Mark Abkowitz

In partnership with design firm Gresham Smith, a team of Vanderbilt researchers from the university and medical center are deploying groundbreaking technology to increase pedestrian safety and comfort on campus. Mark Abkowitz, distinguished professor of civil and environmental engineering, is leading the project. “ This is being accomplished using smart watches that record an individual’s heart... Read More

Five graduate students named Eisenhower Fellows Vanderbilt University’s strengths in transportation, resilience and sustainability are on display this week at the Transportation Research Board’s 102nd annual meeting held in person in Washington, D.C. As part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the TRB provides leadership in transportation improvements and innovation. Four faculty members and six... Read More

Using historical crash data, data collection, advanced classification models and machine learning algorithms that encompass critical factors in bicycle crash outcomes, Vanderbilt engineers Ishita Dash, Mark Abkowitz and Craig Philip developed an analysis that will result in a set of policies and actions that transportation planners nationwide can use to mitigate cyclists’ safety risks. The... Read More

Mark Abkowitz, professor of civil and environmental engineering, discusses the challenges of managing a natural disaster during a pandemic. Read More

Smarter zoning, better hazard maps and more stormwater management are among the key recommendations Vanderbilt environmental engineer Mark Abkowitz has for coping with extreme weather. Read More

A number of Vanderbilt professors can provide interviews about rethinking how and why we rebuild after disasters, designing policies to keep Americans safe and predicting extreme weather impacts. Read More

Researchers are studying how commerce and flood control on inland waterways and the residents along them must change. Read More

Watch video of Mark Abkowitz, Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Vanderbilt, discuss adaptation strategies with a specific focus on infrastructure systems as a means to prepare for future climate change such as extreme weather events. In his presentation, he suggests using a holistic risk management approach to identify… Read More

The effects of climate change will have widespread impact on the state, but there are opportunities to offset it by incorporating “climate-friendly” and “climate-resilient” actions into routine management decisions, say scientists from Vanderbilt University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, University of Memphis and the Tennessee Department of Health in a new report. Read More

The effects of climate change will have widespread impact on the state, but there are opportunities to offset it by incorporating “climate-friendly” and “climate-resilient” actions into routine management decisions, say scientists from Vanderbilt and other major Tennessee research institutions in a new report. Read More

Abkowitz (Vanderbilt) Mark Abkowitz, professor of civil and environmental engineering, has received the Vanderbilt Alumni Association’s Alumni Education Award, given annually to a faculty member who has contributed significantly to Vanderbilt Alumni Association education programs. Bess (Vanderbilt) Kimberly Bess, assistant professor of human and organizational development, has received… Read More

Despite the uncertainties surrounding climate change, it is time to start developing effective strategies to keep the nation’s transportation systems and other critical infrastructure running. Read More

The worst environmental disaster to hit the U.S. occurred in part because of BP’s institutional arrogance, pushing a technology beyond its limits, and basic communication failures, according to Vanderbilt University Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Mark Abkowitz, an emergency preparedness and response expert. Read More

If you have a nagging feeling that life is getting increasingly hazardous, you may be interested in the new book, "Operational Risk Management," by Mark D. Abkowitz, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Vanderbilt University. Read More

Watch video of Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Mark Abkowitz discussing risk and his book, "Operational Risk Management." Read More

Hurricane Katrina has left most of New Orleans a virtual toxic wasteland, and a Vanderbilt University professor says that perhaps this once great city that is below sea level should not be rebuilt, at least in its present form. Mark Abkowitz, professor of civil and environmental engineering, says "imagine the infrastructure expense required to rebuild the levees that can withstand far more than what was included in the original design, installation of a pumping system with greater capacity and less prone to failure, and add to that the knowledge that the climate change will increase the frequency and severity of hurricanes in the region." Read More

Vanderbilt experts are available to discuss a variety of issues related to the Hurricane Katrina disaster, including emergency response planning, police response, looting, economic impact, impact on universities, mass casualties, infectious disease and medical problems facing children. Read More

Vanderbilt Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Mark D. Abkowitz has been appointed by President Bush to a four-year term on the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board to provide advice on transportation issues. Read More