PSR Congress 2021

Monday, April 12, 2021, 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM PDT
Tuesday, April 13, 2021, 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM PDT

Event Description

The Pacific Southwest Region 9 (PSR) University Transportation Center’s Annual Congress gathers transportation stakeholders from throughout the region to share new research results, best practices, and education and training tools produced by PSR. It also serves as a major networking event to build a regional transportation community. Each year the Congress is hosted by one of the consortium schools, in partnership with consortium universities and government and industry partners. This year, PSR Congress 2021 was hosted by the University of California, Davis, Institute of Transportation Studies (virtually).

Day 1, April 12^th, was open to the public and featured four panel sessions highlighting research and workforce development activities from the PSR campuses and moderated by PSR Advisory Council members. The panels were focused around the four PSR center themes: 1) Technology to address transportation problems and improve mobility; 2) improving mobility for vulnerable populations; 3) improving resilience and protecting the environment; and 4) managing mobility in high growth areas. Day 1 closed with an opportunity to network with other Congress attendees in the Remo conference platform.

Day 2, April 13^th, was open to PSR Advisory Council members as well as undergraduate, graduate, and PhD candidates from the PSR campuses for a student-focused breakout session. Following a brief welcome, while the Advisory Council convened for the annual meeting, the students participated in small group discussions for an opportunity to meet students from other PSR campuses, learn about one another’s research and interests, and explore potential cross-campus collaborations. The second half of the session featured a panel of alumni from the PSR institutes who shared their various career pathways in transportation. Day 2 closed with a networking opportunity for PSR Advisory Council members and students in attendance.

View the Event Program

Agenda

View full details and speaker bios in the event program.

All times listed in Pacific Time.

April 12, 2021 (Open to the public)
12:30 PM	Interactive Networking with Remo Platform
1:00 pm	Welcome and Opening Remarks
1:15 pm	UC Davis Land Acknowledgement
1:20 pm	Keynote Speaker: Robert Hampshire, Acting Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, U.S. Department of Transportation
1:40 pm	Panel Sessions I & II
	Panel I: Technology to address transportation problems and improve mobility This theme explores technology solutions for improving mobility for both passengers and freight and has three topic areas: technology and mobility; smart infrastructure and vehicles; and public policy and implementation. View the Panel I presentations PDF. Yiqiao Li, Ph.D. Candidate, University of California, Irvine Sue Dexter, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Southern California David Lemcke, Undergraduate Research Assistant, Northern Arizona University Moderator: Jeanie Ward-Waller, Deputy Director, Planning and Modal Programs, California Department of Transportation; PSR Advisory Council Member
	Panel II: Managing mobility in high growth areas This theme addresses the transportation problems of regions and metro areas experiencing rapid population and employment growth are expecting to continue to grow. This theme has two areas: managing passenger demand and managing freight demand and its impacts. View the Panel II presentations PDF. Dr. Fraser Shilling, Director, Road Ecology Center, University of California, Davis Dr. Andrii Parkhomenko, Assistant Professor, University of Southern California Ali Ghafelebashi, Research Assistant, University of Southern California Moderator: Sondra Rosenberg, Assistant Director of Planning , Nevada Department of Transportation; PSR Advisory Council Member
2:30 pm	Networking Break
2:45 pm	PSR Student Award Presentations Read about the 2020 PSR Students of the Year. Watch the awards video.
2:55 pm	Panel Sessions III & IV
	Panel III: Improving mobility for vulnerable populations This theme addresses mobility and accessibility problems of disadvantaged populations and has two topic areas: novel modes for improved mobility and accessibility; and land use, accessibility, mobility. View the Panel III presentations PDF. Dr. Sarah Rebolloso McCullough, Associate Director, Feminist Research Institute, University of California, Davis C. Sequoia Erasmus, Graduate Student Researcher, University of California, Davis Madeline Brozen, Deputy Director, UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies Dr. Andrew Schouten, Assistant Professor, Ritsumeikan University Moderator: Stephanie Ramirez, Associate State Director of Community, AARP California; PSR Advisory Council Member
	Panel IV: Improving resilience and protecting the environment Resilience, or the ability to absorb shocks, recover quickly, and adapt to changing social, economic, and environmental conditions is essential to ensuring well-functioning and sustainable communities. Sustainability also requires reducing environmental problems. This theme addresses all aspects of environmental protection and has three topic areas: analyzing alternative resilience strategies; smart technologies; and reducing environmental impacts. View the Panel IV presentations PDF. Dr. Qi Chen, Professor, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Dr. Wendy Meguro, Assistant Professor, University of Hawaii Dr. Dan Wei, Research Associate Professor, University of Southern California Dr. Adam Rose, Research Professor, University of Southern California Moderator: Lauren Armstrong, Executive Director, Maui Metropolitan Planning Organization; PSR Advisory Council Member
3:45 pm	Closing Remarks & Networking
4:30 pm	Adjourn
April 13, 2021 (Closed session for PSR Advisory Council members and PSR students)
12:30 pm	Interactive Networking with Remo Platform
1:00 pm	Welcome and Tribute to Dr. Martin Wachs, Distinguished Professor Emeritus and founder of the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies
1:05 pm	PSR Advisory Council Meeting
	PSR Student Roundtables and Career Pathway Panel
2:50 pm	Reconvene for Closing Remarks & Networking
3:30 pm	Adjourn

About the PSR UTC

The Pacific Southwest Region 9 (PSR) University Transportation Center conducts an integrated, multidisciplinary program of research, education and technology transfer aimed at improving the mobility of people and goods throughout the region. The PSR program is organized around four themes: 1) technology to address transportation problems and improve mobility; 2) improving mobility for vulnerable populations; 3) Improving resilience and protecting the environment; and 4) managing mobility in high growth areas.

Region 9 includes four diverse states as well as the Pacific Island territories. The region is home to eight metropolitan areas in excess of one million in population (including the nation’s second largest), four of the seven most visited U.S. cities on the globe, four of the nation’s 10 busiest airports, the nation’s largest port complex, and the largest high-tech region on the planet. At the same time the region is home to vast, sparsely settled desert regions, and some of the most remote pacific islands. The region has the nation’s highest proportion of non-native born populations, large concentrations of native American and native island populations, and concentrations of extreme poverty and disadvantage.

The PSR UTC supports research that addresses the unique combination of problems in the region, serves as a clearinghouse for curriculum to improve transportation education programs, addresses workforce development through targeted training, community college partnerships and professional development, and conducts a comprehensive, multimedia dissemination program. The PSR UTC is structured to have a truly regional focus and is intended to build a strong university-government-industry partnership. The consortium of universities and community colleges, together with partnerships with state Departments of Transportation and Metropolitan Planning Organizations, forms a region-wide network to guide the development and implementation of the center’s research, education, and technology transfer programs.