The objective of this NSF Civic Innovation Challenge (CIVIC) Stage 2 project is to explore and demonstrate an alternative model of rail transit development that revitalizes underutilized—or “legacy”—rail through partnerships. Rail transit in the United States faces several challenges that drive up costs and delay implementation: technical complexity requiring expensive signaling and inspection systems, complex regulatory hurdles, rigid funding structures that limit financial innovation, and reliance on costly feasibility studies to justify demand.

Traditional Hunger Relief Organizations (HROs) have gaps in their ability to serve food-insecure households, operating from a limited number of locations and for limited hours, and often relying on purchased food that doesn’t directly reduce local food waste. Micro-pantries are small, decentralized, unattended, shared food pantries and fridges that allow local residents and businesses to donate food within their own neighborhoods.

Police traffic stops are common, complex interactions that can be a tool to improve public safety or escalate to violence. Effective communication in these situations is crucial to ensure officer and civilian safety, enforce the law, and build public trust. This project develops artificial intelligence (AI) tools that enable researchers to analyze footage from officers’ body-worn cameras, learn about officer-driver communication and refine best practices for traffic stop outcomes.

Firefighters are faced with myriad stressors from hazardous work conditions and exposure to extreme heat that place their health at significant risks. The intense heat, smoke, shift work, long working hours, and stressful work put firefighters at substantial risk for heat-related injuries, long-term chronic complications, and mental health challenges. The health risks are further compounded in the Phoenix metropolitan area, which has one of the highest heat indexes in the nation.