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TR NEWSNUMBER 257 JULY–AUGUST 2008

COVER: Inadequate investment inhuman and intellectual capital is acritical issue in transportation—practical solutions and models fortransportation education andtraining are developing on manyfronts. (COVER DESIGN: MICHELLE WANDRES)

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TRANSPORTATION EDUCATION AND TRAINING SOLUTIONS

3 INTRODUCTIONBuilding the 21st Century Workforce: Creating a National StrategyGregory Benz and Chandra BhatThe transportation industry is facing a workforce crisis. The ongoing and emergingtransportation system needs people with skills in management, administration, policy,planning, engineering, construction, operations, and maintenance. The TRBTransportation Education and Training Committee is coordinating efforts to establish acommunity to keep workforce development in focus.

7 The Louisiana Model for Transportation WorkforceDevelopment: Integrating Technical Assistance, StructuredTraining, Continuing Education, and Technology TransferHarold R. (Skip) PaulThe Louisiana Transportation Research Center, merging the resources of LouisianaState University and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development,has assembled a versatile core of facilities and expertise to address transportationchallenges via research, technology transfer, and training. The center’s director providesa guided tour of the wide-ranging programs, functions, and high-tech facilities.

11 Freight Academy Targets Transportation Professionals Karen Ryan Tobia

14 The Kentucky Engineering Exposure Network:State Program KEEN to Inspire and Guide StudentsMiranda ThackerSince 1991, the Kentucky Engineering Exposure Network (KEEN) has provided anopportunity for Kentucky Transportation Cabinet engineers to communicate withstudents in their communities, enhancing the public image of the Cabinet and raisingawareness of careers in engineering. The program applies basic math and science toreal-life situations, often through hands-on activities.

18 Building an Education Infrastructure for Railway TransportationEngineering: Renewed Partnerships on New TracksChristopher P. L. BarkanRailroads are a critical element of the nation’s transportation system. A new generationof capable, well-educated railway engineering professionals is essential to plan, design,build, maintain, and operate the rail system, yet the academic resources to satisfy theeducational demand are in short supply. The author looks at ways that the railroad andacademic communities can work together for short- and long-term mutual benefits.

24 Developing a Waterways Curriculum for Young People: Framework for Highlighting Careers in the Marine Industry William C. EidsonA waterways curriculum would offer a flexible approach for developing and presentingeducational materials focused on marine transportation to children in a variety ofsettings and would be applicable and adaptable nationwide. The author presents keyconcepts and traces a course of action for establishing a successful curriculum thatwould include school programs, community outreach, onsite teaching, and expositions.

29 Maritime Education Shining as a LighthouseArthur H. Sulzer

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38 ProfilesIowa state transportation safety engineer Tom Welch and marketing and transportation professor Mary R. Brooks

40 News BriefsBenchmark rail study, highway research plan, monitoring motorcycle travel

41 Calendar

42 TRB HighlightsCooperative Research Programs News, 43

44 Bookshelf

32 Educating the Transportation Leaders of the 21st Century:The Transportation Leadership Graduate Certificate ProgramThomas F. HumphreyAn innovative pilot program for a graduate certificate in multimodaltransportation is nearing implementation, guided by the founding directors ofthe Regional University Transportation Centers, with funding from theFederal Highway Administration and advice from industry, associations, andothers. The goal is to educate transportation leaders and to recruit and retainprofessionals to fill workforce needs.

TR NEWSTR NEWSfeatures articles on innovative and timelyresearch and development activities in all modesof trans portation. Brief news items of interest tothe transportation community are also included,along with profiles of transportation profes -sionals, meeting an nouncements, summaries ofnew publications, and news of Trans portation Re search Board activities.

TR News is produced by the Transportation Research Board Publications OfficeJavy Awan, Editor and Publications DirectorChristopher R. D’Amore, Assistant EditorJennifer J. Weeks, Photo ResearcherJuanita Green, Production ManagerMichelle Wandres, Graphic Designer

TR News Editorial BoardNeil F. Hawks, ChairmanCharles FayEdward T. HarriganChristopher J. HedgesFrederick D. HejlThomas R. Menzies, Jr.Mark R. NormanBarbara L. Post

Transportation Research BoardRobert E. Skinner, Jr., Executive DirectorSuzanne B. Schneider, Associate Executive

DirectorMark R. Norman, Director,

Technical ActivitiesStephen R. Godwin, Director,

Studies and Special ProgramsMichael P. LaPlante, Director,

Administration and Finance Christopher W. Jenks, Director,

Cooperative Research ProgramsNeil F. Hawks, Director, SHRP 2

TR News (ISSN 0738-6826) is issued bimonthly by theTransportation Research Board, National ResearchCouncil, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001.Internet address: www.TRB.org.

Editorial Correspondence: By mail to the PublicationsOffice, Transportation Research Board, 500 FifthStreet, NW, Washington, DC 20001, by telephone202-334-2972, by fax 202-334-3495, or by e-mail [email protected].

Subscriptions: North America: 1 year $55; single issue $10. Overseas: 1 year $80; single issue $14.Inquiries or communications concerning new subscriptions, subscription problems, or single-copysales should be addressed to the Business Office at the address below, or telephone 202-334-3216, fax 202-334-2519. Periodicals postage paid atWashington, D.C.

Postmaster: Send changes of address to TR News,Transportation Research Board, 500 Fifth Street, NW,Wash ington, DC 20001.

Notice: The opinions expressed in articles appearingin TR News are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the TransportationResearch Board. The Trans por tation Research Boardand TR News do not en dorse products or manufac-turers. Trade and manufacturers’ names appear in anarticle only because they are considered essential toits object.

Printed in the United States of America.

Copyright © 2008 Transportation Research Board. All rights reserved.

A L S O I N T H I S I S S U E :

C O M I N G N E X T I S S U E

A behind-the-scenes account of the collaboration and cooperation contributing to thesuccess of the Marquette Interchange Project in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; practicallessons and workable models from the finalists in the first TRB CommunicationsCompetition; the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on state eminent domainlaws and transportation policies; TRB’s newly published study on policies and prac-

tices to prevent further introduc-tions of aquatic invasive species intothe Great Lakes; uninterruptiblepower supplies for traffic signals—and more—fill out the contents ofthe September–October TR News.

A mural on the northern abutment ofI-43 at Fond du Lac Avenue,Milwaukee—a context-sensitiveelement of the Marquette InterchangeProject—depicts the rescue of runawayslave Joshua Glover from jail in 1854.

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CORRECTION: A footnote in the article, Promoting Public Health Through Trans-portation Planning: Utah Region Adopts and Applies Guidelines, by Shaunna K.Burbidge (TR News, May–June 2008, pp. 16–18), stated that “a high-speed rail linebegan operation in April 2008.” As pointed out by Matthew Melzer, National Asso-ciation of Railroad Passengers and editor of Intercity Passenger Rail newsletter, it was“the first phase of the FrontRunner commuter rail line, a service of Utah TransitAuthority,” that began operation, not a high-speed rail line.


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The authors are cochairs of the TRBTransportation Educationand Training Committee.Benz is Senior VicePresident and GlobalDirector of CapabilityDevelopment, ParsonsBrinckerhoff, Inc.,Baltimore, Maryland;and Bhat is Adnan Abou-Ayyash CentennialProfessor inTransportationEngineering, Universityof Texas, Austin.

The transportation industry is facing a work-force crisis. The ongoing and emergingtransportation system needs people withskills in management, administration, pol-

icy, planning, engineering, construction, operations,and maintenance. Addressing this issue is a priority forthe Transportation Research Board (TRB).

In January, the TRB Transportation Education andTraining Committee, in association with the Manage-ment and Productivity Committee, the Maintenanceand Operations Personnel Committee, and the Policyand Organization Group, sponsored an Annual Meet-ing workshop, Building the 21st Century Workforce:Creating a National Strategy.1 The developers of theworkshop strove to involve the many other sectors ofthe transportation industry that also have made work-force development a focus—governments at many lev-

els, industry and professional associations, the aca -demic community, labor unions, and consultants.

This workshop and its breakout sessions built on a2007 TRB workshop on the same topic and served asa starting point to establish a community for buildinga transportation workforce. The community expects toconsider policies and programs related to the upcom-ing reauthorization of transportation funding and tothe plans of the new administration.

The workshop opened with a briefing on keypoints from the 2007 program, followed by anoverview of the U.S. Department of Transportation’sNational Plan for Workforce Development.2 The ple-nary session concluded with a presentation on the

INTRODUCTION

BUILDING THE 21ST CENTURYWORKFORCECreating a National StrategyG R E G O R Y B E N Z A N D C H A N D R A B H A T

1 Session 754, 8:30 a.m.–noon, Thursday, January 17, 2008.

For two years, TRBAnnual Meeting sessionson Building the 21stCentury Workforce haveattracted large andparticipatory audienceson the final day of themeeting; (right:) the2007 session, withThomas R. Warnespeaking on theChanging DOTWorkforce: Challengesand Solutions.

2 Summaries of the draft strategies in the national plan areposted on the Federal Highway Administration website,http://knowledge.fhwa.dot.gov/cops/hcx.nsf/home?OpenForm&Group=Working%20Together%20for%20Highway%20Workforce%20Development&tab=WIP.


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evolving missions of transportation developers andproviders, addressing ways to examine the emergingand future mission of an organization and to developand implement a workforce strategy to meet that mis-sion. Four breakout sessions followed the plenary ses-sion, each with a specific topic:

� Developing and Implementing a WorkforceStrategy for an OrganizationThe missions of public agencies are evolving. Somehave grown in geographic scope and are extendingbeyond established jurisdictions. Many are shiftingfrom providing services and implementing projects tooverseeing policy, finance, and contracts, either

through third-party arrangements or alternative deliv-ery methods.

Many organizations are focusing more on the man-agement and operation of services and facilities orassets and less on the development of new facilities.Technological changes may provide new andimproved services but may require a more sophisti-cated base of skills. As a result, traditional providers ofproject development, construction, contracting, andoperational support services are adjusting their mis-sions and business plans, and many new players areentering the industry. How can an organization exam-ine its mission and develop and implement a work-force strategy to fulfill that mission?

TransTech Academy Builds on Success

T ransTech Academy was established in 1991 as the first transportationstudies high school program in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan

area. TransTech Academy’s mission is to provide students with experiencesthat inculcate the values of education, constructive employment, and careersin various modes and sectors of the transportation industry. The programlinks education to the real world, enabling students to adapt successfully tocomplexity and change in the workplace.

Located at Cardozo Senior High School, the program has been coordinatedby Shirley McCall since its start. The first year of enrollment included 30 tenthgraders who became the first graduating class in 1994. This year, 40 seniorswere honored at the TransTech Academy Senior Recognition and Awards Cere-mony in June. Norma Ventura, who worked at an internship at TRB, receivedrecognition for graduating third in this year’s class.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), the Federal HighwayAdministration (FHWA), and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awardedTransTech Academy a grant of $300,000 in September 2008 to support theschool’s day-to-day activities and to assist with the opening of a preengineeringprogram.

The TransTech Academy Industry Partners Consortium,which held its inaugural meeting in February 2008, includesrepresentatives from the U.S. DOT, the Federal AviationAdministration, the National Black Coalition of AviationEmployees, the Organization of Black Airline Pilots, FHWA,FTA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the Con-ference of Minority Transportation Officials, the District ofColumbia DOT, D.C. Public Schools, the International Broth-erhood of Teamsters, the American Public TransportationAssociation, Howard University, NASA, Bombardier–AeroClub, and TRB.

In 2004, TRB recognized McCall with the Sharon D. BanksAward for sustained leadership accomplishments and inno-vations that exemplify Banks’s ideals of humanity and serviceby making a difference in the lives of those who use, deliver,or support transportation services.

Renowned engineering professor David P. Billingtonof Princeton University meets with TransTech studentsduring the 2004 TRB Annual Meeting, to encouragethem to continue in trans portation-related studiesand careers.

The TransTech Academy Exhibit at the 2008 TRB Annual Meeting highlightedstudent projects, training programs, school-to-career activities, hands-onlearning, partners and supporters, and graduates. Program coordinatorShirley McCall is seated second from left.


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� Increasing the Supply: Transportation as aCareer Choice and Improving the Retention ofEngineering StudentsThe transportation industry must attract people intothe field. Young people, their parents, teachers, andother influencers must be made aware of the oppor-tunities in transportation. Young people also mustreceive the necessary educational prerequisites inmathematics, technology, and science to enter theindustry. Candidates must have access to opportuni-ties and must be recruited and retained—many other,often more visible industries are competing for thesame workforce.

The full spectrum of potential audiences should beconsidered: kindergarten through 12th grade, tradeschool, college, postgraduate programs, and midcareeremployees considering changes. Methods of outreachinclude career days—for example, to recruit equip-ment operators, designers, planners, environmentalscientists, and the like, separately or together; schoolprojects on transportation problems; tours, videos,and advertisements; educating school counselors;working with magnet schools; professional outreachand mentoring at schools; summer programs; and pro-viding marketing, experiential, engagement, and evenfinancial support to students and prospects.

� Developing and Improving College andTechnical School Programs for Transportation,Including Specialty AreasWhat courses and curricula are needed to attract,develop, and direct students interested in the variousacademic, professional, and technical fields withintransportation? What are the foundations of an edu-cational program, and what specialty areas within theindustry have current and emerging needs? Whatstrategic and tactical guidance is needed, so that edu-

cational and experiential content and methods canmeet near-term and longer-term industry needs?

� Preparing the Workforce for EvolvingOrganizational NeedsEmerging organizational needs must be understood,such as transitioning from mechanical tasks to hightechnology, from technical responsibilities to manage-ment and oversight, and from working as operators toworking as contract managers. The transportationindustry workforce must be able to meet the needs ofthe 21st century and have enough people with thenecessary skills in management, administration, pol-icy, planning, engineering, construction, and opera-tions and maintenance.

Emerging methods of delivering and operatingroadways, airports, and other facilities and servicesrequire sophisticated financial and managementskills. Buses, trains, trucks, and construction equip-ment are becoming more technologically complex—the operations and maintenance workforce requiresnot only traditional mechanical skills but also high-tech electronic and computer competencies. Ideasto be considered include developing options forretention; developing options for organization; out-sourcing; training; developing an esprit de corps;rehiring retirees; offering part-time employmentopportunities; retraining personnel from downsizedindustries; telecommuting; initiating round-the-clock operations; and developing employees—thatis, succession planning.

Action Plan for 2009The workshop and breakout sessions generated anagenda for the sponsoring TRB committees:

High school students hear a presentation at the CSXTransportation booth during an engineering openhouse at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign; the annual program, organized byengineering students, attracts up to 20,000attendees.

Undergraduate studentsin the University ofIllinois at Urbana–Champaign RailroadEngineering Programgain practical, hands-onexperience doingtrackwork at theMonticello RailwayMuseum, Monticello,Illinois.

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� Website—Develop and host a website at theUniversity of Texas to serve as a repository for stu-dents and professionals looking for information ontransportation workforce issues, needs, and devel-opment programs. The website, www.trb-educa-tion.org, will offer extensive information and links toa variety of programs and scholarships for studentsand to training programs and career growth plans forprofessionals. The site will compile strategies forenhancing the transportation workforce, such as fos-tering the development of skills to match workforceneeds.

� Booth—Set up an interactive booth at the TRBAnnual Meeting, January 11–15, 2009, in Washing-ton, D.C., to attract attention to workforce issuesand challenges. The display could include a demon-stration of the website, as well as animations andsimulation tools.

� Activities at the 2009 TRB Annual Meeting: – Poster session on How to Get People Interested

in Transportation—Posters by professionals indifferent fields, including education and work-force development, would formulate ideas andshowcase programs that encourage people toconsider transportation as a career.

– Session on What Do Prospective and CurrentEmployees Want from Employers? The sessionwould focus on what young people and midca-reer employees look for in a job—that is, whatmight attract them to transportation. How musttransportation organizations change to meetthese expectations? For example, many organi-zations have increased salaries or have changedlicensing and other job requirements to attractand retain employees. Younger employeesappear to value flexibility in work schedulesand the opportunity to make a contributionthrough their work.

– Session on Adaptive Transportation Organiza-tions and Employees—Case studies would pre-sent organizations that have learned to beflexible and programs that have helped employ-ees adapt to new requirements and new jobs.

Ongoing Activities The sponsoring committees are continuing the out-reach and coordination activities that have developedin response to the issues identified in the workshop onBuilding the 21st Century Work Force: Creating aNational Strategy. The goal is to establish a trans-portation industry community that will consider poli-cies and programs for the upcoming reauthorizationlegislation and for the new administration—and tokeep workforce development in focus.

AcknowledgmentAssembled in this issue of TR News are articles thatdescribe a variety of promising initiatives and prob-lem-solving approaches to stimulate transportationworkforce recruitment, development, and retention.Joedy Cambridge, TRB Senior Program Officer, wasinstrumental—and, as always, expert and indefatiga-ble—in developing the contents of this special issue.

Young Professionals UniteA new organization, Young Professionals in Transportation (YPT), is providing career guidance,

fellowship, and networking opportunities:

� Guidance—with a series of seminars from leaders and teams in the field of transportation;� Fellowship—through an ongoing forum for mutual support and interaction among young

transportation professionals, especially those starting out in their careers; and� Networking—via opportunities and seminars to help young professionals advance their

careers and share innovative ideas.

The organization does not define young by age restrictions—anyone is welcome to participate inthe activities. For more information and to sign onto an e-mail list, visit the website athttp://ypt.transportation.org. The group can also be found online in Facebook via the keyword“ypt.” Send questions or comments to [email protected].

Distance learning,webinars, and onlinecourse delivery arestrategies for reachingalready-employedprofessionals looking toadvance in theireducation or careers orto make mid-careerchanges; photo showsequipment for web-based courses at theTransportation Trainingand Education Center,Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

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The author is Director,Louisiana TransportationResearch Center,Louisiana Department ofTransportation andDevelopment, BatonRouge, and a past chairof the TRB TechnicalActivities Council.

The Louisiana Transportation ResearchCenter (LTRC) is more than its nameimplies. The center’s research sectionexplores the thresholds of technology, and

the technology transfer and training section appliesthe findings in practical ways.

Created by the Louisiana legislature in 1986,LTRC has gained national recognition through itsefforts to improve transportation systems in the state.The center conducts short- and long-term researchand provides technical assistance, training, continu-ing education, technology transfer, and problem-solving services to the Louisiana Department ofTransportation and Development (DOTD) and tothe transportation community at large.

By merging the resources of its two parent insti-tutions—Louisiana State University (LSU) andLouisiana DOTD—the center has assembled a ver-satile core of facilities and expertise for applicationto rapidly evolving transportation challenges. Sup-ported by state and local government, universities,and private industry, LTRC identifies, develops, andimplements new technology to improve the state’stransportation system.

