By Alicia Nguyen

After graduating from the UC Davis, Zhen (Sean) Qian (Ph.D., Civil Engineering, 2011) is today pursuing his passion: teaching, conducting research and studying transportation data as an Assistant Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU).

Qian has a long history of research that dates back to his time with ITS-Davis, during which he was active at the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS-Davis) and studied civil engineering under faculty adviser and resident UC Davis professor Michael Zhang. While at Davis, Qian started a research project that has since expanded into an ongoing project on dynamic parking systems. Following graduation, Qian pursued a master’s degree at Stanford University while working as a post-doctoral researcher in Stanford’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Professor Qian working with a student at Carnegie Mellon University.

“I went to Stanford and got my master’s degree in statistics because that was something I really wanted to pursue as part of my career, in terms of research,” Qian said. “A lot of the work I did at Stanford those two years consisted of some joint work with Stanford and UC Davis on transportation systems.”

Qian currently leads CMU’s Mobility Data Analytics Center, which conducts several projects that study transportation data gathered through several different agencies, such as city public works, state departments of transportation, and the Pennsylvania turnpike in order to create a platform that integrates this information for research. Qian is particularly interested in the way this data relates to how human society interacts with transportation systems.

“My primary research interest is in mobility data analytics and the two words I’m going to use to explain this are networks and data,” Qian said. “In the recent 5-10 years, there has been a lot more access to data. Part of my research is gathering data from different parts of transportation so we can look at data in a very holistic way and take a look at mobility transportation. In networks, I’m more interested in how the policy or pricing or infrastructure change is going to bring change to the entire network. For example, let’s say you’re decreasing the transit fare—how would that type of infrastructure or pricing or policy have a network impact on passenger flow or transportation flow in terms of spatial and temporal dimensions?”

Despite his primary background in civil engineering, Qian emphasizes that he is able to fully pursue his passions in transportation research due to his exposure to a wide breadth of disciplines. Qian explains that this access to an interdisciplinary researching skill set is what makes ITS-Davis a great research institution.

“When you try to learn about transportation you really get to learn a lot about the engineering, supply, and demand, but you also really have to have your hands on several disciplines to have a real understanding of transportation,” Qian said. “I not only experienced the engineering side, I also got a lot of experience with the data mining, sensing, economics theory, policy of transportation and that all together makes me unique and well-prepared to do research.”

Qian advises students to take advantage of ITS-Davis’ interdisciplinary nature and broaden their views of transportation. He emphasizes the importance of trying something new in graduate studies and talking to various students, faculty and researchers at ITS-Davis. An international student from Tsinghua, Beijing himself, Qian especially extends this advice to other international students, encouraging them to open their eyes and explore in order to better learn about themselves.

Qian credits UC Davis with giving him the tools he needed to succeed, reminiscing not only about ITS-Davis and its prestige in the field of transportation, but also about the university’s nice weather and the college-town environment, which he fondly misses.

As to future prospects, Qian hopes to continue on the academic track, explaining the flexibility in research and projects that a faculty job provides. He plans on pursuing his passion in data and infrastructure systems for a long while.

“I’m going to keep going on this faculty track and it’s quite a mission. My goals are to educate the next generation and conduct cutting edge research on transportation planning and operations. In the future—in the next 5, 10, or 20 years, I hope to be more influential in this area with more theories and research to improve the quality of life. That’s my ultimate goal.”

The #AggiesAtWork series is done in partnership with the UC Davis Cal Aggie Alumni Association.

View other AggiesAtWork stories:

• For MTC’s David Ory, People & Community are Key to Transportation Planning
• Nevada Department of Transportation’s Sondra Rosenberg: Shaping Policies in the Public Sphere
• Ben Sharpe’s UC Davis Doctoral Degree Leads to Research Career in International Transportation
• UC Davis Transportation Alums: Changing California, Changing the World

Renewed Funding for UC Davis-led National Center for Sustainable Transportation

By Stephen Kulieke on December 5, 2016

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced its selection of the National Center for Sustainable Transportation, led by the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies, to receive a five-year grant totaling approximately $14 million ($2.8 million in the initial year) to advance a more sustainable transportation system.

The NCST is one of only five national transportation centers awarded under the University Transportation Centers program reauthorized by the federal Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act. It is the only national transportation center focused on environmental preservation and the only one in California.

