineering to expand her knowledge of potential transit- and infrastructure-related solutions to unknown unknowns. She is very passionate about transportation and hopes to work on major rail projects. Outside of academics, she likes to learn languages, teach yoga, and dance salsa.
Adair Garrett won a Dissertation Grant from the National Center of Sustainable Transportation (NCST) in August 2023 to develop an integrated framework for incorporating resilience and sustainability into rail infrastructure management. The research is summarized in the graphic below.
Read about it here: https://ncst.ucdavis.edu/project/applying-vulnerability-assessments-and-triple-bottom-line-considerations-rail.
Work Experience:
Georgia Institute of Technology | Graduate Research Assistant | January 2022 – present
- Worked on research projects related to the intersection of resilience and equity while managing a small team of undergraduate research assistants
- Developed educational tools, including online training and resources, about resilience and equity to translate current research into implementable pathways
- Explored research questions about flexible and agile organizations and developed related guidance documents for transportation agency practitioners
Argonne National Laboratory | Research Intern | May 2023 – August 2023
- Worked on use cases for railroad and electricity sectors for the ClimRR website
- Compiled resources for adaptations to extreme weather events and conditions for practitioners across industries
- Collaborated to improve user interface and experience (UI/UX) for the ClimRR dynamically downscaled climate data portal
HDR | Road Design Intern | August 2021 – November 2021
- Worked in MicroStation to design roadway files for projects along highways in South and North Carolina
- Researched Project Initiation Form information for feasibility studies
- Participated in scope development and environmental impact assessment processes
Kimley-Horn & Associates | Transportation Planning & Traffic Operations Intern | May 2021 – August 2021
- Developed multi-purpose building design with a focus on roadway impacts and traffic signal retiming
- Worked in Synchro to develop build scenarios for Gateway 85 project
- Created maps in ArcGIS to display traffic data and existing condition data
Leadership:
Women in Transportation Seminar | President | April 2023 – present
- Organized speaker seminar series for the WTS Chapter at Georgia Tech for 2023 – 2024 academic years
- Performed outreach over social media and other communication channels to bring in new speakers from various transportation industries, including rail companies and local DOTs
- Connected WTS students with scholarships to amplify the impact of WTS national at the Georgia Tech chapter
Serve-Learn-Sustain (SLS) | Fellowship Manager, RCE Fellow | December 2017 – May 2021; October 2022 – May 2023
- Worked as leader (Fall 2020) and developer (Summer 2019 – Fall 2019) of SLS Fellowship Program
- Worked with the City of Atlanta to construct a skeleton Voluntary Local Review and research metrics related to SDGs 7, 11, and 13 and assess the progress of the City
- Developed programs including the Regional Center of Expertise (RCE) Greater Atlanta Mentorship Program and the RCE Civic Dinners program to foster group discussions about sustainability in the Atlanta area
Chi Epsilon | Philanthropy Chair | May 2020 – May 2021
- Organized philanthropy events across Atlanta and arranged carpools for members of Georgia Tech’s Chi Epsilon chapter
- Aided in the management of initiates for the organization, including completing mandatory requirements to be recognized nationally
Grants, Awards & Scholarships:
Grants: National Center for Sustainable Transportation | Dissertation Grant | August 2023 – August 2024
Awards: Women In Engineering Grad Women’s Fellowship Program, Sally Hammock Service Award, Georgia Tech 2020 College of Engineering Honors Day Award, Dwight D. Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship 2022
Scholarships: WTS Helene Overly Memorial Scholarship 2023, Jordan Jones Scholarship, Robert Miller Scholarship, Zell HOPE Scholarship, HDR Scholarship, Joseph and Peggy McMahon Transportation Engineering Scholarship, Georgia Engineering Foundation Scholarship (2021, 2022, & 2023)
Publications:
Garrett, A. Incorporating Resilience Capabilities into Long-Range Transportation Plans: Flexibility and Agility. A Thesis presented to the Academic Faculty in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, April 2023. | Thesis Committee: A. Amekudzi-Kennedy, B. Woodall, B. Ashuri, & J. Fischer. https://hdl.handle.net/1853/72024
Garrett, A., Wall, T., Johnsen M., and A. Amekudzi Kennedy. Building Rail System Resilience to Climate Change: Risks, Challenges, Opportunities, and Solution Pathways. In Progress.
Cuadra, M., Garrett, A., Tennakoon, M., Amekudzi-Kennedy, A., Woodall, B., Ashuri, B., and P. Singh. Effective Practices in Flood Adaptation by Recognizing System, Organization, and Project Interdependencies. Transportation Research Record. Journal of the Transportation Research Board. Washington, D.C., 2024. https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981241231960
Amekudzi-Kennedy, A., Singh, P., Williams, E., Cuadra, M., Ashuri, B., Woodall, B., Garrett, A., Tennakoon, M., Clark, R., and A. Dheeraj. Developing Transportation Resilience Adaptively to Climate Change: A Risk-Based, Adaptive and Mitigation-Based Approach. Transportation Research Record. Journal of the Transportation Research Board. Washington, D.C., December 2023. https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981231186989
Presentations:
Garrett, A. (2023, November 13-15). Planning and Evaluation Tool to Enhance Resilience Capabilities in Long-Range Transportation Plans: Flexibility and Agility. [Conference poster presentation]. Transportation Resilience 2023: International Conference on Extreme Weather and Climate Change Challenges. Washington, D.C., Accepted August 2023.
Garrett, A., Yang, Z., Tennakoon, M., Cuadra, M., and A. Amekudzi-Kennedy. (2023, November 13-15). Resilience-Building Resources for State DOTs. [Conference lectern presentation]. Transportation Resilience 2023: International Conference on Extreme Weather and Climate Change Challenges. Washington, D.C., Accepted August 2023.
Garrett, A., Wall, T., and M. Johnsen. (2024, January 7-11). Building Rail System Resilience: Framework for Incorporating Vulnerability Assessments and Hazard-Specific Adaptation into Planning. [Conference poster presentation]. Transportation Research Board. Washington, D.C., Accepted September 2023.
Garrett, A., Patil, P., Orthous Inchauste, M., and A. Amekudzi-Kennedy. (2024, January 7-11). Vulnerability Assessments Incorporating Accessibility Considerations to Enhance Transportation System Resilience and Equity. [Conference Poster Presentation] Transportation Research Board. Washington, D.C., Accepted September 2023.
Amekudzi-Kennedy, A., Yang, Z., Singh, P., and A. Garrett. A Performance-Based Approach to Developing Capabilities for Building Resilience to Climate Hazards in Transportation Systems. [Conference poster presentation]. Transportation Research Board. Washington, D.C., Accepted September 2023.