With guidance from the Transportation Curricu-lum Council (TCC)—an advisory committee withrepresentatives from Louisiana DOTD and indus-try—LTRC seeks innovative solutions to the state’stransportation problems. TCC serves as the govern-ing body in the search for the most effective ways toeducate and train all sectors of the transportationcommunity—public, private, and local government.Meeting twice a year, TCC evaluates training pro-grams, implements curricula, and provides directionfor LTRC training efforts. Following are highlights ofthe center’s training programs.

Structured TrainingIn 2001, DOTD issued its first comprehensive policyaddressing workforce development and defining theexpectations of supervisors and employees.1 The pol-icy asserts that training is key to developing qualifiedpersonnel and is crucial to the effective managementof the transportation system.

The DOTD-structured training program, there-fore, consists of a department-sanctioned, progres-sive training curriculum that requires the completionof specific work-related training at each level of anemployee’s career path. For DOTD, training is nec-essary and integral to career advancement. Thedepartment supports and promotes an environmentof continual learning, so that employees can pursueprofessional development to the fullest extent andcan contribute to the goals of the department.

Structured training programs ensure workforceproficiency and knowledge, prepare workers for thechallenges of a highly technical work environment,and guide employees systematically into careeradvancement. Depending on an individual’s posi-tion, structured training can involve professionaldevelopment, continuing education, technical skillstraining, and on-the-job training.

Auditorium at theTransportation Trainingand Education Centerseats 100 and includesmany high-techamenities.

1 Policy and Procedure Memorandum No. 59: WorkforceDevelopment.

THE LOUISIANA MODEL FOR TRANSPORTATIONWORKFORCE DEVELOPMENTIntegrating Technical Assistance, Structured Training,Continuing Education, and Technology TransferH A R O L D R . ( S K I P ) P A U L


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LTRC oversees three main areas in the structuredtraining program: construction and materials, main-tenance, and management development.

Construction and MaterialsThe construction and materials training programprovides comprehensive, up-to-date training andevaluation for professional engineers, engineeringtechnicians, and transportation industry contrac-tors and materials producers. LTRC monitorschanges in departmental specifications, test proce-dures, quality assurance operations, new technol-ogy, and federal regulations affecting the program.Training professionals then develop, revise, oracquire training materials accordingly.

LTRC has been involved in a nationwide effort todevelop a standard quality control–quality assurancetraining program for state highway departments. Theconstruction and materials training program man-ages the inspector–technician certification programfor DOTD and the Louisiana transportation industryby coordinating the testing, authorization, and cer-tification of inspectors and technicians statewide ineach area of construction activity.

Maintenance The maintenance training unit develops job-spe-cific courses on the functions, processes, and safehandling of each piece of equipment operated bymaintenance field personnel. Maintenance trainingcourses promote safe practices and the attitudesneeded for optimal job performance.

LTRC training specialists redesign older coursesto incorporate updates in state and federal regula-tions, as well as in department policy, procedures,and specifications. The maintenance training unitalso offers testing services for the InternationalMunicipal Signal Association to certify DOTD andLouisiana city or parish employees.

Management DevelopmentThe management development training unit over-sees several supervisory and career developmenttraining programs for management-level employeesfrom all areas of the agency. The unit organizes DOTD’sparticipation in the Governor’s Office of Compre-hensive Public Training Programs for supervisoryand nonsupervisory employees.

The program also plays a key role in the state’sparticipation in the National Partnership for High-way Quality, the only national program that bringspublic highway agencies and private industrytogether to advance highway quality, safety, and ser-vice. The DOTD Chief Engineer and the FHWA Divi-sion Administrator cochair the Louisiana Partnershipfor Highway Quality. LTRC coordinates Louisiana’straining and education subcommittee of the part-nership through TCC.

(Left:) A Louisiana DOTDtraining session onoperation of anautomated profiler toevaluate pavementsmoothness. The DOTDemphasizes structured,progressive training andcontinual learning at allcareer levels.

(Right:) Maintenancetraining coursespromote safe andefficient operation ofequipment.

A management training session at LTRC.


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In managing these programs, LTRC regularlysolicits input to determine what training is needed,and the DOTD administration periodically reviewsall programs to ensure that all sections and divisionsare served equitably. LTRC facilitated the first formalreview of the workforce development policy in 2006,convening meetings around the state to gather feed-back from administrators at all levels. The findingswere presented to the DOTD Secretary, executivecommittee, and district administrative officials beforerevisions were implemented in early 2007.

State-of-the-Art LearningEnvironmentIn August 2004, construction crews broke ground onthe Transportation Training and Education Center(TTEC), a progressive partnering effort between thepublic sector and private industry. Adjacent toLTRC’s main facility on the LSU campus, TTEC pro-vides a stimulating learning environment to assistand enable workforce development. The 14,000-square-foot center offers a variety of learning spaces:a 100-seat auditorium, a computer laboratory, alibrary, an executive conference room, and two class-rooms that can be configured for lectures or grouplearning. A state-of-the-art audiovisual system pro-vides mixed media delivery in each classroom, theauditorium, and the conference room. The facility isequipped to send and receive web-based transmis-sions for distance learning, e-learning, and telecon-ferencing.

The center began hosting classes in January 2006and has expanded with computer workshops, com-puter-aided design and drafting courses, geographicinformation system workshops, American TrafficSafety Services Association classes, and more. TTEChas enabled LTRC to reduce its contracts for exter-nal training space by half.

Center GoalsTTEC seeks to accomplish the following goals:

� Create and provide pedagogically sound train-ing;

� Transition classes to distance learning, asappropriate;

� Incorporate instructional design concepts toupdate and modernize courses;

� Provide content-rich classes to district, munic-ipal, and industry participants through onsiteinstruction, videoconferencing, live web-based sem-inars, and stored web-based content;

� Maximize the use of instructional resourcessuch as National Highway Institute (NHI) courses,computer-based training, structured training pro-

grams, contract training, individual conferences andseminars, major conferences, and miniconferences;and

� Build a digital transportation library withnational and regional connections for technologyexchange and research enhancement.

NHI courses are among the most popular offer-ings. TTEC has increased the number of NHI coursesoffered by 50 percent and has signed a memorandumof understanding to serve as a regional NHI center—one of only two in the country.

The TTEC librarian assistsa researcher in finding ajournal paper. A digitaltransportation library isin the works.

A training session in the TTEC computerlaboratory; the facility is equipped for distance learning, tele conferencing,and e-learning.


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Local Community Outreach The Louisiana Local Technical Assistance Program(LTAP) is one of 58 providing services to local trans-portation communities in each state, Puerto Rico,and the Native American tribal areas. Each centeroperates independently to develop and implementprograms that meet the needs of local transportationagencies; all foster a safe, efficient, and environmen-tally sound surface transportation system by improv-ing the skills and knowledge of the transportationworkforce. LTAP has four national focus areas: infra-structure maintenance, safety, workforce develop-ment, and value delivery.

Louisiana LTAP provides an array of servicesgeared to the local agencies and to personnel chargedwith managing and maintaining local roads andtransportation systems. Training classes and work-

shops have been the program’s primary services, withclasses at eight locations under the Roads Scholarprogram. Special-topic classes and onsite, on-demand workshops also are offered. More than 3,000participants have attended approximately 18,000hours of technical and safety training each year. LTAPalso provides technical assistance, publishes a quar-terly newsletter, and maintains a library of publica-tions and videos.

The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Trans-portation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users providedLTAP with opportunities to bring road safety assis-tance to the local community. Working with DOTD’sOffice of Highway Safety, LTAP coordinated imple-mentation of the Louisiana Local Road Safety Pro-gram (LRSP). In 2006, its first year, LRSP offeredbasic road safety training classes, technical assis-tance, statewide informational meetings, and fund-ing through DOTD for local road safety improvementprojects.

Local agencies identified low-cost improvementprojects and submitted applications through LTAP.Applications were received for 54 projects; 41 wereeligible for funding, including installation ofimproved signage and pavement markings, trafficstudies, line-of-sight improvements, warning signs,crash data collection and management systems, side-walk construction, and new guardrail installation.LRSP continues to provide training and technicalassistance free of charge.

Training EventsEvery two years, DOTD’s Louisiana TransportationEngineering Conference convenes representativesfrom all sectors of the transportation communitynationwide to learn about the latest technologies andto share best practices. Held in Baton Rouge, theconference is a premier opportunity for technologytransfer by LTRC, which plans, coordinates, andmanages the event. The most recent conference, inFebruary 2007, attracted nearly 1,600 attendees andfeatured 72 technical sessions, how-to clinics, andmany alternative sessions covering management andworkplace issues. Conference attendees earn 16 pro-fessional development hours, including the bienni-ally required hour in professional ethics. The nextconference is scheduled for February 2009.2

Building on the popularity and success of theTransportation Engineering Conference, LTRC iden-tified a need for more frequent, focused conferencesat smaller venues throughout the state. In 2004, thecenter initiated a forum to demonstrate new

The Louisiana LocalTechnical AssistanceProgram conducts aworkshop for localagency roadmaintenance managersand personnel as part ofthe Roads Scholarprogram.

A Local Road SafetyProgram class performs asite audit.

2 www.ltrc.lsu.edu/tec_07.

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The I-95 Corridor Coalition, through its Intermodal Pro-gram Track Committee, is sponsoring a Freight Acad-

emy to train public-sector transportation professionalswhose work in planning, operations, or management has animpact on decisions, investments, and interactions related tothe movement of goods. Designed as an immersion pro-gram, the first Freight Academy will be held October 26through October 31, 2008, at the Center for Advanced Infra-structure and Transportation, Rutgers University, NewBrunswick, New Jersey. Instructors will represent both thepublic and private sectors, and the curriculum will be struc-tured so that the Freight Academy can be held in any stateof the I-95 Corridor Coalition region.

The Intermodal Program Track Committee proposed theproject after considering such trends as the large increases infreight movements and the dynamic changes in the goodsmovement industry, as well as the need to understand freightas an integral part of the transportation system and the needto integrate freight facilities and oper-ations with community goals. Thesetrends and needs, combined with theexpected retirements of many experi-enced members of transportation agen-cies in the next 5 to 10 years, promptedthe proposal to develop the FreightAcademy.

The week-long program will allowapproximately 30 participants to learnfrom industry experts, understand issuesinvolving goods movement, and visitport, rail, aviation, trucking and distri -bution center sites to see firsthand whatis involved in multimodal freight move-ments. Participants then will applywhat they have learned by working on capstone projectsaddressing real-world transportation issues suggested by I-95Corridor Coalition members.

The Freight Academy is open to par-ticipants from throughout the UnitedStates. The cost of the program isapproximately $3,500 per person andincludes lodging and meals. The Coali-tion is offering a limited number ofscholarships to applicants from memberorganizations.

The I-95 Corridor Coalition is analliance of transportation agencies, tollauthorities, and related organizationsfrom Maine to Florida, with affiliatedmembers in Canada. The Coalitionencompasses all modes of travel andfocuses on the efficient transfer of peo-

ple and goods between modes in and throughout memberstates. It also provides a forum for decision makers and policymakers to address transportation management and operationsissues of common interest and to work together to improvetransportation system performance. Recent Coalition projectshave involved regional passenger and freight movement analy-sis, long-distance trip planning on public transportation modes,port access, and international border-crossing security.

For additional information about the Freight Academy, visitwww.freightacademy.org.

The author is Manager, Technology Planning, in the PortCommerce Department of the Port Authority of New Yorkand New Jersey, and serves as cochair of the I-95 CorridorCoalition’s Intermodal Program Track Committee.

Freight Academy Targets Transportation Professionals

K A R E N R Y A N T O B I A

Maher Terminals in Elizabeth, New Jersey, the largest containerterminal operator in the Port of New York and New Jersey, offersFreight Academy participants firsthand case studies.

Freight Academy participants will examine training vehicles like this,used by New England Motor Freight.

A field trip will include warehouse facilities andequipment, like these operated by DistributionSolutions, Inc., Secaucus, New Jersey.

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technologies, implement and publicize its research,discuss and resolve problems, import best practices,and partner with the transportation community.

LTRC now sponsors one to two seminars eachyear on a variety of technical topics, including pave-ment performance, asphalt technology, concrete, andbridge structures. By involving industry partners inplanning the conferences, LTRC seeks to attract con-tractors, consultants, suppliers, and local govern-ment staff in addition to DOTD personnel.

Next Generation of ProfessionalsThe Engineering Resource Development Program(ERDP) introduces new engineers to DOTD employ-ment. In 17 years, 137 participants have completedthe training program; of these graduates, 55 are cur-rent DOTD employees.

ERDP consists of a 30-week rotation, with anoptional extension of two to six weeks. After an ori-entation at LTRC, the new hires spend one to threeweeks in 19 different sections. Individual tracks can

New engineers undergo extensive orientation and training in the EngineeringResource Development Program.

On July 1, 2005, the Minnesota Legislature establishedthe postretirement option (PRO) for employees at state

agencies. The PRO encourages employees with critical skillsto delay full retirement and to remain in state employmenton a temporary, part-time basis. The measure provides away for state agencies to retain the critical skills and orga-nizational knowledge of potential retirees and to gain flex-ibility in addressing the anticipated skills shortages asincreasing numbers of employees become eligible to retirein the next 5 to 10 years.

The law allows employees who have retired since July l,2005, to return to state employment for an initial period of upto one year. PRO employment may be renewed, but cannotexceed a total of five years. For the Minnesota Department ofTransportation, which has the most PRO employees amongstate agencies, the measure has expanded alternatives foraddressing skills development, knowledge transfer, training,mentoring, transition, skills shortages, and changing demo-graphics.

Following are summary highlights of the legislation, includ-ing recent revisions:

� Each state agency determines whether to offer postre-tirement employment and whether to agree to it for a par-ticular employee.

� The employee must have been regularly scheduled towork at least 1,044 hours per year in a position covered by theMinnesota State Retirement System (MSRS) during the pre-

ceding 5 years; qualify for an unreduced annuity; be retiredfrom state service; and have taken steps to commence anannuity.

� A PRO agreement must be in place for no more thanone year and must not exceed 1,044 hours per year. Theagreement may be with the same or a different agency, in thesame or a different job class.

� The employee may collect a state retirement annuity,which may not be reduced or enhanced because of earningsin the postretirement position. Neither the agency nor theemployee can make retirement contributions on earningsfrom the PRO position, and the employee earns no addition-al state retirement service credit.

� PRO employees may qualify for a contribution to eitherthe state’s employee group insurance plan or to the MSRS-administered health care savings plan. Early incentive retireeswho already receive an employer contribution do not qualify.

� The agency may choose to end the PRO arrangement orto renew it, as is or with changes. Each renewal may be for upto one year, but total employment under the program cannotexceed five years.

� Eligible employees under age 62 must wait 30 days aftertermination of service before receiving an offer for PROemployment, and must wait 30 days after termination of aPRO position before receiving an offer of a renewal.

For additional information about the program at MinnesotaDOT, www.newsline.dot.state.mn. us/archive/08/jul/2.html.

Rehiring Retirees

Minnesota’s Postretirement Option


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begin at any time in the year. The rotation gives par-ticipants an uncommon perspective of DOTD—experiencing firsthand the variety of the agency’soperations and gaining insights that typical orienta-tion sessions cannot supply. The department alsobenefits from the new ideas and fresh approaches ofthe participants.

ERDP is the predominant means of entry for newengineers to DOTD employment and has proved par-ticularly beneficial to recent college graduates whoneed hands-on experience before deciding on acareer path. Participants are evaluated not only foracademic achievement but also for interest, enthusi-asm, preparation, diversity, and other attributes.

After the completion of each section, supervisorsand participants fill out evaluations. Supervisors ratethe engineers on productivity, communication skills,adaptability, and other characteristics. Participantsevaluate the usefulness of the experience, the effec-tiveness of the training, and their interest in that area.

After the rotation, the ERDP manager considerssupervisor feedback, the participant’s interests, andposition availability before making assignments. Par-ticipants have noted that the program helped indetermining which assignments to pursue. Withmore than 40 percent of the graduates still workingfor the department, ERDP is fulfilling its mission ofrecruiting and retaining the best engineers forLouisiana DOTD.

LTRC also manages the Cooperative EducationProgram, which gives full-time undergraduate stu-dents a firsthand glimpse into DOTD operations.The program provides practical experience in civilengineering—experience that can enhance therésumés of new college graduates applying for theirfirst jobs. In addition to gaining a field education,students earn a salary and can receive academiccredit from their universities. Program participantswork 20-hour weeks in different DOTD sectionsthroughout the state.

The assigned DOTD supervisor evaluates the stu-dent’s work performance, and the students evaluatetheir program assignments at the end of the workperiod. To complete the coop program, studentsmust give a 15-minute presentation at LTRC abouttheir job duties and the lessons learned. The numberof coop applicants usually exceeds the number ofavailable positions, and the program consistentlyreceives good reviews from supervisors and partici-pants. Past participants have attributed subsequentsuccess in the classroom to real-world situationsexperienced during coop employment.

Focused CommitmentLTRC is committed to leadership in workforce devel-

opment. The research section focuses on the futureof transportation technology, and the technologytransfer and training section looks to the present—to the practical application of the technological inno-vations by the transportation community throughimplementation, training, and educational activities.

ResourceHighway Research and Technology: The Need for Greater Invest-

ment. A Report of the National Highway Research andTechnology Partnership, April 2002. http://onlinepubs. trb.org/Onlinepubs/rtforum/HwyRandT.pdf.

The CooperativeEducation Programprovides civil engineeringundergraduates withpractical experience,academic credit, and pay.

Paving the Way with Scholarships

The National Asphalt Pavement Association Research andEducation Foundation (NAPAREF) initiated a scholarship

program in 1994 to encourage university-level students oftransportation to take elective courses in asphalt technologyand management and to assist educational institutions in offer-ing the courses. NAPAREF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundationthat conducts and implements research and educational pro-grams in technical and management areas related to hot-mixasphalt (HMA) design and construction.

The scholarship program is open to U.S. students majoring incivil engineering, construction engineering, or construction man-agement who take courses in HMA technology. The numbers ofand the dollar amounts of the scholarships distributed each yearvary with the contributions from sponsors and with the founda-tion’s investment earnings. Since the program’s inception, indi-vidual scholarship awards ranged from approximately $1,000 to$5,000 per academic year.

The scholarship program is supported by contributions fromindividual donors, as well as from organizations and corporationsin the HMA industry. Graduates pursue careers in the HMA indus-try and in public works at the municipal, county, state, andnational levels.


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The author is StatewideCoordinator of theKentucky TransportationCabinet’s Adopt-a-Highway program,Frankfort.