The award solidifies UC Davis’ prominence as the nation’s leading university on sustainable transportation, where researchers develop scientific solutions for today’s most daunting transportation problems.

Other members of the NCST consortium include University of California-Riverside, University of Southern California, California State University-Long Beach, Georgia Institute of Technology, and University of Vermont.

“I applaud the U.S. Department of Transportation for its investment in reducing the effects of the transportation system on our natural resources, including energy, climate, air, water, and land,” said UC Davis Professor Susan Handy, director of the NCST. “Despite considerable progress, transportation’s impacts remain substantial and fall disproportionately on society’s most vulnerable. Our challenge is to reduce impacts while meeting the mobility needs of our nation, fostering healthy communities and supporting economic growth.”

Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee who represents the UC Davis community, supported the effort.

“Transportation comprises over a quarter of our nation’s greenhouse gas emissions,” Garamendi said. “Climate change is real, and sustainability must be a major consideration in how we rebuild our infrastructure. I’m thrilled that the National Center for Sustainable Transportation can continue its work in this area. I was glad to do my part to support their important mission. In Washington today, five years of dedicated funding is a precious commodity.”

Since its founding in 2012, the NCST has mobilized innovative and accomplished research teams, published studies and policy briefs on an array of 21st century transportation issues, and partnered with influential leaders and stakeholder groups to provide national leadership for advancing an environmentally sustainable transportation system.

With this new grant, the NCST plans to build upon early successes, strengthen existing programs, and add important new initiatives, including research in the critical areas of sustainable freight, new mobility and environmental review.

“We are proud and pleased to gain recognition as the premier university center on sustainable transportation,” said UC Davis Professor Dan Sperling, director of ITS-Davis. “We look forward to intensifying our efforts at addressing the growing environmental challenges facing the transportation sector.”

The approach of the National Center for Sustainable Transportation is to:

• Mobilize a network of leading universities to generate new knowledge and tools that address environmental sustainability in transportation;
• Design and evaluate real-world strategies that contribute to the mitigation of the environmental impacts of transportation and enhance system resiliency; and
• Deliver knowledge and tools through an innovative engagement program with the U.S. DOT, state DOTs, metropolitan planning organizations, local governments, and other public- and private-sector stakeholders to support implementation of these real-world strategies.

The NCST also draws on its research in providing education and workforce development programs designed to meet the world’s growing needs for qualified transportation professionals.

Click here for the UCD News article.

Mobility Quest Annually Takes UC Davis
Transportation Grad Students on a Multi-Modal Adventure

By Alicia Nguyen
Transportation Technology and Policy grad students and MobQuesters Sarah Strand and Jamey Volker also contributed to this article.

Each year, just before fall quarter begins, incoming ITS-Davis students embark on the annual road trip, Mobility Quest (MobQuest), led by some of their seasoned peers. They took a six-day, multi-modal adventure—travelling by van, streetcar, bus-rapid transit, bike share, and on foot—from Davis to Portland, Oregon, and back. MobQuest has always been an important way for incoming students to get a sense of ITS-Davis’ interdisciplinary style of integrating all fields of transportation. Since its inception, this ITS-Davis tradition has become a critical opportunity for new ITS students to connect with their peers and dive into real-life transportation policy, and experience first-hand the West Coast’s expansive transportation network.

To kick things off, students were introduced to the transportation planning and policy sphere of California through a meeting on campus with a panel of local, regional and statewide transportation policy experts and leaders—including Janet Dawson (Chief Consultant, California State Assembly Transportation Committee), Chris Ganson (Senior Planner, Governor’s Office of Planning and Research), Kacey Lizon (Planning Manager, Sacramento Area Council of Governments) and Chris Dougherty (Transportation Program Specialist, City of West Sacramento). Students also met Professor John Harvey, Chair of the Transportation Technology and Policy graduate group, who introduced the event. The meeting provided a robust overview of the key California policies and projects to keep an eye on. They include federal and state funding streams, shifting policies to better accommodate non-vehicular modes, planning for automated vehicles, understanding the recently adopted Metropolitan Transportation Plan, and getting a sneak-peek at anticipated streetcar and bridge construction in the coming years. The kick-off event showcased the extensive network of transportation professionals that ITS-Davis has cultivated over its 25 year history.

Shortly after, they hit the road. MobQuesters made their first stop in Eugene, Oregon, where they learned about local planning efforts from city staff, rode the nationally acclaimed Emerald Express bus rapid transit system, and enjoyed a comprehensive bike tour led by the University of Oregon-based active transportation student advocacy group, LiveMove.

