Saba Ikhlaq accepting the John Vardon Memorial Transportation Scholarship for excellence in a master’s-level transportation program at the 2025 Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Canada annual conference in Halifax, N.S. (Courtesy Saba Ikhlaq)
By Lindsay Charlton
When Saba Ikhlaq heard the University of Windsor recognized not once, but twice at a national conference this summer, she felt a deep sense of pride.
The graduate student pursuing her master of applied science in engineering travelled to Halifax, N.S., this summer for the 2025 Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Canada conference. The national gathering of transportation professionals awarded her the prestigious John Vardon Memorial Transportation Scholarship for excellence in a master’s-level transportation program.
Adding to the celebration, the ITE University of Windsor student chapter, which Ikhlaq led as president, received the Student Chapter Momentum Award for its vibrant activity and growth throughout 2024.
“It was wonderful,” said Ikhlaq. “We have a very small transportation engineering students’ group at UWindsor, and I felt very proud to represent my city and my university. And it was a proud moment when I heard the name of the University of Windsor mentioned twice in front of over 300 people.”
Students in the ITE University of Windsor student chapter shown on screen at the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Canada annual conference in Halifax, N.S., when it was announced they won the Student Chapter Momentum Award. (Courtesy Saba Ikhlaq)
This marks the first time a University of Windsor student has won the scholarship since it was first awarded in 1979.
Driven by a passion for safer, more sustainable transportation systems, Ikhlaq focuses her research on driver behaviour, particularly in work zones, where collisions are more common.
“I designed an experiment where drivers came to the transportation system innovation lab to drive, and I collected two types of data: survey responses and driving simulator results,” she explained.
“From the survey, I studied how drivers perceive driving risk, safety, confidence and distraction in different warning sign scenarios. Using simulator data, I’m developing models of driver responses to various stimuli, such as pictorial or text signs placed at different locations.”
Ikhlaq said she will also test how providing information to drivers at different distances, such as 250 metres or 500 metres before the work zone, affects their speed to determine which scenario is most effective in slowing drivers down.
“Speed is one of the primary causes of traffic accidents in work zones,” she noted. “That is why I’m looking into how and when the best way is to notify drivers and give them the information.”
Saba Ikhlaq at the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Canada annual conference in Halifax, N.S., accepting the Student Chapter Momentum Award on behalf of the University of Windsor ITE Student Chapter. (Courtesy Saba Ikhlaq)
Another first for the University of Windsor is the recognition of its ITE student chapter, which earned the Momentum Award — something Ikhlaq said took a lot of effort, given Windsor’s limited transportation sector.
“It was difficult to connect with the industry for sponsorship since we have few local companies. As president, I reached out to UWindsor alumni to give technical presentations. Now, our chapter is the only one holding two events a month. We stayed active on social media and worked hard to get people involved, which is what the Momentum Award is all about,” she said.
Being recognized at the national level is an “amazing” opportunity to foster connections with other transportation engineers and companies, Ikhlaq emphasized.
While Ikhlaq is set to graduate in December and her time as president of the ITE student chapter will come to a close this month, she’s leaving the executive team with a lofty goal.
“I told them, ‘Now your goal is the Outstanding Student Chapter Award,’” she said. “We’ve won the Momentum Award — now work toward bringing the next one to the University of Windsor.”