“If it weren’t for the KEEN program Iwouldn’t be where I am today,” observesT. J. Gilpin, operations engineer in theElizabethtown District Office of the

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Gilpin was a mid-dle school student when KEEN—the KentuckyEngineering Exposure Network—brought a group ofengineers from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinetto his class to make a presentation on engineering.The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet developedKEEN to introduce bright, young students likeGilpin to the fertile field of engineering.

In the classroom that day, the engineers discusseddifferent facets of their discipline and noted howmath and science played a big role in their work.They led the students in activities to connect class-room math and science to real life.

“All children think about what they want to bewhen they grow up—in most cases, they want to bedoctors or lawyers or work in some other professionthat brings glory, fame, and money,” Gilpinnotes. “Until the KEEN presentation, I hadn’t con-sidered engineering as one of those professions. Thepresentation opened my eyes to engineering by

applying subjects I enjoyed—math and science—torealistic problems.”

In his junior year of high school, Gilpin learnedabout a civil engineering scholarship offered by theTransportation Cabinet. It would help pay for col-lege and offered a chance to gain engineering expe-rience during the summer. Gilpin now has beenworking for the Transportation Cabinet for morethan seven years. He serves as the KEEN coordina-tor for the Elizabethtown District Office and as aKEEN board member.

What Is KEEN?The KEEN program, the first of its kind, waslaunched in 1991 at the recommendation of a taskforce that studied the retention and recruitment oftransportation professionals. The program hasreached more than 200,000 students throughoutthe state.

KEEN provides an opportunity for the Trans-portation Cabinet and local schools to work togetherand allows engineers to communicate with the stu-dents within their own communities, enhancing thepublic image of the Cabinet and of the engineering

THE KENTUCKY ENGINEERING EXPOSURE NETWORKState Program KEEN to Inspire and Guide Students M I R A N D A T H A C K E R

Student members of theYoung Black Achieversgroup engage in abridge-building activityduring a KEENpresentation at theChestnut Street YMCA inLouisville.

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profession. The KEEN program incorporates manyof the concepts advanced under the Kentucky Edu-cation Reform Act, including the establishment of aCommon Core of Learning and the application ofbasic math and science skills to real-life situations.KEEN is one of the main avenues for informing stu-dents about the Civil Engineering Scholarship Pro-gram available through the Cabinet.

In addition to benefitting students and teachers,KEEN provides the participating engineers and thecoordinators with experience in public speaking.Opportunities include making presentations at pub-lic meetings, at project team meetings, and at fiscalcourt—that is, county government—meetings.

Who Is the Audience?KEEN presenters make classroom presentations toall grade levels. The presentations are adapted forthe different age groups, and topics range from thework of engineers to computer applications. Mostpresentations include hands-on activities, and inno-vative approaches are always being developed. Forexample, KEEN helps administer a regional bridgebuilding competition in western Kentucky for stu-dents in 5th through 12th grades and is working toestablish a similar competition in the eastern partof the state.

In the most recent school year, KEEN volunteersmade 471 presentations, reaching 13,621 students in61 counties. KEEN also mounts displays at the Ken-tucky State Fair, Engineering Day at the Universityof Kentucky, Governor’s Diversity Day, KentuckyState University’s Summer Transportation Institute,and at several county fairs. Volunteers participate asjudges for the Kentucky-American Science Fair andat other local science fairs. KEEN also works with theBoy Scouts, Cub Scouts, and the Governor’s Scholarsprogram.

How Does KEEN Work?An 11-person board oversees KEEN. Nine of themembers are elected to rotating, three-year terms,and the other representatives come from the statehighway engineer’s office and the Cabinet’s Office ofPublic Affairs. The board elects three new membersand selects a state coordinator each May, and thenewcomers assume their duties in July during aworkshop at which presenters and board membersshare ideas. The workshop program includes a talkby the state highway engineer and an awards lun-cheon to recognize the most outstanding district,the most outstanding presenter, the most improveddistrict, the district with highest percentage ofcounties reached, and outstanding leadership anddedication to KEEN.

Program Start-UpIn April 1990, then–State Highway Engineer O. G.Newman initiated a speakers bureau within theDepartment of Highways to enhance the image of thedepartment and to encourage students to think aboutengineering as a career. The speakers bureau askedseveral Cabinet engineers to form a board consistingof a bureau chairman, a grade school committeechair, a middle school committee chair, a high schoolcommittee chair, and the cochairs for a college-levelcommittee.

A student adjusts themodel bridge girders toaccommodate asuspended weight.

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T. J. Gilpin (front, right),who benefited from theKEEN program as amiddle school student,participates as acoordinator and boardmember in the annualKEEN conference to planout and refine the nextyear’s program andactivities.

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� The grade school program’s goals were to gen-erate excitement about science and math and torelate interest in these subjects to engineering. Thepresentation, “Safety Is Engineered into Everything,”is geared toward fifth-grade students and explainshow engineers help to make the world a better andsafer place. The lecture is filled with hands-on activ-ities and audience participation.

� The middle school and junior high school pro-gram, “Engineering: Turning Ideas and Technologyinto Reality,” was designed to reach eighth-grade stu-

dents and to answer the questions: What do engi-neers do? What types of engineers are there? Whatdoes it take to become an engineer? The programshows the contributions of engineering to daily lifeand includes demonstrations, games, and contestsinvolving the students. Students are encouraged totake courses in math, science, and computers in highschool in preparation for an engineering major incollege.

� The high school presentation aims at second-semester juniors and first-semester seniors andemphasizes opportunities in engineering. Presentersdiscuss the Cabinet’s scholarship program and thetypes of classes that engineering students can expectto take in college. The speakers also provide infor-mation about the various engineering programsoffered at Kentucky colleges and technical schools.

� The college-level or technical school presen-tation encourages engineering students and otherswho are yet undecided to consider civil engineeringas a major. The session also promotes the scholar-ship program and career opportunities within theTransportation Cabinet. Engineers representing themany disciplines of the Cabinet discuss specialresearch, activities and projects of interest, com-puter applications, the scholarship program, andthe variety of job opportunities for students andgraduates. The course structure is flexible and canbe adapted to the needs and interests of each par-ticular group of students.

Program ExpansionThe speakers bureau became KEEN in December1990. During the 1990–1991 school year, represen-tatives of each of the grade school, middle school,

Students at Emma B.Ward Elementary School,Anderson County, testout their aluminum boatdesigns at a KEENprogram.

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Students assemble an archduring Engineering Dayactivities at the Universityof Kentucky, February2008.

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high school, and college-level committees made pre-sentations at educational institutions, gaining posi-tive responses from students and faculty. In 1991, theOffice of Public Relations agreed to assist in devel-oping information pamphlets for teachers andadministrators. The office also contributed to themiddle school presentation, adding informationabout the various fields of engineering and recom-mendations for high school classes for students whoare interested in engineering.

With the growth of the program and heightenedinterest, KEEN expanded into the districts. Engi-neers throughout the Cabinet were invited to serveas KEEN coordinators. Not all positions were filledat first, until the release of a video, produced by theInstitute of Transportation Engineers, which stressedthe importance of working with professional organi-zations to spread the message about engineeringcareers to students. Soon after, the positions werefilled, and local and statewide newspapers receivednews releases about the KEEN program and the newdistrict coordinators.

KEEN bylaws were adopted in 1994. Since then,armed with aluminum foil, gum drops, marshmal-lows, toothpicks, and a KEEN mind, the program hasmade history. (The aluminum foil is for buildingboats and for testing the strength of the designs, anactivity that teaches about buoyancy and surfacearea. The gum drops and marshmallows are con-nected with toothpicks to build bridges, which aretested for strength, teaching about shear and com-pressive stresses.)

Challenges and ObstaclesCoordinating the KEEN program at the district levelcan be challenging, notes Jennifer McCleve, a utili-ties engineer in the Louisville District Office.

“The district office is where the proverbial rubbermeets the road,” McCleve comments. “Our goal issimple—to meet kids in our district and to teachthem a little about engineering.”

The goal is not as easy as it sounds. McCleve’s dis-trict encompasses seven counties, and KEEN pre-senters try to meet students in each. For each KEENevent, the coordinator must meet the specific needsof the school, the students, and the presenter. Sparetime is a luxury—the KEEN program must be man-aged and run efficiently.

In the district offices, a small network of volun-teers with varying degrees of experience as presen-ters relies on standardized presentations. A presentergoes to the KEEN resources cabinet and picks up abox labeled with the appropriate presentation. Insidethe box are the materials, including a PowerPointshow and giveaways for the students.

“Most of us want to improve our community, butfear of the unknown and of making mistakes can bean obstacle,” McCleve observes. “We try to mini-mize the doubt and the likelihood of mistakes. As aresult of our preparation, the Louisville DistrictOffice has had an increase in KEEN volunteers inrecent years. Participation in the program is reward-ing for everyone involved, and the coordinators andvolunteers keep the program moving forward year inand year out.”

Continuing the SuccessThe KEEN program receives $2,500 yearly from theKentucky Association of Transportation Engineersfor handouts, pencils, pens, and other giveawayitems. The State Highway Engineer’s office providesapproximately $2,000 for brochures, coloring books,and conferences. Each district budget allots $500 tothe district coordinator for supplies and souvenirs forstudents and teachers.

With this financial support, guidance from itsboard, and the extensive participation of volunteers,KEEN remains an ever-evolving organization, withgoals that vary from district to district. The programreaches more than 20,000 students throughout thestate each year. New and innovative presentationscontinue to be developed, and new volunteers froma variety of backgrounds will ensure KEEN’s contin-ued success.

For more information about the KEEN program,please visit www.transportation.ky.gov/Education/keen/home.htm, or send an e-mail to Jamie BewleyByrd, Statewide Coordinator, at [email protected].

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Kentucky TransportationCabinet Utilities EngineerJennifer McCleve, KEENcoordinator for theLouisville District Office,helps students test theload-bearing capacity ofa model bridge they haveconstructed. McCleve andfellow Louisville DistrictOffice KEEN coordinatorJohn Callihan receivedthe OutstandingAchievement Award atthe 2007 KEENworkshop.


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The author is GeorgeKrambles Faculty Fellowand Associate Professorand Director, RailroadEngineering Program,Department of Civil and EnvironmentalEngineering, Universityof Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. A formerchair of the TRBTechnical ActivitiesDivision’s Rail Group, he is a member of twoNational ResearchCouncil–appointed TRB committees—for Review of the U.S. Department ofTransportation StrategicPlan for Research andDevelopment, and forReview of the FederalRailroad AdministrationResearch andDevelopment Program.

Attracting a new generation of engineeringand transportation professionals toreplenish the ranks of the North Ameri-can railroad industry has become a chal-

lenge. A large percentage of railroad industryemployees are reaching retirement age, and thedemand for railroad expertise has increased sub-stantially with the growth in railroad traffic and inconstruction projects to expand capacity.

The railroad industry, other transportationmodes, and other sectors need new engineers. Butthe situation for railroads is unusual and more prob-lematic. The problem is solvable, however, and thesolution could yield direct and indirect benefits.

To understand the situation with railroads, it is

instructive to consider highways, which are the prin-cipal competing form of land transport. Railroadscompete for business with highway transport, espe-cially with the trucking industry, and the competitionextends to engineering talent and expertise.

Academic Infrastructure for HighwaysEach year, thousands of students graduate from U.S.colleges and universities having taken one or moreintroductory courses in highway transportationengineering. Many take advanced courses in high-way planning and design, traffic engineering, intel-ligent transportation systems, pavement systems,and other aspects of transportation facilities and sys-

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BUILDING AN EDUCATIONINFRASTRUCTURE FOR RAILWAYTRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING Renewed Partnerships on New TracksC H R I S T O P H E R P. L . B A R K A N


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tems analysis that focus on highway transport. Manystudents complete summer internships on highwayprojects with state or local departments of trans-portation (DOTs) or with engineering firms. Hun-dreds more graduate with master’s degrees thatconcentrate studies and research on an area of high-way transportation engineering, analysis, or plan-ning. More than 100 each year complete doctoralprograms that explicitly or implicitly focus on top-ics in highway transportation.

These students—and the faculty who develop thecurricula, teach the courses, serve as mentors, over-see graduate research, and present and publishresearch results—accept this as academic normalcy.Like many other academic subdisciplines, trans-portation engineering involves hundreds of faculty atuniversities throughout the United States and beyond.The faculty and students form an intellectual com-munity that sustains a rich and vibrant dialogue on avariety of topics important to the field, and they oftenengage in cutting-edge research to advance the stateof the art in highway transportation.

All of this benefits the individuals involved, thefirms and agencies that use the results and that hirethe graduates, and the nation’s transportation system.A core function of the Transportation ResearchBoard—as it was of its predecessor organization, theHighway Research Board—is to provide forums forthe exchange of new results and information.

With such a network or infrastructure of peopleand organizations intensely engaged in and devotedto advancing highway transportation, thousands ofengineering graduates each year choose to pursuecareers in highway-related fields. Americans growup with a world-class highway system. As a result,the extensive academic infrastructure devoted to

education and research related to highway engineer-ing and transportation is not surprising to collegestudents. Many are inspired to make highways theircareer goal as practitioners or academics.

The academic and practitioner communities havebuilt and maintained this intellectual and institu-tional infrastructure in the past 60 years to createnew knowledge for the improvement of the U.S.highway transportation system and to educate suc-cessive generations of engineering and transportationprofessionals to solve problems and advance newsolutions for the highway transportation system.This marriage of the academic and highway practi-tioner communities has worked well.

Railroads’ SituationRailroads are a critical element in the nation’s trans-portation system, but several key differences reducetheir visibility to students and university faculty.Highways are encountered daily, but the nation’s railsystem—especially its most successful element, thefreight railroads—operates largely unnoticed. Insome ways, this is a mark of success. The goodstransported by rail reach their destinations reliablyand economically and generally without incident,allowing the nation’s commerce to function smoothlyand efficiently.

What happens behind the scenes is not a concernto the general public—except when something goesawry. But because freight railroads function as a“stealth” mode, few understand or appreciate therole of rail and what railroads can offer in terms ofinteresting and rewarding careers in engineering andtransportation.

The transportation community, including thehighway sector, recognizes the importance of therailroad freight transportation system and its critical

Eric Maple of CN (the Canadian National Railway)explains the dispatching system to a class during the2008 Engineering Open House at the University ofIllinois at Urbana–Champaign.

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University of Illinois atUrbana–Champaignresearcher JeremiahDirnberger documentsthe impact of misroutedand missorted railcarsnear the I-294 bridge inBensenville, Illinois.

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role in the future (1). Railroads not only are surviv-ing but are beginning to thrive in a way not seen inthe United States for nearly a century. Many in therailroad industry believe a railroad renaissance hasbegun in North America. Freight traffic—particu-larly intermodal freight—has been increasingsteadily, and railroads have streamlined operations—trimming excess physical plant, renewing andupgrading the core network, and developing, testing,and implementing new technologies to enhancesafety, efficiency, and reliability.

As a result, the profitability of the railroad indus-try is increasing, providing value to shareholders andencouraging new investment on Wall Street. As con-gestion mounts on the highways and airways, as fuelprices rise, and as concerns about safety, emissions,and land use become more pressing, railroads willtake on a greater role in the transportation system,not only for freight but also for passenger service.

Society benefits from efficient, economical, andenvironmentally sustainable transport. But who isgoing to develop the technology to expand rail capac-ity and improve efficiency, and where are the skilledpersonnel for the necessary planning and engineer-ing going to come from?

Decline of a RelationshipIn the first half of the 20th century, railroad trans-portation and engineering were well represented oncollege and university campuses. Several universitieshoused departments of railway engineering, andmany universities included railroad transportation,engineering, and economics in their curricula. Butafter World War II, when highway and air trans-portation began their dramatic ascendancy, railroadswere perceived as obsolete. Many in the academiccommunity focused on the exciting new engineering

challenges and educational opportunities associatedwith the new modes.

Railroad programs, research, and classes disap-peared as professors retired and were replaced byfaculty interested in the newer modes. In academiccircles, institutional knowledge of rail transport van-ished almost completely. The omission from the cur-riculum is troubling from a public policy perspective.As faculty lost sight of the role of rail transport, trans-portation engineering classes evolved into classes inhighway engineering, often without a change in thecourse title. Students consequently associated thediscipline with the mode.

RamificationsAccording to an observation attributed to psycholo-gist Abraham Maslow, “If the only tool you have is ahammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.” Forat least two generations, transportation engineeringprofessionals have been taught to use tools primarilybased on highway transport.

The implications are profound. As transportationprofessionals at the local, state, and federal levelshad less knowledge of the rail mode, rail became lessimportant in their thinking and planning. Questionsinvolving rail met with less understanding about theexigencies of railroad infrastructure and operations.

The railroad industry encountered complementaryproblems. Public officials lack understanding of theindustry’s needs, and the public often opposes indus-try plans for needed expansion. The industry is frus-trated by an inability to hire young engineers educatedin the principles of railway engineering and to findpeople willing to consider a career in what many stillperceive as an obsolete and fading enterprise.

Industry RetrenchmentThese problems have been masked for half a centurywhile the railroads retrenched. From 1956 to 2007,U.S. Class I railroad mileage shrank from about210,000 to 94,000, and employment dropped fromapproximately 1 million to 167,000. Two genera-tions of railroaders have spent their careers manag-ing dwindling physical plants and work forces.

At the same time, however, railroad ton-milestripled from 589 billion in 1956 to 1.772 trillion in2006. Railroads survived this era partly through thedevelopment and implementation of technologiesthat enabled them to reduce physical plant and per-sonnel yet increase output. The downsizing in per-sonnel mostly occurred by attrition—employees whoretired were not replaced, and recruitment was cur-tailed. Although this did not pose immediate prob-lems, the results were an aging work force and adeclining relationship with the academic community.

NS track panel used fordemonstrating tools andequipment to engineeringstudents and trainees.

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The demographics would have posed eventualdifficulty for the railroads, but changes in RailroadRetirement have made the problem more acute.Allowing railroad employees to retire earlier withfull benefits has generated an exodus of extensiveengineering and institutional knowledge. Approx-imately 50 percent of railroad employees maybecome eligible for retirement within five years(Figure 1). This limits opportunities for senior per-sonnel to mentor young employees and under-mines the on-the-job learning that railroads dependon to educate new employees in the principles ofrailroad engineering.

Documenting PracticesTo address this, railroads have developed compre-hensive documentation of their engineering prac-tices. This is good, because many changes andinnovations in railroad engineering practice had notbeen consistently well recorded and organized. TheAmerican Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) has developed the Prac-tical Guide to Railway Engineering, representing amultiyear effort by industry experts.

These measures will preserve and transmit muchof the acquired knowledge of railroad practices.Nonetheless, the documents focus on what is doneand how it is done but do not necessarily explain thewhy. As circumstances change and new situations ortechnologies arise, railroad professionals will need adeeper understanding of the principles to be able toadapt and respond—in other words, in addition toskilled craftsmen, railroads need knowledgeableengineers.