As they made their way from Eugene to Portland, MobQuesters pit-stopped at Seneca Sustainable Energy to learn about how a local sawmill produces and sells energy by harnessing woody-mass by-products as biofuel.

Once in Portland, the ITS-Davis students visited Daimler Trucks North America, where they received a presentation from the director of the Concept Vehicles Group on the Freightliner SuperTruck Challenge—the original 50% freight-efficiency goal, achieving an overall 115% freight-efficiency. Students also watched CEO, Martin Daum bury a time capsule at the site of the company’s new Portland facility, including License Plate 001, for the first licensed automated truck in the United States. (And yes, Daimler showed pictures of the Transformers truck.)

Following a tour of the Port of Portland, MobQuesters embarked on an epic multi-modal, educational scavenger hunt. Teams hunted through parks, redevelopment projects, transit-oriented developments, Union Station, and the Pioneer Courthouse Square by foot, took Portland’s newly minted BIKETOWN bike share for a spin, and rode the Portland Streetcar. Along the way, they stopped at famous Portland landmarks such as Voodoo Donut and Powell’s City of Books, where the ITS-Davis students had no trouble finding Director Dan Sperling’s magnum opus—2009’s acclaimed book, “Two Billion Cars: Driving Toward Sustainability.” In addition to their multimodal transportation tour of the city, the scavenger hunt provided a fun-filled team-building and bonding experience for students. The adventure came to a close over a well-earned dinner at the BridgePort Brewery.

Following Portland, final MobQuest stops included a tour of the Old Mill District, a mixed-use development of Bend, Ore, and Crater Lake National Park, where students marveled at sweeping views of the deepest caldera lake in the nation. Mobility Quest 2016 was brought to a ceremonious close with a sustainability tour and dinner at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co in Chico, California. The brewery boasts innovative closed loop approaches to the production of beer, food, and energy, ranging from methane recapture, solar power, carbon dioxide recycling, onsite water treatment, composting, local sourcing, and organic gardening. The Sierra Nevada tour helped expand the reach of transportation curriculum to consider resources systems on a broader scale, considering the transport of goods but also the use of various resources along the way. To celebrate the end of a successful trip, MobQuesters raised their glasses to the lasting friendship built among the newest ITS family members.

Mobility Quest provides incoming students with an unforgettable transportation experience and serves as a catalyst for friendships and professional connections that serve students well into the future—for some, a lifetime. Its tours, presentations, and site visits, offer students fresh inspiration to pursue innovative research, refine their course plans through mentorship with continuing students, and make critical connections to assist them in navigating their graduate school journey in the coming years. Mobility Quest illustrates the interdisciplinary nature of ITS-Davis, bringing together engineers, planners, policy makers, and other skilled learners from broad and varied backgrounds to innovate sustainable solutions for the next century of transportation.

With the 2016-17 academic year now well under way, we look forward to watching how ITS-Davis students, new and returning, will continue to lead ITS-Davis into the future.

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The ITS-Davis interdisciplinary education program is training a new, dynamic generation of leaders, dedicated to the future of low-carbon transportation. Nearly 300 of our Ph.D. and master’s graduates—mainly from the Transportation Technology and Policy (TTP) Graduate Group and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, but also Economics, Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering and others as well—hold diverse and influential positions around the world, in the public and private sector.

Perhaps nowhere are our graduates making their mark more than right here in California, working at state agencies that are fostering global-leading policies on sustainable transportation, renewable energy, and emission reduction. Two such alums profiled here — Ryan McCarthy and Rachel Carpenter — provide a closer look at the impact they’re having, locally and globally.

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Air Resources Board’s Ryan McCarthy: Helping California
Set a Global Standard in Environmental and Climate Policy

By Alicia Nguyen

As California continues to set the standard in environmental and climate policy worldwide, UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS-Davis) alumnus Ryan McCarthy, Ph.D. (Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2009) plays a major role in representing the state’s vision on a statewide and international scale.

McCarthy has taken an active role in state transportation and environmental policy and politics since his first position as a state legislative fellow in 2009. McCarthy currently works at the California Air Resources Board (ARB) as the Science and Technology Policy Advisor to the Chair. His current project is devising and implementing a strategy to cut short-lived climate pollutants, also known as super pollutants, such as black carbon (soot), methane, and fluorinated gases such as refrigerants.

