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2026 Southeast Data Competition Concludes at the Southeast Annual Symposium on Freight & Mobility
2026 Southeast Data Competition Concludes at the Southeast Annual Symposium on Freight & Mobility
Center for Regional and Rural Connected Communities | Christina Mosley
Published April 24, 2026
The 2026 Southeast Data Competition for an Efficient Transportation System Design concluded with a dynamic finale held during the Southeast Annual Symposium on Freight & Mobility. Bringing together top student talent from across the region, the competition highlighted the power of data-driven innovation in addressing real-world transportation challenges.
After months of collaboration, technical analysis, and interdisciplinary teamwork, the final round of the competition took place on April 14. Student teams presented their solutions to a panel of experts, with the event culminating in an awards ceremony on April 15 that celebrated excellence in research, design, and impact.
What set this year’s competition apart was the caliber of its finalists. Every team that advanced to the final round had already earned first-place distinction at their respective universities. As a result, the finale represented not just a competition, but a convergence of the Southeast’s top student innovators—each bringing forward solutions rooted in technical rigor, creativity, and a deep understanding of community transportation needs. In every sense, all teams were winners.
The 2026 competition concluded with outstanding presentations from all finalist teams:
First Place – North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Connected Rural Mobility: Local-Intercity Coordination in Rockingham County, North Carolina
Presented by Komal Gulati, David Quansah, Akilah Jones, and Meray Abdelmalak
Second Place – University of Kentucky
Autonomous Transit Compact: A Data-Driven Proposal for Long-Distance Self-Driving Bus Service
Presented by Hudson Cooper, Andrew Snider, Clay Hammer, and Garon Davis
Third Place (Tie)
University of Alabama – Bridging Perinatal Care Accessibility Gaps in Alabama based on LLM-improved E2SFCA Evaluation
Presented by Bo Shen, Axl Buchheit, and Yanfang Su
Florida Atlantic University – An Intelligent Centralized Platform to Address the Nighttime Truck Parking Law Enforcement Dilemma
Presented by Ioannis P. Ioannou, Cristal Auger, Rutvikkumar Dave, and Ashmin Poudel
While the final awards highlight top-performing teams at the regional level, it is equally important to recognize the outstanding students who earned first-place honors at their home institutions. These campus champions represent the foundation of the competition and exemplify excellence across the entire consortium:
North Carolina A&T State University: Komal Gulati, Meray Abdelmalak, Akilah Jones, David Quansah
University of Kentucky: Hudson Cooper, Garon Davis, Andrew Snider, Clay Hammer
University of Georgia: Georgiana Christofil, Samantha Smolarsky, Dylan Appling, Alizah Thompson
Clemson University: Sanduni Caldera, Dulshan Malshika, Momo Kelie
University of Tennessee, Knoxville: Xinyu Hu, Mohammad Khojastehpour, Zeinab Bayati
Florida Atlantic University: Cristal Auger, Rutvikkumar Dave, Ioannis P. Ioannou, Ashmin Poudel
University of Alabama: Axl Buchheit, Yanfang Su, Bo Shen
Each of these teams demonstrated exceptional innovation, analytical skill, and a commitment to developing solutions that address critical transportation challenges in their communities. Their achievements at the campus level were instrumental in shaping a highly competitive and impactful final round.
This initiative was made possible through the generous support of American Honda Motor Company, Inc., whose commitment to innovation and education continues to empower the next generation of transportation leaders.
We also extend our sincere appreciation to our judges—Matthew Lesh, Taft Kelly, and Dr. Abhilasha Saroj—for their time, expertise, and thoughtful evaluation throughout the competition.
Behind the scenes, the success of this program reflects the leadership and coordination of a dedicated, multi-institutional organizing committee. We thank the faculty and researchers across the consortium whose efforts brought this competition to life, including Venktesh Pandey, Sudhagar Nagarajan, Xuehan Jing, Hao Zhen, Oriana Calderon, Xiaowei Chen, Greg Erhardt, Evangelos I. Kaisar, Haizhong Wang, Stephan Durham, Airton Kohls, Steven Jones, Ali Karimoddini, and Maranda McBride.
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