Short-Term ResearchRailroads have engaged mostly in short-termresearch addressing immediate, practical problems.In an era of survival and austerity, the most efficientway to obtain results was to rely on specializedexperts to carry out most of the research. Industryand government programs alike depended on a smallgroup of specialists employed by the Association ofAmerican Railroads (AAR), the Federal RailroadAdministration (FRA), and a few consulting andtechnology development firms and organizations.

This approach has developed beneficial resultsthat address many current problems. But railroadsalso paid a price—with the removal of most railresearch from academia, faculty lost interest in, andunderstanding of, rail transportation, and this rein-forced the perception that the industry was disap-pearing, increasingly irrelevant, and not interestedin innovation.

The loss of railroad research funding for aca -

demics compelled faculty to look elsewhere. Atmajor universities, faculty success is related toresearch funding, which supports the graduate stu-dents who conduct much of the work. Failure toobtain sufficient funding to support students andpublish papers generally means no tenure or pro-motion. Transportation faculty therefore turnedtheir attention to the funding available from stateand federal agencies for highway-oriented research.

Renewing the Partnership The railroad and academic communities shouldrenew and expand their relationship, to yield bothshort- and long-term mutual benefits (Figure 2). Therailroad industry would be able to recruit from alarger number of students, who would be moreinformed and aware of railroad transportation and ofthe career opportunities available. The diversity ofjobs and the excitement of involvement in rail trans-portation will attract many students. The industry,however, must do more than increase recruitment atuniversities—it must develop relationships with the

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faculty and the administrations, as the highway sec-tor and other industries do.

Faculty can leverage interest in railroads—fac-ulty members typically have contact with dozens tohundreds of students each year. In the near term, thenumber of students exposed to careers in the railroadindustry will increase. In the longer term, visibilityand understanding of the importance of rail transportwill expand among students and faculty and willincrease the acceptance and credibility of rail as a keyelement in well-rounded transportation programs.

Railroad Community’s RoleThe railroad community—railroads, suppliers, con-sulting engineers, state DOTs, FRA, and industryorganizations—should commit to a new partnershipwith the academic community. This will require asustained commitment; hiring that does not ebb andflow in response to short-term business conditions; acompetitive level of funding to support research andeducational programs in railroad engineering andtransport; and cooperative summer internship pro-grams for students.

By developing a closer research relationship withthe academic community, the railroad communitycan expand its range of intellectual interests and gainexpertise in a wide array of new and emerging tech-nologies. Most university research projects requireextensive student involvement—in addition to theresearch deliverable, therefore, most projects alsowill produce students who have been intensivelyinvolved and educated in some aspect of railroadengineering or transportation. These graduates willenter employment with greater understanding andenthusiasm to apply their knowledge than wouldhave been possible without the background receivedduring their studies.

Academia’s RoleUniversities also must commit to a sustained rela-tionship with the railroad community. This includeshiring and promoting faculty who specialize in railengineering and transport; undertaking researchvaluable to the short- and long-term interests of therailroad industry; developing courses focused on var-ious aspects of railroad engineering and transport, aswell as a curriculum for students interested in pur-suing careers in the field; and encouraging studentinterest in rail transportation topics.

Working ModelsThe AAR Affiliated Laboratory Program was createdin the early 1980s by William Harris, Jr., and colleague Scott Harvey of the AAR Research and TestDepartment. The program has been an exception tothe declining relationship between railroads andacademia, supporting research at three universities:the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign(UIUC), Virginia Tech, and Texas A&M University.The support has allowed UIUC to maintain a century-old railroad engineering program.1 The AAR program has provided consistent research fund-ing and frequent contact between members of the industry and the academics engaged in research andteaching. The program also has paid off for the rail-roads—many new and emerging technologies for railtransportation originated as Affiliated Lab projects,and the railroad industry has developed and imple-mented many of these innovations.

Signs of RebirthTwo Michigan universities recently created new pro-grams in rail engineering and transport. MichiganTechnological University’s rail transportation pro-gram has received industry support from CSX Trans-portation and from Union Pacific Railroad, andrailroad executive Ed Burkhart has provided a gen-erous endowment for the Michigan State Universityprogram in railroad transportation.

The University of Illinois has received industrysupport from BNSF, CN, CSX, NS, Hanson Profes-sional Services, and the George Krambles Trans-portation Scholarship fund to reinvigorate andexpand its research and educational program andadd a second faculty position. These auspicious signsof a rebirth in rail education programs in the UnitedStates depend entirely on sustained industry supportfor continuation and success.

Amtrak President DavidGunn (right) views a tracksection in the NewmarkStructural EngineeringLaboratory crane bay withUniversity of Illinois atUrbana–Champaigngraduate student MikeKoob (left), working todevelop technology toassess contained stress inrails, and ProfessorRichard Weaver,Department ofTheoretical and AppliedMechanics.

1 The AAR program at the University of Illinois atUrbana–Champaign helped provide the rationale for hiringthe author of this article 10 years ago to a faculty positiondevoted to teaching and research in rail transportationengineering.

AREMA’s Practical Guideto Railway Engineering,with contributions frommore than 50 railroadprofessionals, providesin-depth coverage ofrailway fundamentals.

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Other InitiativesIn addition, the University of Kentucky has con-ducted a teaching and research program for manyyears, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology hasmaintained a strong element of rail in its teachingand research in transportation engineering. A fewother universities occasionally have offered courses,but reestablishing railroad engineering and trans-portation in academic programs requires more thana handful of schools.

AREMA has established a goal of 10 universitieswith full-semester courses in railroad subjects by2010. More schools are needed with more depth andbreadth in their programs to establish an infrastruc-ture in railway education. The AREMA 10 � 10 ini-tiative, however, offers an achievable, near-term goalfor building. Accomplishing the goal will requiresupport from industry, state DOTs, and FRA.

Education SymposiumAs a first step in renewing the relationship betweenacademia and the railroad industry, AREMA’s Edu-cation and Training Committee teamed with theUniversity of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, withassistance from the Rail Transportation Committeeof the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Trans-portation and Development Institute, to organizethe first Railroad Engineering Education Sym -posium in June 2008. AAR, FRA, the RailroadResearch Foundation, the University of WisconsinCenter for Freight and Infrastructure Research andEducation, Norfolk Southern Corporation, and several other railroads, engineering firms, and indi-viduals cosponsored the symposium. More than 30faculty members from U.S. and Canadian collegesand universities attended lectures on railroad

engineering principles, heard presentations aboutresearch opportunities, participated in discussions,and visited nearby railroad facilities to gain first-hand knowledge of railroad engineering and operating practices. Many plan to incorporate thematerial into their classes and curricula.

New Era for RailA new era has begun that demands a talented gener-ation of railroad engineering professionals who willadapt and apply new technologies to meet the chal-lenges of 21st century railroads. The nation needs notonly to maintain but also to expand the capacity ofNorth American railroads to accommodate increasedtransportation demand safely, reliably, and efficiently.A new generation of capable, well-educated railwayengineering professionals is essential to plan, design,build, maintain, and operate the rail transportationsystem, yet the academic resources to satisfy the edu-cational demand are in short supply at North Ameri-can universities.

To increase the visibility of rail engineering as aviable career path and to provide the education topursue this career, more colleges and universitiesmust teach the principles of railroad transportationengineering. A partnership between the academicand railroad communities can achieve this by build-ing a new infrastructure in railroad engineering andtransportation education.

Reference1. Transportation: Invest in America—Freight-Rail Bottom

Line Report. American Association of State Highway andTransportation Officials, Washington. D.C., 2003. http://freight.transportation.org/doc/FreightRailReport.pdf.

Pasi Lautala (right),Director of the MichiganTech Rail TransportationProgram, talks withstudents at the RailwayEngineering ActivitiesClub model train exhibitduring a studenttransportation showcasehosted by the MichiganTech TransportationInstitute.

Postdoctoral researcher Pooja Anand, University ofIllinois at Urbana–Champaign, prepares to try an NSlocomotive simulator.

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The author is TrafficOperations Engineer,Christopher B. BurkeEngineering, Ltd.,Rosemont, Illinois.

Engineering education occurs every day forchildren at all age levels. Many of thelearning opportunities are informal,unstructured experiences, but the impres-

sions can last a lifetime. With this approach, trans-portation professionals can interject focusedtransportation and engineering elements into chil-dren’s learning experiences and can reach youthfulaudiences with an effective message.

At the 2007 Annual Meeting of the TransportationResearch Board (TRB), the Marine Board and theInland Water Transport Committee sponsored a ses-sion on educational programs to enhance the visi-bility of the marine industry among school-agechildren. One paper presented a waterways curricu-lum, a flexible approach for developing and present-ing educational materials focused on marinetransportation to children in a variety of settings (1).Although the paper stopped short of describing aturnkey educational product, it introduced key con-cepts and a road map for establishing a program.

Charting the CourseDeveloping the waterways curriculum must beginwith marine professionals asking, “What images ofthe industry will inspire and encourage young peo-ple to consider maritime transportation as a career?”The answers will become the building blocks of theprogram and will identify topics to carry through.Core subjects should include elements for the indus-try’s sustained growth and success, such as security,logistics, operations, design, marine biology, andapplications of advanced technologies.

Organizational ModelsAfter identifying the fundamental subjects, the nextstep is to create a framework to accommodate theneeds of participants and educators. The focusshould be on delivering messages to youth in a fun,activity-driven way, and on crafting the message andthe supporting materials.

Examples of successful techniques for engagingyouth are evident in the major U.S. youth organiza-tions, such as the Boy Scouts of America, the GirlScouts of the USA, 4-H, and the Boys and Girls Clubsof America. Each provides positive outlets and rou-

DEVELOPING A WATERWAYSCURRICULUM FOR YOUNG PEOPLEFramework for Highlighting Careers in the Marine Industry W I L L I A M C . E I D S O N

Students explore riverineconditions and erosion atthe National MississippiRiver Museum andAquarium, Dubuque,Iowa.

Tug, container ship, and U.S. Coast Guard cutterunder way in Alaska. A core curriculum wouldprepare students for a variety of careers in marinetransportation.


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tinely immerses participants in a culture of explo-ration and learning that makes it fun and rewardingto gain knowledge and discover career paths.

Many youth organizations offer fast-paced, age-appropriate programs that challenge participants andmaintain their interest (2). The programs strike abalance between lectures and hands-on activities,including models and demonstrations of actualequipment. Many incorporate civics lessons, alongwith basic concepts of budgeting, managing work-loads, and ethical decision making. Academic skillsare often subtly employed through presentations andquestion-and-answer sessions.

By emulating the best elements of successfulyouth-oriented programs, the waterways curriculumcan focus more on developing content and less oncreating mechanisms for outreach. Many youth orga-nizations nationwide can serve as models, and somemay be open to partnering.

Dividing the AudienceTo present age-appropriate material, the waterwayscurriculum must be divided into age categoriesaccording to the complexity of the concepts. Withparticipants separated into several age ranges, orcohorts, educators can tailor the program to specificneeds. This also allows for coherent and consistentteaching nationwide. Typical cohorts are kinder-garten to third grade, fourth to sixth grade, seventhto ninth grade, and tenth to twelfth grade.

The other age division, by curriculum modules,separates each grade level. The modules allow edu-cators and youth to focus on waterway conceptsappropriate to the students’ ages, interests, and atten-tion spans. Modules also ensure that students expe-rience new programs and concepts from year to year.Students who do not participate in the curriculumregularly would not benefit from the modular system,

but those who do would experience fresh materialeach session. In addition, students would build onpreviously taught skills and concepts and would beintroduced to more advanced topics year after year.

Age-Appropriate ContentThe age-appropriate concepts and activities devel-oped for each cohort and module should challenge—but not overwhelm—the students. This programstructure can be likened to building blocks.

The kindergarten to third grade cohort may notbe able to grasp advanced marine industry conceptsbut can be introduced to key words and equipmentthrough models, activities, diagrams, and tours. Thefourth to sixth grade cohort is able to recognize theinterrelationships between concepts—for example,using math to determine the time required to com-plete specific dockside tasks or identifying thegeospatial relationship between cargo, ships, ports,and consumers.

The middle school cohort can apply currentevents or scientific principles to marine problems,such as changes in water levels, security measures,and just-in-time delivery. The high school cohort

Visitors can experience the legacy of the maritimeindustry in the boatyard and aboard the Lilly Belle atthe National Mississippi River Museum andAquarium.

A Maritime-Focused High School Education

One of 14 schools offering maritime technology studies in the UnitedStates, Ballard Maritime Academy in Seattle, Washington, provides

a specialized learning program for students in grades 10 through 12 thatintegrates maritime industry skills with history, language arts, and scienceto prepare students for careers in the marine sciences and the maritimeindustry.

The college-preparatory curriculum provides opportunities for inter-disciplinary study, hands-on learning, practical experience, and research.Students can enter the program and take maritime-focused electivecourses in their sophomore year; the academy offers paid internships tostudents during the junior and senior years. The sophomore year electivesinclude marine biology and an introduction to maritime topics; the junioryear curriculum includes classes in chemistry, physics, zoology, maritimeskills, and maritime carpentry; and the senior year offers advanced marinescience, as well as a deck license course for U.S. Coast Guard Operator ofUninspected Passenger Vessels.

Students at three grade levels participate in adventure expeditions,which are offered at the beginning or end of school-scheduled breaksand involve research or problem-solving projects. A select group ofBallard students has the opportunity to visit the National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration—a core sponsor—in Washington, D.C. Theacademy’s educational, government, business, and industry partnersinclude Zenith Maritime, the Seattle Maritime Academy, the University ofWashington, the Pacific Maritime Institute, and the Port of Seattle.

For more information, visit www.seattleschools.org/area/cte/academies/bmaindex.xml.


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can tackle advanced subjects, including labor rela-tions, market economics, and historical industrychallenges.

The same tiered structure would apply to the con-tent of each grade’s curriculum module. The materi-als and activities of each cohort, however, are notintended to be an aggregate of the related modules—instead, each cohort should have its own curricularidentity, allowing participants to see unique materialin every program path, in and out of the classrooms.Every curriculum cohort and module programshould include diagrammatic materials, colorfulhandouts and exhibits, three-dimensional models,interactive exhibits or multimedia presentations, andhands-on discovery with actual equipment and toursof marine facilities.

The inherent flexibility of the framework is keyfor educators. If the industry provides access to avariety of age-appropriate alternatives for each pro-gram element, educators will be able to incorporatewaterway concepts into their programs and lessonplans. By empowering educators to choose the bestoutlet for their own creativity under the waterwayscurriculum, the industry can reach out to the targetaudience of students.

Program PathwaysThe waterways curriculum includes four primarypathways: school programs, community outreach,onsite teaching, and expositions. Although themarine industry can share its message through oneor two of these pathways, the strongest impression

on youthful participants will come from the com-prehensive use of all four.

� The school programs pathway involves devel-oping materials for classroom teaching and estab-lishing a speakers bureau. The materials should beadaptable by teachers and should include recom-mendations on related academic subjects, on how touse the materials to enhance classroom experience,and on assignments, quizzes, experiments, and craftsto help students visualize aspects of the maritimeindustry.

The speakers bureau connects teachers with localmaritime professionals who are interested in visitinga classroom, presenting real-world experiences, andsharing new perspectives with students. School pro-grams generally would be presented at the curricu-lum module level, although the cohort level alsowould work.

� The community outreach pathway developsmaterials for community youth organizations, suchas the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H, and Big Broth-ers–Big Sisters of America. The needs of these groupsdiffer from those of the school programs, and thematerials should include hands-on activities, models,and experiments to replace the assignments andquizzes appropriate to a classroom setting.

The speakers bureau can enhance understandingof industry concepts, serving as a network for com-munity organizations to contact professionals willingto give demonstrations at meetings and to serve asmentors for the marine program. Community out-reach programs would be presented at the curricu-lum cohort level, although the module level also maybe appropriate.

� The onsite teaching pathway focuses on edu-cational field trips. Many educators seek opportuni-ties for their students to experience their subjects ofstudy firsthand, and the marine industry can providethat experience at sites such as maritime museums,

Families tour the U.S.S.Razorback submarine at theArkansas Inland MaritimeMuseum, North Little Rock,Arkansas. Onsite, firsthandlearning opportunities wouldbe integrated into thewaterways curriculum.

View of the Arkansas River from atop the U.S.S.Razorback submarine at the Arkansas InlandMaritime Museum.


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port facilities, natural resource agencies, and U.S.Coast Guard or U.S. Navy installations. The missionof the host facility would determine the content ofthe tour or demonstration, but the materials shouldcover topics appropriate to the students’ ages andexperience with the waterways curriculum.

The onsite teaching program would be presentedat the curriculum cohort or module level. Presenterscould work with educators to develop a program tocomplement the students’ experiences. This pathwaycould be used in conjunction with the school pro-grams or community outreach pathways, or separately.

� The expositions pathway is presented to adiverse and itinerant audience. The other pathwaysaim at essentially captive audiences, who experiencea discrete program and remain involved until theconclusion. In contrast, expositions—such as a com-munity event, boat show, school career day, or countyfair—encourage participants to move from booth tobooth, stopping only for a moment at each.

Colorful and engaging materials are necessarytherefore to attract youth to pick up informationalhandouts and to discuss opportunities with the mar-itime professionals at the booth. Staff members canperform demonstrations and can exhibit models todescribe operations and to provide hands-on oppor-tunities to visitors. Exhibit staff should be preparedto discuss a variety of marine industry topics.

Building PartnershipsPartnering with other organizations will give thewaterways curriculum the best opportunity for suc-cess. Although the program could meet the industry’s

goals without outside support, an immense outlay ofresources will be required, and the message would beunlikely to reach the numbers of children who couldparticipate if the development team establishesstrategic relationships.

Establishing a nationwide network to achievecommunity-based connections will maximize theopportunity for children to experience the maritimeindustry locally, instead of learning about it from atextbook or from a television program. At the sametime, national coordination between the maritimeindustry and youth organizations will provide con-sistency in the program and will allow for sharedexperiences among participants nationwide.

Partnerships should focus on organizations thatshare the goals of youth outreach, transportation

Port operations inVancouver, BritishColumbia, Canada. Asuccessful waterwayscurriculum will requiremaritime industrypartnerships withschools.

Sea Perch Poised to Inspire Future Marine Engineers

The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) and the Office of Naval Researchare collaborating on the hands-on Sea Perch Program, designed by the Massachusetts Institute

of Technology, for middle and high school students. The program teaches engineering, science, andmathematics through the building of an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV). Studentslearn engineering concepts, problem solving, teamwork, and technical applications, and can par-ticipate in an end-of-the-term design competition. The students build an ROV with a propulsionsystem, develop a controller, and investigate weight and buoyancy.