“For the last two or three years, I’ve focused on the vision that the state has laid out for greenhouse gases through 2030 and the goals Governor Brown has established, so it’s been great to see that come to light,” McCarthy said. “We’re promoting the future vision, especially in California, where we continue to be on the leading edge by talking about significant amounts of renewable energy and getting off of petroleum as the next big hurdle.”

In September 2015, McCarthy participated in a meeting hosted by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) in Paris, a program sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme. McCarthy’s efforts, along with those of several other California government officials, are playing a huge part in driving California and the rest of the world forward.

“What I was able to present at that meeting was the culmination of a couple years of work here in California that I’ve been really involved in,” McCarthy said. “California has been a great example in setting goals and in its accomplishments, and now the world looks to us for ways to lower emissions while promoting the economy.”

As California works to confront climate change, ITS-Davis research continues to contribute to the state’s policy-making process, McCarthy notes. He praises the Institute’s work on policies such as the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, its research on transportation and fuel technologies and land use, and its diverse Sustainable Transportation Energy Pathways (STEPS) program. And he gives a nod to the new ITS-Davis freight initiative, which is attempting to tackle one of the last big air quality trouble spots, the complex world of heavy-duty transportation.

“What ITS is doing is a great example of how you can bring people on the transportation side and technology side to work with people who are on the planning side – and I think ITS gets these cross-This approach, he said, helps “all these pieces just fit together.”

McCarthy attributes ITS-Davis’ success to its persistence in tackling relevant, cutting-edge issues even as needs change.

When McCarthy was applying to graduate school, he was attracted to Davis’ unique program, even though he initially wasn’t sure what he wanted to do after graduation.

“I think it was a combination of gut instinct, luck, and whatever else you want to call fate or divine intervention. I had always been interested in energy and environmental issues, but I wasn’t particularly interested in transportation at the time,” McCarthy said.

The ITS-Davis program, with its nexus in renewable energy and transportation, was compelling, he says.

“I did what I thought was right and interesting and it turned out well. I got a lot of good guidance from my advisors on finding practical issues to tackle and working on them in practical ways.”

McCarthy says he found the experience he gained from ITS-Davis and STEPS invaluable. He also praises the exposure that Davis gives its students in terms of connections, not only to the academic world, but also to business and government spheres.

“It’s the combination of analytical training, relevant issues, and exposure to researchers, policymakers, and business that contribute to ITS. I think there’s the open-mindedness with the people there, too, and the access to issues and looking at them in a way that’s new to you. There’s no better place to explore new technology and policy than ITS-Davis and it’s a good opportunity to create something you want to create,” McCarthy said.

“You can change the world with what you’re doing at ITS. That may sound kind of hokey, but what they come up with may be the next new policy idea.”

Like many students who come and go through town, McCarthy has left and returned — and he now calls Davis home with his family. Away from the office, his two children, Renan and Riona, keep his wife Erica and him busy, but he adds that they also offer him a lot of perspective in his work.

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ITS-Davis Alumna Rachel Carpenter finds the “Perfect Fit”:
Chief of Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety at Caltrans

By Alician Nguyen

Although new to her position as the Chief of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Branch, UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS-Davis) alumna Rachel Carpenter (M.S., Civil Engineering, 2009), already plays an important role in ensuring traffic safety in the state.

In March, Carpenter took the reins of a position, located in Sacramento, that hadn’t been permanently staffed in over a year. Her background prepared her well for her new role. Most recently, she worked in Caltrans’ Oakland office, where she assisted local and regional agencies in Napa and Marin counties to secure state and federal funding. She gained a thorough understanding of the funding programs available for transportation improvements to increase safety, mobility and access for all modes of travel. Before joining Caltrans, Carpenter was with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. While part of their Livable Streets subdivision, she was the project manager and design engineer for multiple bicycle, pedestrian, traffic calming, and school area safety projects.

“I was lucky that I had the opportunity to work in the Bay Area, at both the local and state level, on the design and funding of active transportation projects,” Carpenter said. “But I knew that eventually I’d like to return to my hometown. When this position with Traffic Operations was advertised, it seemed like the perfect fit.” She’s excited to be working in Sacramento’s downtown and enjoying commuting by bike through the revitalized midtown area.

