POLARIS User Group 2025
3rd Annual POLARIS User Group (PUG) Workshop – June 25-27, 2025
The Vehicle and Mobility Systems (VMS) Department is excited to announce the 3rd Annual POLARIS User Group Workshop planned for June 25-27, 2025. The workshop brings together students, researchers, professors, planning agency staff, transit professionals, and state and federal entities (e.g., DOE, DOT, EPA, FEMA, etc.) for a three-day series of presentations and training, sessions and breakout discussions on the development, use, and improvement of POLARIS – the DOE-funded agent-based transportation forecasting tool.
This year’s workshop will be held at the **University of Illinois Chicago (UIC)** in an auditorium-styled classroom setting to accommodate a large audience while maintaining the interactive nature of the workshop. The key focus areas for the 3rd PUG workshop are the following:
- Overview of VMS department simulation capabilities.
- Recent advances in the POLARIS simulation framework & related tools:
- Freight modeling capability available
- Routing-related advances for better DTA convergence
- Robust KPI generation and visualization with Polaris-Studio
- Setting up scenarios with Polaris-Studio and study management
- Student research related to POLARIS in the areas of demand, electric vehicles, shared mobility, transit, freight and optimization.
- Stakeholder experience in using or working with POLARIS and Autonomie.
- Other experience in agent-based transportation and related modeling.
Registration
Attendance at the 3rd Annual PUG workshop requires every attendee to be registered. No fees are required to register and attend the workshop, however, on-time registration allows us to plan to host the attendees at the event appropriately.
Please register to attend the workshop using the following form no later than **May 15th**.
Call for Abstracts
VMS staff have planned several training sessions and presentations for the workshop. We are also inviting attendees to submit short abstracts for presentation at the workshop. Abstracts can cover the content of the proposed presentation, how it will be useful to the attendees, and who is the target audience. Abstracts must include a proposed presentation title, authors name and affiliation, and denote who will present.
Please submit the abstract using the following form no later than **May 15th**
Travel Honorarium Available for Students*
The Vehicle and Mobility Systems Department is making available a handful of travel honorariums if presenting at the workshop. Students of valid academic status are eligible for the honorarium. Due to the limited availability of funds, students wishing to receive the travel honorarium are required to submit an abstract to enroll. Approval to receive the travel honorarium will be announced along with the abstract acceptance. Travel honorariums will be provided as a fixed amount.
*Restrictions apply.
Agenda
Program Agenda available here: https://anl.box.com/s/nszjq52cfury27md4kg42kdogpxhhsno
Venue
Address: 940 W Harrison St, Chicago, IL 60607
Building: UIC Academic and Residential Complex
Room: Classroom 242 (Auditorium)
Suggestions for accommodation
Several options exist in the River North, Loop, and West Loop areas, across varying budgets. We recommend finding accommodation in West Loop and Loop for its proximity to UIC and transit availability.
Additionally, there are **limited rooms** available offered by UIC Campus Housing. These are single rooms with a shared bathroom (with one other person), with the option to get the full suite. For more information about this low-cost option, please navigate to the UIC Housing Page: **To Be Announced**
Note: There is a deadline to reserve this space. Please do so by **May 15th, 2025**.
Networking Lunches and Happy Hour
Throughout the workshop, Argonne staff will plan networking lunches (cost borne by each individual) in a variety of interest groups. Those interested in talking to people in specific focus areas are welcome to reach out in advance to facilitate the best use of time. On the last day of the workshop, an informal Happy Hour gathering will also take place.
If interested in either of these plans, please let one of us know during registration, so that we can coordinate with all interested parties and convey the plan for each day ahead of time.
Important Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Registration Deadline | May 15th, 2025 (subject to space availability) |
| Abstract Submission Deadline | May 15th, 2025 |
| UIC Accommodation Deadline (if applicable) | May 15th, 2025 |
| Workshop Agenda Posted | May 22nd, 2025 |
| Honoraria Decisions Made | May 22nd, 2025 |
| Workshop | June 25-27th, 2025 |