The ROVs are made with PVC pipe and other small parts. The project teaches basic skills in shipand submarine design and encourages students to explore naval architecture and marine and oceanengineering concepts. The curriculum includes discussion of careers in engineering and technical fields,as well as related areas of study. The project is starting up in the Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Mary-land area, with the goal of expanding into a national program within the next five years.

To learn more about Sea Perch, go to www.seaperch.org; http://web.mit.edu/seagrant/edu/seaperch/index.html; or contact Susan M. Giver, Director of Outreach and Strategic Development,SNAME; 717-944-0497; [email protected].


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education, marine operations, maritime history, orengineering and applied science training. A variety oflocal and national groups could serve as partners forthe waterways curriculum.

Community groups, such as the Boy Scouts ofAmerica, the Girl Scouts of the USA, and 4-H, havestrong national and local structures that could high-light the role of the maritime community. Waterwayscurriculum participants, for example, could earn aspecial award or advancement. The partnerships ini-tially may yield an increase in requests for marinefacility tours and presentations, but in the long term,annual events may be established, such as weekendactivity days or weeklong summer camps.

Marine industry professionals and organizationswith a vested interest in the growth of the industrycould supply local program volunteers, many ofwhom could give firsthand accounts that would inter-est children. Examples include the U.S. Army Corpsof Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,the Ship Operations Cooperative Program, cruise andshipping lines, technical societies, marine law enforce-ment agencies, and marine labor organizations.

Developing the LessonsA diverse development team, representing marinecompanies and agencies, community groups, andeducators, should be established to prepare the pro-grams. Educators must be involved at an early stageif the program is to be successful. If experienced edu-cators are not available within the maritime industryto create pedagogically sound content for the water-

ways curriculum, partnerships with educational spe-cialists will need to be fostered.

An initial version of the waterways curriculumcould be established quickly through partnershipsthat allow the use of materials and resources that arealready available. For example, the American Societyfor Engineering Education’s K12 Engineering pro-gram (3) and the Maritime Administration’s Just forKids and Teens website (4) provide a wealth of infor-mation and materials for introducing their subjectsto students.

Through partnerships such as these, the water-ways curriculum development team can focus ongenerating materials quickly for each pathway, cohort,and module. As the program becomes established, thefocus could shift to refining the program, incorpo-rating recommendations from educators and marineprofessionals, and integrating emerging educationaltechniques and marine technological advances.

Program ImplementationAn initial deployment of the waterways curriculumcould be limited. For example, several test runscould be established with schools and communityorganizations in areas that have a strong maritimeindustry presence, such as along the coasts or in theGreat Lakes region. If the program meets with success, any necessary changes can be made, andrecommended practices can be shared for imple-mentation nationwide, including regional variationsin program elements and suggestions for how to net-work with industry speakers.

Interactive exhibits andmodels attract youngpeople to explore thehistory of the maritimeindustry at the NationalMississippi River Museumand Aquarium.

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In Baltimore, Maryland, 60 percent ofstudents in the ninth grade do not

graduate from high school. Programs inmaritime education at the primary andsecondary school level can illuminate apathway to help students who other-wise would lose their way to participateand graduate instead into a rewardingand meaningful career in the maritimefield.

In April 2008, the Ship OperationsCooperative Program (SOCP) sponsoreda conference at the Maritime Institute ofTechnology and Graduate Studies facil-ity outside of Baltimore, with the theme,Maritime and Intermodal Education forPrimary and Secondary Schools in Amer-ica: Onboard to a Future Career. Morethan 200 participants from government,industry, and education gathered tolearn about developments in maritimeeducation and to share knowledge withand assist a small group of pioneeringschools scattered around the country.

Keynote speaker Congressman ElijahCummings of Maryland, chair of theCongressional Subcommittee on CoastGuard and Maritime Transportation, hasa maritime high school within his dis-trict, Baltimore’s Maritime IndustriesAcademy. Cummings examined thenational problem of low graduationrates from city schools and stressed theneed to expose students to maritimecareers at an early age. Students in thefourth through sixth grades begin toexamine career possibilities and to focuson and take interest in related coursesand subjects; presenting a maritimecareer or program of higher educationto high school juniors or seniors may betoo late.

In a plenary session, Mission: Mar-itime–Intermodal Primary and Sec-ondary School Programs, leaders fromacademia, industry, and government

echoed the Congressman’s remarks,emphasizing the need to improve grad-uation rates and noting the shortages ofskilled mariners, the excellent wagesand benefits available in the industry,and the programs that agencies andinstitutions have established to assist themaritime schools. Session speakersincluded Vice Admiral Joseph D. Stew-art, Superintendent of the U.S. Mer-chant Marine Academy; Tim Casey, CEOof K-Sea Transportation; KatharineOliver, Assistant State Superintendent,Maryland Department of Education;and John V. Ladd, Administrator, Officeof Apprenticeship, U.S. Department ofLabor. Casey’s company offers appren-ticeship programs for maritime highschools in New York and Philadelphia;he urged other maritime employers toget involved.

The conference program offeredworkshops for participants to shareideas on such topics as curriculum devel-opment, maritime training assistance,shipyard apprentice programs, startinga maritime program, school publicaffairs, and marketing a school. Princi-pals of 13 of the 18 primary and sec-ondary maritime schools that haveopened since 2001—when the move-ment escalated—were in attendance, aswell as individuals from cities consider-ing maritime programs, including NewOrleans, Houston, and Detroit. Exhibitshighlighted products and services formaritime training, the Maritime Acade-mies, and union and community col-leges that offer maritime training.

Other speakers on the two-day pro-gram included Rear Admiral JonathanW. Bailey of the National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration and RearAdmiral James Watson of the U.S. CoastGuard. Independent film producer andluncheon speaker Maria Brooks showedan inspiring clip from her film, The MenWho Sailed the Liberty Ships, about thecontributions of civilian sailors in theU.S. merchant marine during WorldWar II. In a dinner speech, MaritimeAdministrator Sean Connaughton com-mitted his agency to working withgroups such as SOCP and industry part-ners to develop a model curriculum andcourses for maritime schools and tofacilitate the development of additionalschools through outreach programs.

The conference was designed tobring together and connect individualsand institutions that have an interest inand commitment to increasing aware-ness about the nation’s rich mari timeheritage and about the opportunitiesthat a maritime education and careercan offer. As a result of the conference,the Maritime Administration, SOCP,and others have formed a MaritimeEducation Consortium to work witheducators and the industry to provideresources, curriculum content, andcourses.

The author is a Captain (Ret.), U.S.Navy, and a board member of theMaritime Academy Charter School,Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Keynote speaker U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings(D-Maryland) described the goals andsuccesses of Baltimore’s Maritime IndustriesAcademy.

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Rear Admiral James Watson, Director ofPrevention Policy for Marine Safety, Security,and Stewardship, U.S. Coast Guard, was oneof several leaders endorsing maritimetraining and education programs.

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Maritime Education Shining as a Lighthouse

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Sample Program ElementsSeveral curricular activities could be incorporatedinto the waterways curriculum. A sampling is high-lighted below.

Individual MaterialsMaterials for individual use by participants could becollected, to offer youth resources for exploring themarine industry on their own. Coloring and activitybooks, interactive web pages with animations, edu-cational games, and reference Internet hyperlinksare examples applicable to any of the pathways.

Individual activities also can include familyevents, such as a trip to a boat show or a local mar-itime history museum, with ideas for activities during a day trip to a marine facility. For example, ascavenger hunt at a maritime museum wouldencourage families to work together to follow clueswhile exploring the exhibits.

In the classroom, individual activities can rein-force concepts explored in group sessions, hands-onactivities, and lectures. Educators could challengeindividual participants through routine homeworkassignments and ultimately through more compli-cated projects for science fairs or community out-reach programs, such as 4-H or the Boy Scouts ofAmerica. Materials should include sample quiz ques-

tions and research topics related to each subject in acohort or module, as well as appropriate supportinglecture materials. Individual materials could be dis-tributed as part of all four waterways curriculumpathways.

Group ActivitiesMaterials for group activities should engage studentsand encourage participation and learning throughshared experiences. Classroom games or computer-based games, for example, can challenge participantscollectively to explore different marine conceptsrelated to curricular topics.

Younger participants may enjoy a card gamematching marine industry images with letters, suchas a tug boat with the letter T. Older participantscould play a computer game loading freight onto aship—students could assign berths to ships based oncargo capacity and could calculate what percentageof cargo remains to be handled for each vessel, rein-forcing lessons in fractions and percentages, as wellas clock skills. A more advanced level might chal-lenge students with loading delays, increases in thefrequency of arriving vessels, the routing of ships,and the assignment of cargoes to ships according tofinal destinations—this would assist in teachinggeography, critical thinking, mathematics, and oper-ational concepts.

Role-playing games are valuable for teaching arange of topics concurrently. Participants would beassigned different port operation roles, be given spe-cific instructions, and then would interact with eachother as marine professionals within the game tofind the solution to a problem. The educator canadjust the complexity of the game through variedplots and challenges.

Traditional classroom techniques—lectures,videos, and computer animations—also would bepart of group activities. The materials should be syn-thesized into structured presentations and preparedlesson plans for use by community outreach educa-tors and marine professionals, who often are amateurinstructors. A combination of traditional classroomexperiences and activities in a fast-paced anddynamic session that can be quickly prepared andeasily adjusted for specific needs will prove an excel-lent resource for educators. Group activities wouldbe conducted in the school programs, communityoutreach, and onsite teaching pathways.

Hands-On DemonstrationsHands-on demonstrations should accompany everytopic in every curriculum cohort and module, allow-ing for student exploration and for educator-facili-tated activities.

Great Lakes Summer Institute Educates the Educators

Teachers and educators gathered July 20–24 at Lake Superior, Duluth,Minnesota, for the Great Lakes Maritime Transportation Summer

Institute. Sponsored by the Great Lakes Maritime Research Institute(GLMRI) and Michigan Technological University, the summer instituteoffers teachers and educators the opportunity to explore the historical,economical, and environmental aspects of Great Lakes shipping and tomeet with industry representatives to gain insights into managementand regulation.

Sessions provided information on Great Lakes cargo shipping; environ-mental concerns; the role of the vessel traffic control system in vessel track-ing and homeland security; social, economic, and environmental issues forall transportation modes; the history of cargo shipping; principles of shipdesign; and career opportunities in the maritime transportation industry.

Highlights included presentations by GLMRI codirector Richard Stewart;Ron Johnson, Duluth Seaway Port Authority; and Mary Balcer, University ofWisconsin–Superior, as well as port captain Ken Geraisimos of Great LakesFleet–Key Lakes, Inc., and a tour of an iron ore mine, a taconite processingplant, the Murphy Oil Corporation’s northern refinery, and a retired lakefreight cargo ship, S.S. William A. Irvin.

For additional information, visit www. glmri.org/ downloads/GLMTbrochure08.pdf.


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The student exploration demonstrations shouldbe designed so that educators can guide students tomodel and visualize marine concepts. Sampledemonstrations could include creating models oflocks using plastic containers of water and a modelboat, or conducting classroom experiments to studythe scientific impact of pollution on marine species.

The educator-facilitated demonstrations wouldbe led by a marine professional who would presentan activity for the youth to experience. This could besomething on a grander scale than the student explo-ration activities—such as a full-scale demonstrationof the operation of an actual lock and dam or bring-ing a specialized piece of equipment to class anddemonstrating its use.

Elements for SuccessThe waterways curriculum concept is not ready toimplement but can serve as a starting point formarine professionals in creating a detailed programwith materials for distribution to educators nation-wide. Through developmental workshops, educa-tion specialists and subject matter experts can worktogether to establish the specific content, followingthe flexible framework for delivering marine con-cepts to children.

The list of topics that could be included in thewaterways curriculum is extensive. The examplespresented here are neither a comprehensive list northe minimum requirements. Any subject within thedomain of the marine industry would be a candidatefor inclusion, although the focus should be on top-ics that support the marine industry’s mission of out-reach and the pedagogical goals of educators.Although every topic is likely to have educationalvalue, some will be more interesting to participantsthan others. Certain topics may not be convenient toexplore because of time, resources, complexity, agediversity of the participants, or the educator’s expe-rience.

Some elements of the framework will need to bethoroughly developed for a successful program—notably the national clearinghouse and the speakersbureau. The development team should identify aninstitution or facility to serve as a national clearing-house, a distribution center for educators to accessthe most up-to-date program materials. The clear-inghouse also would simplify the maintenance effortsto keep the program functional.

Establishing a waterways curriculum speakersbureau also should be a priority for the programdevelopment team. The team should establish crite-ria that make clear the commitment involved whenspeakers agree to participate. For example, some maymake presentations at only one event, but others

may be expected to return to reinforce the conceptsfor participants and to serve as mentors.

The development team should provide guidancefor creating the waterways curriculum elements. Theteam should establish dialogues at regional ornational levels with the potential partner organiza-tions and should serve as a point of contact in dealingwith national youth organizations and edu cationalspecialists, exchanging ideas and making forward-thinking decisions. The development team’s ability tomake timely decisions and to represent the opinionsof the marine industry is critically important to a suc-cessful start for the program.

After the waterways curriculum program isimplemented, a variety of opportunities may be pur-sued, and a strategic review should be undertaken todetermine the future course. The program willrequire a major investment of time and resources bymaritime professionals and educators. If the programis well designed, if it engages the participants, and ifit is presented by enthusiastic marine professionals,the benefits to the industry will be enormous.

References1. Eidson, W. Waterways Curriculum: Strategic Framework

for Introducing the Marine Industry to Youth. Presentedat 86th Annual Meeting of the Transportation ResearchBoard, Washington, D.C., January 2007.

2. Scoutmaster Handbook. Boy Scouts of America, Irving,Texas, 1998.

3. EngineeringK12 Center. American Society for EngineeringEducation, Washington, D.C. www.engineeringk12.org.Accessed Feb. 25, 2008.

4. MARAD Just for Kids and Teachers. U.S. Department ofTransportation Maritime Administration, Washington,D.C. www.marad.dot.gov/education/Kids/index.html.Accessed Feb. 25, 2008.

Visitors can test theirskills handling aMississippi River bargewith the hands-on pilotsimulator at the NationalMississippi River Museumand Aquarium.Simulations and livedemonstrations helpstudents model andvisualize marineconcepts.


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The author is ProgramManager and a PastPresident (1992–1993),Council of UniversityTransportation Centers,and retired FoundingDirector of the NewEngland UniversityTransportation Center atMassachusetts Instituteof Technology.

An innovative pilot program for a gradu-ate education certificate in multimodaltransportation, delivered via distancelearning, is nearing implementation. The

goal is to educate the transportation leaders of the21st century. The program theme is transportationpolicy, management, and operations.

The cooperative program is designed to address awell-documented priority for the transportationworkforce. The founding directors of the RegionalUniversity Transportation Centers (RUTCs) havevolunteered to lead the implementation effort. Theanticipated success of the transportation leadershipgraduate certificate program may lead to similar cer-tificate programs in theme areas such as security,infrastructure, safety, and the environment.

The main features of the three-year pilot programare as follows:

� Four theme-related graduate level coursestaken for credit at participating universities;

� A range of courses to provide breadth ofknowledge in topics such as policy, systems engi-neering, operations, safety, security, planning, andfinance;

� Courses delivered on a national scale via dis-tance-learning media;

� Courses taught by outstanding graduate facultyfrom outstanding universities.

Recognized and endorsed by public-sector and pri-vate-sector industry leaders, the certificate awarded

EDUCATING THETRANSPORTATION LEADERS OF THE 21ST CENTURYThe Transportation Leadership Graduate Certificate ProgramT H O M A S F . H U M P H R E Y


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from this enterprise will carry and convey prestige. The implementation of the program marks the cul-

mination of a process and plan of action supported byyears of studies, conferences, workshops, and reports.The program already has received continuing supportand endorsement from key transportation industryleaders in the public and private sectors, as well asfrom transportation-related associations.

Program ConceptAccomplished, highly regarded university gradu-ate faculty will present the multimodal, interdisci-plinary, graduate-level curriculum, via distance-learning media on a national and perhaps inter -national scale. The first group of theme-related graduate education courses will be deliveredthrough a national consortium of universities led bythe RUTCs.

As soon as the founding RUTCs have agreed onall details of the certificate program, they will inviteall universities with graduate transportation pro-grams to participate. An interim, central adminis-trative infrastructure is in place; the faculty andstudents will be located throughout the country.

All graduate education courses will be taken for

full credit and will be semester-length, leading to anaward of credits by the university at which thetuition-paying student is enrolled. The RUTCs willaward the certificate after the completion of thefour required courses. The goal is for the certificateto be supported by the U.S. Department of Trans-portation, transportation associations, and leadingpublic- and private-sector organizations.

The target audience consists of early-career pro-fessionals who are on the leadership track in thepublic and private sectors and who have earned abachelor’s degree in one of many disciplines—suchas transportation engineering, systems engineering,operations research, environmental analysis, polit-ical science, economics, financial analysis, plan-ning, social sciences, and other supportingdisciplines. At many universities, tuition-payingstudents in the program will be able to apply a por-tion of the credits earned for the certificate to anadvanced degree.

The Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA)National Highway Institute provided the seed funding for the development of the concept, the preliminary design of the program, and a draft oper-ations and business plan. Impressed with the con-

The initial idea for the development of thegraduate-level certificate program occurred

in the late 1990s, when the U.S. Department ofTransportation’s Intelligent Transportation Sys-tems (ITS) Joint Program Office (JPO) in Wash-ington, D.C., decided to establish and implementthe ITS Professional Capacity Building Program.The initiative made clear that

� Traditional transportation engineersunderstood relatively little about the underly-ing disciplines needed for ITS deployment;

� ITS professionals in systems engineering,operations research, and information technol-ogy understood relatively little about trans-portation engineering;

� Each professional spoke a different lan-guage and needed to understand the other’s;and

� A cross-fertilization of competencies wasneeded.

In the early 2000s, the University of RhodeIsland College of Business began to develop aninterdepartmental master’s degree in trans-

portation policy, management, and operations,incorporating faculty from the graduate pro-grams in business, engineering, and the socialsciences. Research into the need and demand forthe program required collecting informationfrom public- and private-sector senior execu-tives. The results of that research, along withother documentation, confirmed that manycommon competencies and skills are requiredin both the public and private sectors and thattechnical professionals need nontechnicalbreadth and depth to progress from technical tomanagement to leadership roles (1).

The concepts developed in these earlyefforts provided the motivation to seek seedfunding from the National Highway Institute todevelop the distance-learning graduate edu-cation certificate program.

Reference1. Humphrey, T. F. Transportation Skills Needed by Pri-

vate-Sector and Public-Sector Organizations: SomeCommon Themes. In Transportation ResearchRecord: Journal of the Transportation ResearchBoard, No. 1924, Transportation Research Board ofthe National Academies, Washington, D.C., 2005,pp. 46–51.

Genesis of the Concept


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cept, the RUTC founding directors volunteered tolead the development of the program and to workout the details of the implementation.

The founding RUTCs funded the next stages ofdevelopment and made implementation a priority,consistent with their objectives and respon sibilitiesas centers of excellence for education and research.The RUTCs have taken the following actions:

� Signed a cooperative memorandum of under-standing;

� Established a board of directors and aninterim leadership team;

� Appointed a program manager;� Established an advisory committee to guide

the program, comprising leaders from public- andprivate-sector industry, transportation associations,and the academic community;

� Established an academic curriculum commit-tee;

� Prepared the first-level curriculum and courseoutlines;

� Began development of a website; and � Through the curriculum committee, have

begun the selection of graduate-level courses fordelivery in spring 2009.

Although much has been accomplished, muchremains to be done.

Program CompetenciesTwo decades of workshops, conferences, research,and published studies on transportation educationand workforce development have identified com-mon themes. Individuals with a bachelor’s or evena master’s degree must continue their education tomove from technical to management and on toleadership roles. Seasoned professionals are retiring,and recent graduates are being hired—studies haveconfirmed a growing knowledge gap betweennewer technical professionals with limited experi-ence and senior-level management professionalsand industry leaders.

A synthesis of the research indicates that the com-petencies to be stressed in a graduate-level educationprogram for transportation leaders in the public andprivate sectors must include

� Multimodal transportation systems, logistics,and supply chain management;

� The role of the political process in transporta-tion decision making;

� Organizational and management principles;� Systems engineering principles;� Operations research principles;

� Transportation finance;� The role of technology applications;� Conflict resolution among competing interests;

and� Social, environmental, and economic consid-

erations.

The certificate program was designed for severalreasons. First, transportation professionals andindustry leaders need a breadth of knowledgebeyond a bachelor’s degree, and this knowledge mustbe updated continually. Second, not enough profes-sionals are entering the transportation industry, andretention is a continuing problem.

The proposed program will provide essentialgraduate education for professionals, especially thosewith potential to become industry leaders; it willattract new people to the industry from nontradi-tional disciplines; and it will expand university trans-portation graduate education programs. Moreover,distance learning has become a well-accepted andwidespread medium for graduate-level educationprograms that appeal to busy professionals.

Requirements and CoursesThe basic program requires completion of foursemester-length, theme-related, graduate-levelcourses, taken for credit at the offering university.The tuition-paying student must meet a minimumgrade requirement consistent with the university’sacademic policies. The courses must consist of

� Two courses selected from a group of sevencore courses—although a single unifying coursefrom the core group may be required of all enrollees;and

� Two courses, selected from one of seven elec-tive course types, covering a variety of theme-relatedtopics.

A first-level curriculum with topic outlines hasbeen developed for each of the courses. The studentmust select at least two of the following seven genericcore courses for the certificate:

1. Transportation policy and planning,2. Transportation systems analysis,3. Transportation economics,4. Transportation operations and safety,5. Transportation management, 6. Transportation security, and 7. Climate change and energy.

The following seven elective courses also havebeen outlined—two could be chosen to meet the


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certificate requirements:

� Freight logistics,� Project management,� Advanced modeling techniques,� Infrastructure management,� Information technology management,� Environmental analysis, and� Multimodal studies—either one general

overview course, or one of a variety of full-semestercourses such as

– Transit planning and operations,– Airport planning and operations,– Water port planning and operations,– Bikeways and pedestrian planning and

operations, and– Rail freight and passenger rail planning and

operations.

The participating universities will offer coursesfrom their catalogues that incorporate the genericcourse topics. Prospective students will apply to aparticipating university for admission; whenaccepted, the students will pay the course tuitiondirectly to the university.

Certificate Versus DegreeA certificate program was chosen for the followingreasons:

� A nondegree program is more accessible tomore people, at more universities, without formaladmission processes.

� A certificate program encourages professionalsto test graduate education, which may lead themeventually to apply to a graduate degree program,expanding the number of professionals in the work-force with advanced degrees.

� A certificate can fill an educational gap betweena completed undergraduate degree and formal grad-uate degree programs.

This type of graduate education assists in address-ing workforce needs.

Relationship to Other ProgramsA frequent question has been how the certificaterelates to other training and certificate programsoffered by universities and professional organizationsand whether it will compete with these programs.Several university graduate education programsincorporate many courses similar to those plannedfor the certificate.

The effort is not in competition with the manyexcellent, essential training programs and short

courses sponsored by many universities and professional organizations but should be viewed as anopportunity to expand the numbers of individualswho may be interested in, or need training in, trans-portation-related topics. The program is designed toattract new people to the transportation profession, aswell as to broaden and expand the competencies ofthose with undergraduate degrees in transportationand complementary disciplines. The program can becarried out only by universities with graduate educa-tion programs and graduate education faculty.

The program addresses an important workforceneed—increasing the supply of professionals for boththe public and private sectors. Many leaders of orga-nizations that sponsor educational and training pro-grams have endorsed the certificate program; many

Leading the Way

The founding RUTCs that have made commitments to imple-ment the certificate program are as follows:

� The New England UTC at Massachusetts Institute of Tech-nology;

� The University Transportation Research Center at the City University of New York;

� The Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center at Pennsylvania State University;

� The Southeastern Transportation Center at the University ofTennessee;

� The Midwest Regional University Transportation Center atthe University of Wisconsin;

� The NEXTRANS Center at Purdue University; � The Southwest Region UTC at Texas A&M University–Texas

Transportation Institute; � The Midwest Transportation Center at Iowa State University; � The Mid-America Transportation Center at the University of

Nebraska–Lincoln; and � The Mountains Plains Consortium at North Dakota State

University.

In addition, the RUTCs at the University of California Trans-portation Center and TransNow, representing the Pacific Northwestregion, have supplied intellectual and financial support.

The interim leadership team* includes

� Denver Tolliver, North Dakota State University, Chair;� Martin Pietrucha, Pennsylvania State University; and Michael

Meyer, Georgia Tech, Curriculum Committee Cochairs;� John Mason, Pennsylvania State University, Distance Learning

Delivery Media Committee Chair; and� Dock Burke, Texas A&M University–Texas Transportation

Institute, Finance Committee Chair.

* The author serves as consultant to the leadership team as founderand program manager under contract to Pennsylvania State University.


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are members of the advisory committee and havestated that this is the kind of graduate education pro-gram that their employees and members need. Somealso have committed to market the program and planto offer tuition reimbursement to their employees. Asthe program progresses, additional organizations willbe encouraged to participate.

A Unique EnterpriseThe certificate program is a unique enterprise:

� It provides opportunities for a university tobroaden its curriculum and courses to appeal to anexpanded tuition-paying student group, as well as toalready-enrolled students.

� No single university has the resources to offersuch a wide array of courses delivered by a nationalgroup of noted and outstanding faculty.

� Completion of the interdisciplinary, multi-modal program will be viewed as a prestigious cre-dential.

� Graduate-level courses are taken for a gradeand delivered via distance-learning media.

� Endorsement by public and private trans-portation organizations adds professional value andrecognition.

� An administrative structure governs the selec-tion of courses, verifies course completion, andawards the certificate.

� The program contributes to transportationworkforce development and will attract more atten-tion to graduate education.

� Completed courses could be eligible for trans-fer to formal graduate degree programs, as decided bythe accepting university.

� The program does not compete with currenttraining, graduate education, or other education pro-grams but will help to expand and enhance those ini-tiatives.

Status of ProgramThe cooperative memorandum of understandingsigned by the RUTC directors represents commit-ments from the university transportation centers (seebox, page 35). The program will be an inclusiveenterprise, with membership available to other uni-

Since 1985, with the publication of TRB Special Report 207,Transportation Professionals: Future Needs and Opportu-

nities, a series of conferences, workshops, summits, meetings,and publications have addressed transportation workforceneeds, covering topics related to attracting, training, educat-ing, hiring, and retaining professionals. Also addressed hasbeen the shortage of professionals from many disciplinesentering and remaining in transportation positions. Graduateeducation is a clear-cut need in the workforce.

Following is a list of recent publications, in chronologicalorder, that support the need and demand for the proposed dis-tance-learning transportation leadership graduate certificateprogram:

Polzin, S. E., and B. G. Ward. Designing an Interdisciplinary Educa-tional Program to Support Transportation Workforce Develop-ment. In Transportation Research Record: Journal of theTransportation Research Board, No. 1812, Transportation ResearchBoard of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., 2002, pp.143–150.

TRB Special Report 275, The Workforce Challenge: Recruiting, Training, and Retaining Qualified Workers for Transportation andTransit Agencies. Transportation Research Board of the NationalAcademies, Washington, D.C., 2003.

NCHRP Synthesis 323, Recruiting and Retaining Individuals in StateTransportation Agencies. Transportation Research Board of theNational Academies, Washington, D.C., 2004.

NCHRP Synthesis 326, Strategic Planning and Decision Making in

State Departments of Transportation. Transportation ResearchBoard of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., 2004.

NCHRP Synthesis 349, Developing Transportation Agency Leaders.Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Wash-ington, D.C., 2005.

Humphrey, T. F. Transportation Skills Needed by Private-Sector and Public-Sector Organizations: Some Common Themes. InTransportation Research Record: Journal of the TransportationResearch Board, No. 1924, Transportation Research Board of theNational Academies, Washington, D.C., 2005, pp. 46–51.

The National Cooperative Highway Research Program(NCHRP) has sponsored several related projects*:

NCHRP Project 17-40: Safety Workforce Training Development;NCHRP Project 20-24(14): Managing Change in State Departments of

Transportation;NCHRP Project 20-24(40): Analysis and Benchmarking of Recruitment

and Hiring Practices of State Departments of Transportation;NCHRP Project 20-24(48): Analysis and Benchmarking of State DOT

Human Resource Activities;NCHRP Project 20-24(50): In-Service Training for State DOTs;NCHRP Project 20-72: Tools to Aid State DOTs in Workforce

Challenges;NCHRP Project 20-77: Transportation Operations Training Framework;

andNCHRP Synthesis Project 36-07: Training Program Processes, Policies

and Practices.

* For more information and for links to project reports postedonline, go to www.TRB.org/CRP/NCHRP/NCHRPProjects.asp.

Program Resources


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versities with graduate transportation programs assoon as the operational details are established toensure success. The founding RUTC directors serveas the program’s board of directors.

With the concurrence of the 10 signatories to thememorandum of understanding, Pennsylvania StateUniversity, through the Thomas D. Larson Pennsyl-vania State Transportation Institute, submitted acompetitive proposal to FHWA in August 2007,requesting the funds to implement the program.FHWA awarded the grant in April 2008.

The tasks to be implemented under the FHWAgrant include the following:

� Establish the administrative structure to oper-ate the program, with input from transportationindustry leaders.

� Establish standards and procedures for select-ing courses, building on the first-level curriculum.This includes evaluating theme-related courses. Thefirst set of courses selected will be available for deliv-ery in spring 2009.

� Establish incentives for faculty to teach eachcourse and provide the technical assistance to con-vert a traditional classroom delivery to a distance-learning medium.

� Establish the delivery protocols and guidelines.� Develop and implement a marketing program,

working with industry leaders.� Establish quality control and evaluation strate-

gies, including standards, policies, and procedures tomaintain the highest possible quality of outcomes.

� Establish precedents and benchmarks to tran-sition the pilot program into an intellectually andfinancially self-sustaining program.

� Update and improve the operations and busi-ness plan with the guidance of the program advisorycommittee.

� Launch the program in spring 2009, and con-tinually monitor and improve it.

Marketing the ProgramIf we build it, will they come? The program has beenin development for more than three years, with inputfrom the public- and private-sector industry groupsintended as the primary customers. This engendersconfidence of a significant response in terms of appli-cations for admission to the program.

Another reason for optimism is that the program’sgoals are consistent with the aims of the strategicplans adopted by many leading transportation-related organizations. In addition, the larger private-sector consulting firms that provide many of theprofessional services required by public agencieshave developed education and training strategies that

are consistent with this effort. A coordinated mar-keting strategy is being developed with all stake-holders, including universities, associations,private-sector interests, and federal agencies.

Win–Win EnterpriseEvery industry in America is dealing with workforceissues at all levels. This focus on transportation pro-fessionals is not another study, workshop, or nationalsummit, but an action-oriented, win–win enterprisedesigned to assist many:

� For students, it offers an unprecedented oppor-tunity to expand the breadth and depth of theirknowledge; to take graduate education courses forcredit at their place of employment or at home, fromsome of the best university faculty in the nation; andto move from technical competencies to managementresponsibilities and eventually to leadership roles.

� For universities, it stimulates an increase inthe number of tuition-paying students who enrollin graduate courses; provides incentives for stu-dents to continue on to graduate education; and canattract new, young faculty to transportation educa-tion programs.

� For transportation associations, the programoffers an opportunity to address a well-documentedneed to increase the supply of professionals; is con-sistent with associations’ strategic plans; and canincrease the numbers of new members.

� For the surface transportation industry, the cer-tificate program addresses some well-documentedand well-known education needs in workforce devel-opment.

AcknowledgmentsThe FHWA National Highway Institute funded theresearch into the development of a distance-learninggraduate education certificate program, as well as afollow-on project to expand the concept. JosephToole, Moges Ayele, and Deborah Gwaltney wereinstrumental in the funding decisions.

Mark Norman, TRB Director of Technical Activi-ties, chaired the project steering committee, nowcalled the advisory committee, which includes lead-ers from the academic community, federal and stateagencies, private-sector consulting firms, and trans-portation-related associations. John Mason, Penn-sylvania State University; Dennis Christiansen, TexasA&M University–Texas Transportation Institute; andGene Griffin, North Dakota State University, were theleading advocates for the RUTCs to lead the pro-gram; the founding RUTC directors funded the pro-gram’s continuation. FHWA is now funding theprogram’s implementation.


Iowa state transportation safety engineer Tom Welch hasa passion for highway safety founded on personal expe-rience: in the early 1990s, Welch and his wife followed alife flight helicopter to a hospital trauma center. The heli-

copter carried their son, who was broadsided by an inattentivedriver on a rural road. In 2007, the Welch’s daughter was alsoinvolved in a serious car accident.

“Although both accidents were nonfatal, these events werepreventable,” Welch explains. “The loss of 43,000 lives everyyear in this country is a public health epidemic; it is the dis-ease of mobility. We must change our safety culture or we willcontinue to have empty chairs at family holiday gatheringsevery year.”

In addition to his work as a highway safety engineer and researcher, Welch manages the Iowa Traffic SafetyAlliance—a multidisciplinary and multiagency safety researchpartnership of public- and private-sector highway safety orga-nizations. He manages the state-funded Iowa Traffic SafetyProgram, which provides funding for safety research and forsafety projects to cities and counties throughout the state. Theprogram has been highlighted in the Federal Highway Admin-istration’s 2002 report on best practices in highway safety.

Welch has taught courses in highway design and trans-portation planning at Iowa State University and maintainsthat the teaching and mentoring he has provided to youngsafety professionals has been one of the most rewardingaspects of his transportation career. He advises transportationstudents, as well as new safety engineers, to challenge the sta-tus quo and to work to advance highway safety and meetsafety goals by identifying and implementing new and inno-vative countermeasures.

“Quality research assists safety practitioners in gainingapproval to implement new and sometimes controversialcountermeasures,” Welch comments. “Recent safety researchfindings have been key factors in our ability to implement new

countermeasures, including 4 lane to 3 lane conversions, J-turn expressway intersections, centerline rumble strips, andshoulder rumble stripes.”

Welch has been involved in TRB activities since 1993. Hechairs the National Cooperative Highway Research Program(NCHRP) Project Panel on Median Intersection Design forRural High-Speed Divided Highways and has served as amember of the NCHRP Project Panels on Safety and OtherImplications of Changed Speed Limits on High-Speed Roads,on 2006 American Association of State Highway and Trans-portation Officials (AASHTO) Bottom Line Scoping, onDetailed Planning for Research on Making a SignificantImprovement in Highway Safety, and on Strategic Highway

Safety Plan Implementation and Sup-port. He is a member of the Safety DataAnalysis and Evaluation Committee,the Strategic Highway Research Pro-gram 2 Technical Coordinating Com-mittee for Safety Research, and of theTransportation Safety ManagementCommittee.

In addition to his work with TRB,Welch also chairs the AASHTO Sub-committee on Highway Safety Man-agement, as well as the Task Group onSafety Data Systems and Analysis andSafety Work Force Development. He

cochairs the AASHTO Technology Information Group Pro-gram for Road Safety Audits and is a member of the AASHTOStanding Committee on Highway Traffic Safety and of theNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Expert Panelon Building Consensus on Traffic Safety Performance Mea-sures.

In 2000, Welch received an Outstanding Council PaperAward from the Institute of Transportation Engineers forcoauthoring a research paper on the conversion of four-laneundivided roadways to a three-lane cross section—one of thefirst research papers on the subject. In 2004, he received theAASHTO President’s Special Award of Merit for outstandingand exemplary contributions to the association. In 2004, heproposed and organized the first National State DOT SafetyEngineers Peer Exchange, and he established a national high-way safety engineers e-mail discussion group to provide out-lets for networking and for the sharing of the latest industryconcerns and information.

Welch received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineeringfrom the University of Wisconsin–Platteville in 1973 and hascompleted course work towards a master’s degree in trans-portation engineering at Iowa State University.

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P R O F I L E S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Quality research assists safety

practitioners in gaining approval to

implement new and sometimes

controversial countermeasures.”

Thomas M. WelchIowa Department of Transportation


Professor of marketing and transportation andWilliam A. Black Chair of Commerce at DalhousieUniversity, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, MaryBrooks works to improve awareness of management

and policy issues in all modes of transportation, particularlyfor maritime industries, and to emphasize the importance oftransportation to the North American economy.

Since 1979, Brooks has held research positions at Dal-housie University, including research associate positions inthe Ocean Studies Program; at the Canadian Marine Trans-portation Center; and at the Oceans Institute of Canada. Sheserved as a visiting fellow at the Institute of Southeast AsianStudies in Singapore in 1984; as director of Dalhousie’s Cen-

ter for International Business Studies from 1993 to 2001; andas an expert adviser to the Bureau of Economics and Agree-ments Analysis, Federal Maritime Commission, Washington,D.C., in 1998.

Brooks’ current research includes examining the impact ofsecurity, border, and transportation issues on North Americanbusinesses, the governance and performance of ports, andshort sea shipping in the North American context. The gen-eral focus for all of her research is the relationship betweenbuyers and sellers of transport services, and how an under-standing of the buyer–seller relationship can foster effectivepublic policy decision making.

In 2001, Brooks helped establish an informal network ofport researchers to investigate the link between port gover-nance and performance, and the group’s efforts resulted in the2007 publication of Devolution, Port Governance, and Port Per-formance, a 26-chapter book on the state of port governance.The group’s work on tools for assessing port performance isongoing, and Brooks and several Dalhousie colleagues aremonitoring the development of short sea shipping on theNorth American continent.

“North American short sea shipping has not developed in

a coherent way,” Brooks explains. “In spite of a Canada–U.S.–Mexico memorandum of cooperation, the issue has notbecome a priority for any of the North American Free TradeAgreement–participant governments. I am pleased to see thatTRB’s National Freight Cooperative Research Program hasconcluded that the field is ripe for further research, and mycolleagues at Dalhousie continue to work to keep the issue atthe front and center of industry circles.”

A proponent of transportation research, Brooks is active inTRB. She recently completed two terms as chair of the Inter-national Trade and Transportation Committee and has servedas a member of the Freight Systems Group. She is a memberof the Committee for the Study of Funding Options for

Freight Transportation Projects ofNational Significance and a member ofthe Transportation Research Record Pub-lication Board. She has attended all TRBAnnual Meetings since 1994.

“Transportation research has ahigher profile in both Europe and Asiathan it does in North America,” Brookscomments. “Those of us performingquality research need to have our voicesheard, and this is more difficult when aresearch community is small. Organi-zations like TRB provide excellent net-

working opportunities, which enable transportationresearchers to hear and to be heard.”

Brooks holds a master’s degree in international businessfrom Dalhousie University and a doctorate in maritime studiesfrom the University of Wales, Cardiff, United Kingdom. Shewon the International Intermodal Expo Distinguished Professor Fellowship in 1993; was a Canada–U.S. Fulbrightscholar at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, in 2005;received the A. Gordon Archibald Award for Teaching Excellence in 2005; and was named to Canada’s Most Powerful Women Top 100 list by the Women’s Executive Net-work in 2006.

Brooks has written more than 50 articles for publicationsthat include The Logistics and Transportation Review; the Inter-national Journal of Transport Economics, Maritime Policy, andManagement; and the International Journal of Physical Distribution and Materials Management. She has authored oredited more than 20 books or monographs, and worked todevelop a software package for the international marketingand distribution field. Her book, North American FreightTransportation: The Road to Security and Prosperity, was published in June 2008.

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P R O F I L E S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Those of us performing quality

research need to have our voices

heard, and this is more difficult when

a research community is small.”

Mary R. BrooksDalhousie University


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Railroad Investment Study CompletedAn investment of $148 billion (in 2007 dollars) isneeded for rail freight infrastructure expansion, tokeep pace with economic growth and to meet U.S.Department of Transportation–forecasted freightdemand through 2035, according to findings in therecently completed National Rail Freight Infra-structure Capacity and Investment Study by Cam-bridge Systematics, Inc.

Commissioned by the Association of AmericanRailroads at the request of the National SurfaceTransportation Policy and Revenue Study Commis-sion, the study focused on 52,340 miles of primaryrail freight corridors and assessed the long-termcapacity expansion needs of continental U.S. freightrailroads. Highlighted is the need for investment innew tracks, signals, tunnels, terminals, and servicefacilities, as well as the need to reduce highway con-gestion, lower transportation-generated emissionsand energy costs, and ease stress on highway infra-structure.

Class I railroad needs account for $135 billion ofthe needed $148 billion, with $13 billion projectedfor short line and regional freight railroads. The studyhas been submitted to the National Surface Trans-

portation Policy and Revenue Study Commissionand is the first report to benchmark the national railnetwork freight capacity and the levels of investmentneeded to meet projected demand.

For more information, visit www.camsys.com.

Goals Set for HighwayResearch and DevelopmentThe U.S. Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA)Office of Infrastructure Research and Developmenthas released Highways of the Future—A Strategic Planfor Highway Infrastructure Research and Developmentto guide the agency’s highway research and develop-ment activities. The plan serves as a framework tosupport FHWA’s reauthorization efforts before theexpiration of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Effi-cient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users.

Research goals include developing knowledge,guidelines, analytical and physical tools, and testmethods and procedures to enable the delivery ofsafe, environmentally friendly, long-term, disaster-resilient, and cost-effective highway infrastructure;supporting end-user efforts to maintain and manageinfrastructure; and providing specialized technicalassistance to address infrastructure issues of nationalimportance.

Within 5 years, the Office of InfrastructureResearch and Development will deliver researchproducts that advance the state of the practice, byimproving engineering tools for analysis and design;developing more durable materials; and providingconstruction, maintenance, and rehabilitation guide-lines that aid infrastructure reliability and durability.To ensure that the program addresses agency goalsand requirements and delivers timely and ready-to-implement products, the Office of InfrastructureResearch and Development will partner with otherFHWA offices and with highway stakeholders.

For more information, visit http://www.tfhrc.gov/infrastructure/pubs/08068.htm.

SAFETY AWARENESS—The Federal Highway Admini -stration conducted a Motorcycle Highway TravelMonitoring and Operations Demonstration on May 5, in McLean, Virginia. The event focused on issues in motorcycle safety and offered attendees theopportunity to participate in sessions on motorcycleproduction and manufacturing trends; to observe insitu data generation and processing; and to understandsensor and monitoring technology and the associatedcosts, maintenance, and installation. A field demon -stration offered the opportunity for interaction withmotorcycle manufacturers, distributors, and state andfederal officials responsible for the highway travelmonitoring program.

NEWS BRIEFS


September

17–19 11th National Conference onTransportation Planning forSmall and Medium-SizedCommunities: Tools of theTradePortland, Oregon

22–23 North American Freight FlowsConference: UnderstandingChanges and Improving DataSourcesIrvine, California

24–26 National Workshop onHighway Asset Inventory andData Collection*Durham, North Carolina

October

1–3 3rd International Conferenceon Accelerated PavementTesting*Madrid, Spain

6–7 Northeast Traffic MonitoringWorkshopWoods Hole, Massachusetts

6–8 European TransportConference*Leiden, The NetherlandsMartine Micozzi

19–22 18th National Rural Publicand Intercity BusTransportation ConferenceOmaha, Nebraska

20–22 10th International Bridge andStructure ManagementConferenceBuffalo, New York

27–28 Impact of ChangingDemographics on theTransportation SystemWashington, D.C.

28–29 Rethinking Transportation fora Sustainable Future*Louisville, Kentucky

November

11–14 Gulf Coast HurricanePreparedness, Response,Recovery, and Rebuilding*Mobile, Alabama

20 Developing a TheoreticalUnderstanding of HighwayCrash Causation*(by invitation)Washington, D.C.Richard Pain

December

1–4 2008 HighwayGeophysics–NondestructiveEvaluation Conference*Charlotte, North CarolinaG. Jayaprakash

2–3 International Summit onAgricultural and FoodTransportation*Washington, D.C.

9–11 Strategic Highway Safety PlanPeer Exchange and StateDepartment of TransportationSafety Engineer Peer Exchange(by invitation)Houston TexasRichard Pain

10–12 Advancing Regional TrafficOperations and ManagementWashington, D.C.Richard Cunard

15–17 International Conference onIntegrated Transport forSustainable Urban Development*Beijing, ChinaMartine Micozzi

2009January

11–15 TRB 88th Annual MeetingWashington, D.C.

March

24–25 Midwest Traffic MonitoringWorkshopColumbus, Ohio

April

TBD Smart Rivers 2009*Vienna, AustriaJoedy Cambridge

19–22 11th Joint Light Rail TransitConference*Los Angeles, California

22–24 National Conference onPreservation, Repair, andRehabilitation of ConcretePavements*St. Louis, MissouriStephen Maher

22–24 Teamwork in U.S. RailroadOperationsIrvine, CaliforniaRichard Pain

TRB Meetings2008

Additional information on TRB meetings, including calls for abstracts, meeting registration, and hotel reservations, is available atwww.TRB.org/calendar). To reach the TRB staff contacts, telephone 202-334-2934, fax 202-334-2003, or e-mail [email protected]. Meetingslisted without a TRB staff contact have direct links from the TRB calendar web page.

*TRB is cosponsor of the meeting.

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Joint Summer Meeting Covers Hot TopicsThe TRB Joint Summer Meeting, June 15–18 in Balti-more, Maryland, engaged more than 335 attendeeswith 36 group, section, committee, subcommittee,and task force meetings. The meeting was sponsoredby the Federal Transit Administration.

Focus areas included surface transportation fund-ing; identification and abatement of asbestos in trans-portation facilities; the global credit crisis and theimpact on transportation investment; sustainabilitypractices in transportation planning, construction,and maintenance; technology to reduce congestion;U.S.–Canadian border crossings; and integratingfreight transportation interests by scale.

The keynote luncheon address was presented byFinancial Times correspondent Sarah Murray, authorof Moveable Feasts: From Ancient Rome to the 21st Century, the Incredible Journeys of the Food We Eat. The

session combined audiences from the Joint SummerMeeting and from the 33rd Annual TRB SummerPorts, Waterways, Freight, and International TradeConference.

Globalization Is Theme of Ports and Freight ProgramThe TRB 33rd Annual Summer Ports, Waterways,Freight, and International Trade Conference, held inBaltimore, Maryland, June 18–20, provided 150transportation professionals with the opportunity tonetwork and participate in sessions, group discus-sions, and TRB standing committee meetings on avariety of topics.

Guided by the meeting theme—the impact ofglobalization on transportation—sessions focusedon such topics as integrating freight transport inter-ests by scale; expanding all-water trade routes;resolving conflicts in waterfront development; inter-national food aid transport; transport and supplychain security; global warming; waterborne passen-ger services; public–private partnerships at ports; thefuture maritime workforce; maintenance and expan-sion of the marine transportation system under theWater Resources Development Act; and marinesafety and human factors.

In addition, the conference included informativewaterside and landside tours of the Port of Baltimoreand the Inner Harbor. Select presentations and pho-tos from the conference can be found at www.trb.org/ conferences/2008/PW/O8PWFIT.pdf.

TRB Freight Systems GroupChair Paul Bingham, GlobalInsight, thanks author andjournalist Sarah Murray,keynote speaker for the TRBJoint Summer Meeting and theSummer Ports, Waterways,Freight, and International TradeConference.

OKLAHOMA PORT—Partici-pants at the TRB Marine BoardSpring Meeting tour the M/VCharley Border, a towboat inservice for more than 30 yearsand the centerpiece of a newinland waterway educationalcenter at the Tulsa Port ofCatoosa, May 2008. MarineBoard Member Robert Portiss,Executive Director, Tulsa Portof Catoosa, coordinated aninformative program thatincluded a focus session on theMcClellan-Kerr Arkansas Rivernavigation system and itsimportance to the nation. Ses-sions also included presenta-tions from ports, carriers, andusers of the system; from theMinerals Management Ser-vice; and from the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers and theU.S. Coast Guard.TR

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COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS NEWS

Despite high costs, noise barriers have been usedfor many years to mitigate highway noise when thenoise impacts can be identified and when the noiseabatement is constructible, effective, and is soughtafter by the public. Advances in pavement technol-ogy have made quiet pavement a viable alternativeto noise barriers.

Although the U.S. Code of Federal Regulationsrequires a noise analysis for projects near potentialnoise receivers, and although the code identifiesseveral noise mitigation measures, it does notinclude pavement noise abatement measures. As aresult, pavement technologies are not options forreducing noise on federal-aid highway projects.Methodologies are needed to incorporate pavementand barrier noise-abatement strategies and to com-

pare acoustic and economic features.Illingworth and Rodkin, Inc., Petaluma, Califor-

nia, has been awarded a $299,655, 24-month con-tract [National Cooperative Highway ResearchProgram (NCHRP) Project 10-76, FY 2008] todevelop methodologies for evaluating the feasibility,reasonableness, effectiveness, and longevity ofacoustic and economic features of pavement strate-gies and barriers for noise mitigation. Methodologieswill demonstrate the potential of quiet pavementtechnology as a noise abatement measure and willassist in the selection of noise-abatement technolo-gies that provide the desired acoustic characteristicsand cost savings.

For more information, contact Amir N. Hanna, TRB,202-334-1892, [email protected].

Including Pavement in Noise Mitigation

Throughout the United States, roads operated bytransportation agencies pass through lands of inter-est to or under the jurisdiction of Native Americantribes. The relationship between government agen-cies and tribes historically has been complex, andtransportation projects influence and are influencedby tribal communities.

Results-oriented strategies are needed toincrease public involvement, as well as consulta-tions between government agencies and tribal com-munities. Also needed are strategies for immediate

implementation by parties developing transporta-tion projects.

The Alliance for Transportation Research Instituteat the University of New Mexico has been awardeda $200,000, 18-month, contract (NCHRP 08-65, FY2008) to develop a guidebook to provide strategiesfor communication, cooperation, and coordinationbetween transportation agencies and tribal commu-nities to facilitate successful transportation projects.

For more information, contact Chris Hedges, TRB,202-334-1472, [email protected].

Improving Agency–Tribe Communications

Quiet pavement and noisebarriers in the Netherlands.

Participants in the TRB 33rdAnnual Summer Ports,Waterways, Freight, andInternational Trade Conferencetoured Baltimore Harbor aboardthe vessel Prince Charming,gaining views of a range of portoperations, including DundalkMarine Terminal, North and SouthLocust Point, and the SeagirtContainer facility (left to right):Barbara Nelson, RichmondMetropolitan PlanningOrganization; Burr Stewart, Portof Seattle; Scott Drumm, Port ofPortland; Ellen Johnck, BayPlanning Coalition; Mary McGuire,CTI Leveraged Finance; TomWakeman, Stevens Institute; JimKruse, Texas TransportationInstitute Center for Ports andWaterways; and Evangelos Kaiser,Florida Atlantic University.

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A Bridge Worth Saving:A Community Guide toHistoric BridgePreservationMike Mort. Michigan StateUniversity Press, 2008; 143pp.; $24.95; 978-0-87013-828-7.This step-by-step guide isa call to action for therestoration and preserva-tion of historic, metal-truss bridges. Presented in9 chapters are case studies, preservation and restora-tion guidance, a comprehensive checklist, methodsfor gaining project support and for raising funds, jobdescriptions for volunteers, and interview questionsfor potential project participants. Also included are41 photographs of historic bridges and bridge preser-vation projects in the United States, models, bridgediagrams, and an appendix of truss-bridge types.

Moveable FeastsSarah Murray. St. Martin’sPress, 2008; 256 pp.; $24.95;978-0-312-35535-7.Longtime Financial Timescontributor Sarah Murray,keynote speaker at TRB’sJoint Summer Meeting andSummer Ports, Water-ways, Freight, and Inter-national Trade Conference,examines the history offood transportation in 12 chapters with a series ofessays on such topics as the export of Norwegian

salmon to China; the Berlin Airlift; refrigerated con-tainer ships; Central American export crops; thetechnical challenges of food shipment; sustainability;the invention of the barrel; and more.

Traffic Safety andHuman BehaviorDavid Shinar. Elsevier,2008; 813 pp.; $99.95; 978-0-08045-029-2.Shinar presents a theoret-ical framework and a crit-ical evaluation of the mostrecent research findingson the roles of automobileoperators, cyclists, andpedestrians in maintain-ing traffic safety. Dividedinto six parts—Background, Methods, Models;Driver Capacities and Age Effects; Driving Style;Driver Temporary Impairments; Other Road Users;and Crash Causation and Countermeasures—thetext examines driver behavior, its relationship to traf-fic safety, and the relationships between safety anddrivers’ limited information-processing capabilities,vision and perception abilities, personalities, andages.

More than 250 tables, charts, and figures con-tribute to evaluations of driving styles and the effectsof driver distraction, fatigue, intoxication, and druguse on crash involvement. Effective crash counter-measures are provided. The author was the keynotespeaker for the Human Factors in Transportationprogram at the 2007 TRB Annual Meeting and is amember of the TRB Task Force on Highway SafetyWorkforce Development.

BOOKSHELF

TRB PUBLICATIONS

Effects of Subsurface Drainage on PavementPerformance: Analysis of the SPS-1 and SPS-2Field SectionsNCHRP Report 583The effects of subsurface drainage features on pave-ment performance are inspected and evaluated, andtest results are provided for surface drainage featuresin the Long-Term Pavement Performance SPS-1 andSPS-2 field sections.

2007; 190 pp.; TRB affiliates, $38.25; nonaffiliates,$51. Subscriber category: pavement design, manage-ment, and performance (IIB).

Full-Depth Precast Concrete Bridge Deck Panel SystemsNCHRP Report 584Examined are recommended guidelines and Ameri-can Association of State Highway and TransportationOfficials load and resistance factor design specifica-tions for the design, fabrication, and construction offull-depth, precast concrete bridge deck panel sys-tems.

2008; 110 pp.; TRB affiliates, $39; nonaffiliates,$52. Subscriber category: bridges, other structures, andhydraulics and hydrology (IIC).

The books in this section are not TRBpublications. To order,contact the publisherlisted.


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Rail Freight Solutions to Roadway Congestion—Final Report and GuidebookNCHRP Report 586This report offers guidance on evaluating the feasi-bility, cost, and benefits of investing in rail freightsolutions to alleviate heavy-truck traffic congestionon highways.

2007; 239 pp.; TRB affiliates, $41.25; nonaffiliates,$55. Subscriber categories: planning and administra-tion (IA); highway operations, capacity and traffic con-trol (IVA); rail (VII); and freight transportation (VIII).

Countermeasures to Protect Bridge Abutments from ScourNCHRP Report 587Countermeasures for scour are identified, construc-tion options are indicated, and designs associatedwith the layout and dimensions of the countermea-sures are provided. Also presented are guidelines forabutment countermeasures, including riprap, cable-tied blocks, geobags, parallel walls, spur dikes, andabutment collars.

2007; 220 pp.; TRB affiliates, $39.75; nonaffiliates,$53. Subscriber categories: design (II); materials, con-struction, and maintenance (III).

The Impact of Legislation, Enforcement, and Sanctions on Safety Belt Use NCHRP Report 601The effectiveness of mandatory approaches to safetybelt use is examined.

2008; 68 pp.; TRB affiliates, $30.75; nonaffiliates, $41.Subscriber category: safety and human performance (IVB).

State DOT Crash Reconstruction PracticesNCHRP Synthesis 369Presented are data on the extensiveness of statedepartment of transportation (DOT)-performedcrash reconstructions, the level of expertise avail-able to perform reconstructions, and the ways inwhich reconstructions are used by state DOTs toimprove highway safety.

2007; 32 pp.; TRB affiliates, $22.50; nonaffiliates,$34. Subscriber category: operations and safety (IV).

Preserving Freight and Passenger Rail Corridorsand ServiceNCHRP Synthesis 374This synthesis explores issues in the retention of rail-road rights-of-way and in the restoration of rail ser-vices.

2007; 31 pp.; TRB affiliates, $25.50; nonaffiliates,$34. Subscriber category: rail (VII).

Bridge Inspection PracticesNCHRP Synthesis 375Bridge inspection practices in the United States andselected foreign countries are examined, and dataare presented on inspection personnel, includingstaff titles and functions, qualifications, training andcertification, inspection teams, and assignments;inspection types, including focus, methods, and fre-quency; and inspection quality control and qualityassurance.

2007; 199 pp.; TRB affiliates, $39.75; nonaffiliates,$53. Subscriber categories: bridges, other structuresand hydraulics and hydrology (IIC); maintenance(IIIC).

Improving American Disabilities ActComplementary Paratransit Demand EstimationTCRP Report 119Information is provided on tools and methods forpredicting demand for complementary paratransitservice provided by public transit agencies that com-ply with the level-of-service requirements in theAmericans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

2007; 104 pp.; TRB affiliates, $33.75; nonaffiliates,$45. Subscriber categories: planning and administra-tion (IA); public transit (VI).

Racial and Gender Diversity in State DOTs andTransit Agencies: A Benchmark ScopingTCRP Report 120–NCHRP Report 585This report documents and analyzes data on racialand gender diversity to establish a baseline for stateDOTs and transit agencies. Gaps in existing data areidentified and a conceptual framework addresses thedata required to establish a benchmark.

2007; 52 pp.; TRB affiliates, $27; nonaffiliates, $36.Subscriber categories: planning and administration(IA); transportation law (IC); public transit (VI).

Toolkit for Integrating Nondedicated Vehicles in Paratransit ServiceTCRP Report 121This user’s manual describes the nondedicated vehi-cle optimization model for assisting transportationmanagers in decision making for dedicated andnondedicated paratransit service.

2007; 59 pp.; TRB affiliates, $28.50; nonaffiliates,$38. Subscriber category: public transit (VI).

Understanding How to Motivate Communities to Support and Ride Public TransportationTCRP Report 122Methods and strategies that public transportation

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TRB PUBLICATIONS (continued)


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agencies in the United States and Canada apply toenhance the agency’s public image and to stimulatethe use of public transportation are examined.


Understanding How Individuals Make Travel andLocation Decisions: Implications for PublicTransportationTCRP Report 123Individual decision making in the choice of residen-tial location and in travel behavior is explored.


Mobile Data TerminalsTCRP Synthesis 70The state-of-the-practice of mobile data terminals intransportation and the capabilities of mobile data com-puters are described. Also provided is information onwireless communications infrastructure for the deploy-ment of mobile data terminals in transit systems.


Use of Biodiesel in a Transit FleetTCRP Synthesis 72This synthesis explores the benefits of biodiesel fueland aids transit agencies in making informed deci-sions on biodiesel use.


Counting Aircraft Operations at Nontowered AirportsACRP Synthesis 4Methods and new technologies used by states, air-ports, and metropolitan planning agencies to countand estimate aircraft operations at nontowered air-ports are described and evaluated.

2007; 33 pp.; TRB affiliates, $25.50; nonaffiliates,$34. Subscriber category: aviation (V).

The Role of Safety Culture in PreventingCommercial Motor Vehicle CrashesCTBSSP Synthesis 14This synthesis assembles information on influentialpractices for developing and enhancing a safety cul-ture for commercial motor vehicle drivers.

2007; 49 pp.; TRB affiliates, $27; nonaffiliates, $36.Subscriber categories: operations and safety (IV);freight transportation (VIII).

Pavement Rehabilitation, Strength andDeformation Characteristics, and SurfaceProperties–Vehicle Interaction 2007Transportation Research Record 2005Divided into three sections—Pavement Rehabilitation,Pavement Strength and Deformation Characteristics,and Pavement Surface Properties–Vehicle Interac-tion—this volume contains research on an ultrathin,bonded wearing course for jointed concrete pavementpreservation; rubblized pavement segments in Michi-gan; seismic methods for strip detection in asphaltpavements; artificial neural network–based, backcal-culation-type flexible pavement analysis models toevaluate nonlinear pavement data sets; the effects offinite slab size and load transfer in backcalculationanalysis of jointed concrete pavements; and more.

2007; 182 pp.; TRB affiliates, $46.50; nonaffiliates,$62. Subscriber category: pavement design, manage-ment, and performance (IIB).

Transit: Intermodal and Capacity; Light Rail,Commuter Rail, and Rail Transit; and MajorActivity Center CirculationTransportation Research Record 2006Papers are organized into three sections and includesuch topics as modeling the effects of commuterrail–subway system transfers on travel behavior inBoston, Massachusetts; successes and challenges inmodernizing streetcar systems in Melbourne, Aus-tralia, and Toronto, Canada; ridership on the LosAngeles, California, green line; the development of aspecification for crash energy management featuresin commuter rail passenger equipment; and a frame-work for the application of rail simulation thatincludes calibration, validation, evaluation, andinterpretation of results.

2007; 121 pp.; TRB affiliates, $37.50; nonaffiliates,$50. Subscriber category: rail (VII).

Aviation 2007Transportation Research Record 2007Logit models for forecasting nationwide intercitytravel demand in the United States; passenger mar-ket equilibrium as a policy analysis tool for compet-ing airports in a multiple airport region; a newconsumer protection metric for passenger on-timeperformance in air travel; a multinominal logit modelfor joint choice of airline itinerary and fare product;and a decision support system for airport perfor-mance assessment and capacity management repre-sent some of the topics presented in this volume.

2007; 125 pp.; TRB affiliates, $39; nonaffiliates,$52. Subscriber category: aviation (V).

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Freight SystemsTransportation Research Record 2008This selection of papers presents information on acomprehensive, online electronic freight-theft man-agement system for the state of Florida; an evaluationand comparison of the cost-effectiveness of a com-mon type of consolidation scheme in countries out-side the United States and a peddle-run system; anestimation of origin–destination matrices of light andheavy trucks in Tokyo, Japan, using commodity-based and empty-trip models; and use of rail freightto reduce roadway congestion.

2007; 109 pp.; TRB affiliates, $37.50; nonaffiliates,$50. Subscriber category: freight transportation (VIII).

Highway Safety, School Transportation, andEmergency EvacuationTransportation Research Record 2009Research topics include the effects of driving experi-ence on eye-movement patterns of novice teendrivers; perceptions of older drivers’ driving skills inthe United Kingdom; older drivers and the decisionto limit or stop driving; the effectiveness of speed-monitoring displays and speed cameras on reducingautomobile speeds; an evaluation of the intersectionsafety camera program in Edmonton, Canada; safety-related effects of a citywide red-light violationenforcement program; the effect of seat belts on costinjuries and on other characteristics of motor vehi-cle crash victims; and more.

2007; 135 pp.; TRB affiliates, $41.25; nonaffiliates,$55. Subscriber category: safety and human perfor-mance (IVB).

Behavioral Responses to Policy and System Changes 2007Transportation Research Record 2010The influence of predictive travel time informationon road network traffic flow; causes and facets ofmultimodal transportation use; New Jersey Turnpiketime-of-day pricing impacts on driver behavior andtravel patterns; a panel survey for obtaining infor-mation on the timing and nature of responses to anew urban public transportation service; and theimpact of carpooling on trip-chaining behavior andon emission reductions are some of the topicsexplored in this volume.

2007; 132 pp.; TRB affiliates, $41.25; nonaffiliates,$55. Subscriber category: planning and administration(IA).

Environmental Issues 2007Transportation Research Record 2011This volume presents findings on the evolution ofthe environmental management system at depart-ments of transportation; alternative methods for cre-ating high-albedo concrete for pavement applications;the concentration of particle number emissions froma hybrid diesel–electric bus in real-world operatingconditions; diesel truck idling emissions on I-40 inKnoxville, Tennessee; the impact of asphalt rubberfriction course overlays on tire wear emissions and airquality in Phoenix, Arizona; and more.

2007; 209 pp.; TRB affiliates, $48; nonaffiliates,$64. Subscriber category: energy and environment (IB).

Freeway Operations and High-Occupancy Vehicle Systems 2007Transportation Research Record 2012This volume includes the 2007 D. Grant MickleAward-winning paper on the effects of displayinglicense plate and 10-digit telephone numbers inamber alert messages on changeable message signs inthe United States. Also examined are the perfor-mance of open road tolling compared to main-linetoll plazas; a freeway bottleneck simulation forassessing traffic-flow improvement scenarios; theeffects of highway ramp metering on automobilemerging operations; and the use of high-occupancyvehicle lanes by hybrid vehicles.

2007; 133 pp.; TRB affiliates, $41.25; nonaffiliates,$55. Subscriber category: highway operations, capac-ity, and traffic control (IVA).

Environmental Justice, Social and EconomicFactors, Women’s Travel, and Accessibility andMobility 2007Transportation Research Record 2013Papers cover a variety of topics, including the designof emergency response and evacuation plans toaddress the needs of populations with limited Eng-lish language proficiency; the challenges of incorpo-rating environmental justice in metropolitantransportation planning; the long-term social sus-tainability of transportation and land use strategies;the socioeconomic and demographic characteristicsthat increase the potential for extreme commuting;the role of gender in car use and distances driven inGermany; and more.

2007; 79 pp.; TRB affiliates, $35.25; nonaffiliates,$47. Subscriber category: planning and administration(IA).

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Activity and Time Use Analysis 2007Transportation Research Record 2014A 2007 Fred Burggraf Award-winning paper onmodeling household vehicle transaction behavior isincluded in this volume. Also presented are paperson defining sampling districts for household travelsurveys in the Baltimore, Maryland, metropolitanarea; an alternative method for determining choiceset generation in mixed, multimodal transportationnetworks; gender-based differences in time alloca-tion among residents of Shenzhen, China; andadjusting travel demand models to accommodatethe behavioral dynamics of the baby boom genera-tion.

2007; 101 pp.; TRB affiliates, $36.75; nonaffiliates,$49. Subscriber category: planning and administra-tion (IA).

Maintenance Operations: Work Zones, Pavement Markings, and WeatherTransportation Research Record 2015Part 1: Work Zones includes research on the devel-opment and evaluation of a speed-activated sign toreduce vehicle speeds in work zones. Part 2:Pavement Markings presents findings on the visi-bility of pavement markings at night and in wetweather conditions. Part 3: Weather contains ananalysis of the geometric, operational, and weathereffects on urban freeway crash numbers and crashseverity.

2007; 140 pp.; TRB affiliates, $41.25; nonaffiliates,$55. Subscriber category: maintenance (IIIC).

Geology and Properties of Earth Materials 2007Transportation Research Record 2016This two-part volume addresses such topics as theuse of a light falling weight deflectometer device formeasuring the in situ elastic modulus of pavementlayers and subgrades; mechanistic classification ofunbound soil materials; skid resistance on unpavedroads; locating debonding in concrete slabs withimpact echo and ultrasonic surface wave tech-niques; a new approach for estimating rock slopestability using binary logistic regression analysis;and more.

2007; 126 pp.; TRB affiliates, $41.25; nonaffiliates,$55. Subscriber category: soils, geology, and founda-tions (IIIA).

Sustainability, Energy, and Alternative Fuels 2007Transportation Research Record 2017Paper topics include procedures for overcominginstitutional, political, informational, financial, and

legislative and regulatory barriers to sustainabletransportation; the selection of indicators for com-prehensive and sustainable transportation plan-ning; measuring sustainable transportation accessi-bility; the use of Global Positioning System traveldata to assess real-world energy consumption ofplug-in hybrid electric vehicles in the St. Louis,Missouri, metropolitan area; and an examination offactors affecting greenhouse gas emissions in theUnited States.

2007; 60 pp.; TRB affiliates, $33.75; nonaffiliates,$45. Subscriber category: energy and environment(IB).

Freight Demand Modeling: Tools for Public-SectorDecision MakingTRB Conference Proceedings 40This volume summarizes a September 25–27, 2006,conference held in Washington, D.C., that focusedon freight modeling methodologies, applications ofexisting models, and related data needed to supportmodeling efforts. The proceedings also includesfive peer-reviewed papers prepared for the confer-ence, covering such topics as the characteristics ofeffective freight models, an overview of internation-al experiences, and a tour-based microsimulation ofurban commercial vehicle movements. Suggestedareas for research and a freight model use matrix areprovided.

2008; 105 pp.; TRB affiliates, $36.75; nonaffiliates,$49. Subscriber categories: planning and administra-tion (IA); freight transportation (VIII).

Interagency–Aviation Industry Collaboration on Planning for Pandemic OutbreaksConference Proceedings 41This summary of a September 5–7, 2007, workshopthat took place in Washington, D.C., explores issuesrelated to the state of the practice for pandemic plan-ning by airports and airlines, coordination amongvarious agencies and the aviation sector to imple-ment plans, and the potential areas for public- andprivate-sector cooperation in pandemic planning.Discussion topics include minimizing the spread ofdisease via air travel through screening and in-flightmeasures; and maintaining air service as a criticalinfrastructure during a pandemic event. The bookconcludes with comments on the discussion ses-sions by stakeholder representatives, an outline ofthe next steps, and an extensive list of referencematerials.

2008; 41 pp.; TRB affiliates, $30; nonaffiliates,$40. Subscriber category: aviation (V).

BOOKSHELF

To order TRB titlesdescribed in Bookshelf,visit the TRB onlineBookstore, at www.TRB.org/bookstore/, or contact the BusinessOffice at 202-334-3213.



TR News welcomes the submission of manuscripts for possiblepublication in the categories listed below. All manuscripts sub-mitted are subject to review by the Editorial Board and otherreviewers to determine suitability for TR News; authors will beadvised of acceptance of articles with or without revision. Allmanuscripts accepted for publication are subject to editing forconciseness and appropriate language and style. Authorsreceive a copy of the edited manuscript for review. Original art-work is returned only on request.

FEATURES are timely articles of interest to transportation pro-fessionals, including administrators, planners, researchers, andpractitioners in government, academia, and industry. Articlesare encouraged on innovations and state-of-the-art practicespertaining to transportation research and development in allmodes (highways and bridges, public transit, aviation, rail, andothers, such as pipelines, bicycles, pedestrians, etc.) and in allsubject areas (planning and administration, design, materialsand construction, facility maintenance, traffic control, safety,geology, law, environmental concerns, energy, etc.). Manuscriptsshould be no longer than 3,000 to 4,000 words (12 to 16 double-spaced, typed pages). Authors also should provideappropriate and professionally drawn line drawings, charts, ortables, and glossy, black-and-white, high-quality photographswith corresponding captions. Prospective authors are encour-aged to submit a summary or outline of a proposed article forpreliminary review.

RESEARCH PAYS OFF highlights research projects, studies,demonstrations, and improved methods or processes that provide innovative, cost-effective solutions to important t rans portation-related problems in all modes, whether theypertain to improved transport of people and goods or provi-sion of better facilities and equipment that permits such trans-port. Articles should describe cases in which the applicationof project findings has resulted in benefits to transportationagencies or to the public, or in which substantial benefits areexpected. Articles (approximately 750 to 1,000 words) shoulddelineate the problem, research, and benefits, and be accom-panied by one or two illustrations that may improve a reader’sunderstanding of the article.

NEWS BRIEFS are short (100- to 750-word) items of inter-est and usually are not attributed to an author. They may beeither text or photographs or a combination of both. Linedrawings, charts, or tables may be used where appropriate.Articles may be related to construction, administration, plan-ning, design, operations, maintenance, research, legal matters,or applications of special interest. Articles involving brandnames or names of manufacturers may be determined to beinappropriate; however, no endorsement by TRB is impliedwhen such information appears. Foreign news articles shoulddescribe projects or methods that have universal instead oflocal application.

POINT OF VIEW is an occasional series of authored opin-ions on current transportation issues. Articles (1,000 to2,000 words) may be submitted with appropriate, high-qual-ity illustrations, and are subject to review and editing. Read-ers are also invited to submit comments on published pointsof view.

CALENDAR covers (a) TRB-sponsored conferences, work-shops, and symposia, and (b) functions sponsored by otheragencies of interest to readers. Notices of meetings shouldbe submitted at least 4 to 6 months before the event.

BOOKSHELF announces publications in the transportationfield. Abstracts (100 to 200 words) should include title, author,publisher, address at which publication may be obtained, num-ber of pages, price, and ISBN. Publishers are invited to submitcopies of new publications for announcement.

LETTERS provide readers with the opportunity to com-ment on the information and views expressed in publishedarticles, TRB activities, or transportation matters in gen eral.All letters must be signed and contain constructive comments. Letters may be edited for style and space considerations.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: Manuscripts submittedfor possible publication in TR News and any correspondenceon editorial matters should be sent to the Director, Publica-tions Office, Transportation Research Board, 500 Fifth Street,NW, Was hington, DC 20001, telephone 202-334-2972, or e-mail [email protected].

� All manuscripts should be supplied in 12-point type,double-spaced, in Microsoft Word 6.0 or WordPerfect 6.1 orhigher versions, on a diskette or as an e-mail attachment.

� Submit original artwork if possible. Glossy, high-qual-ity black-and-white photo graphs, color photographs, andslides are acceptable. Digital continuous -tone images mustbe submitted as TIFF or JPEG files and must be at least 3 in.by 5 in. with a resolution of 300 dpi or greater. A captionshould be supplied for each graphic element.

� Use the units of measurement from the researchdescribed and provide conversions in parentheses, as appro-priate. The International System of Units (SI), the updatedversion of the metric system, is preferred. In the text, the SIunits should be followed, when appropriate, by the U.S.customary equivalent units in parentheses. In figures andtables, the base unit conversions should be provided in afootnote.

NOTE: Authors are responsible for the authenticity of theirarticles and for obtaining written permissions from pub -lishers or persons who own the copyright to any previouslypublished or copyrighted material used in the articles.

I N F O R M A T I O N F O R C O N T R I B U T O R S T O

TR NEWS

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TRANSPORTATION, ENERGY, AND CLIMATE CHANGE

TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD88TH ANNUAL MEETINGWASHINGTON, D.C.JANUARY 11–15, 2009

The twin issues of energy and climate change are among the mostsignificant public policy issues facing the transportation professiontoday and in the coming decades. To address these challenges, it iscritical to develop and share knowledge and experiences on ways tomitigate the adverse impacts of transportation on energy resourcesand the climate—and to adapt transportation to the new realities.The spotlight theme for the TRB 88th Annual Meeting will explorethese issues—and more.

Plan now to » Network with more than 10,000 transportation professionals;» Take advantage of more than 3,000 presentations in 600-plus

sessions and specialty workshops;» Explore energy and climate change issues from the perspectives

of all transportation modes, with insights from a wide range ofstakeholders and subject-matter experts;

» Examine how energy and climate change issues will affecttransportation policy making, planning, design, construction,operations, and maintenance; and

» Learn what federal, state, regional, and local transportationagencies are doing—and can do—to address these issues.

For more information, go to www.TRB.org/Meeting

Register

before

November 30,

2008, to take

advantage of

lower fees!

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