Her highest priority is to implement separate pedestrian and bicycle safety improvement programs for the State Highway System. Since March, she’s provided presentations regarding pedestrian and bicycle safety to Caltrans Headquarters staff, and provided technical advice in response to District questions regarding pedestrian and bicycle safety and operational issues.

“Recently, I developed a training module about pedestrian traffic control devices such as roadway signs, marking, and traffic signals such as pedestrian hybrid beacons. We’ll be providing this training to our district staff. It will be useful as part of their regular traffic investigations, and also for the future pedestrian safety improvement program,” Carpenter said.

“I’m working with SafeTREC researchers—ITS-Berkeley affiliated staff—to finalize the pedestrian safety improvement program. Up next is the development of a bicycle safety improvement program” she said, acknowledging that she’s an avid bicyclist herself.

Carpenter said she has always been interested in transportation and traffic, particularly sustainable mobility. She was influenced by her upbringing in one of Sacramento’s most livable neighborhoods and also by one particularly passionate professor—Eugene Jud—during her undergraduate years at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (CalPoly).

“Civil engineering opens the door to many different aspects of the built environment, for example structures, water resources, transportation, etc.,” Carpenter said. “I concentrated my upper division coursework in transportation and traffic and I was lucky enough to be offered a spot in the ITS-Davis’ program for graduate studies.”

Through ITS-Davis, Carpenter was able to participate in research commissioned by the CalEPA through an Executive Order that assessed the traffic impact of the Fix I-5 “Boat Section” reconstruction project along the Central Sacramento riverfront and synthesized lessons learned on traffic management and travel behavior. She was awarded the 2009 ITS-Davis Outstanding Thesis Award for her portion of this study, which analyzed the impact of the Fix I-5 project closures on bus transit ridership. She found her research with ITS-Davis integral to recognizing the importance of a multi-modal transportation system.

“Through my coursework, and through research in UC Davis Professor Michael Zhang’s lab, I gained a good understanding of transportation systems operations, traffic flow theory, and traffic control. My master’s degree program provided the foundation for the work I do now,” Carpenter said.

“ITS-Davis is a leading research center on sustainable transportation. Faculty work in various disciplines and their research conclusions inform policy decisions. I am thankful for the opportunity to have been part of ITS-Davis.”

Carpenter looks back on her time at Davis fondly, citing the Institute’s wide reach in transportation and helpful faculty as high points of her experience. ITS-Davis offered opportunities to publish and present her work, and to work with government contacts that she may not have otherwise had.

She also enjoyed and learned from Davis’ bike-friendly and walkable transportation system. Now, she’s motivated to make her mark on pedestrian and bicycle safety in California.

The #AggiesAtWork series is done in partnership with the UC Davis Cal Aggie Alumni Association.

View other AggiesAtWork stories:

• For MTC’s David Ory, People & Community are Key to Transportation Planning
• Nevada Department of Transportation’s Sondra Rosenberg: Shaping Policies in the Public Sphere
• Ben Sharpe’s UC Davis Doctoral Degree Leads to Research Career in International Transportation

Hats off—literally—-to the UC Davis masters and doctoral transportation graduates!

The enthusiasm and sense of pride following the June 9 commencement ceremony couldn’t be contained, with faculty members Dan Sperling, Susan Handy, John Harvey and Joan Ogden on hand to honor and congratulate the new graduates.

From the Transportation Technology and Policy graduate program, the 2016 class includes: Jeff Kessler, Ph.D., Kalaivani Ramea Kubendran, Ph.D., Julie Schiffman, M.S., Sydney Vergis, Ph.D., and Hang Zhou, M.S.

The Civil and Environmental Engineering transportation 2016 graduates are Yuan He, Ph.D., Erik Maroney, M.S., Jose Fabian Paniagua Fernandez, M.S., Julio Cesar Paniagua Fernandez, M.S., and David Phong, M.S.

Each graduate had a unique story to tell about the journey they took to their degree.

Jeff Kessler remarked that he was an “empty book” when he arrived at UC Davis, with fairly limited knowledge about transportation and environmental issues. He credited ITS-Davis Director Dan Sperling for being a great mentor and teacher.

Julie Schiffman related how she did the program “very differently than most everybody else”— married and with a husband and two daughters, aged six and eight. “There were a lot of things to balance,” she said. Every night, she got her daughters to bed at the same time, “regardless of whether there was a test the next day.”

Loved ones, family and friends who were on hand made the ceremony truly special for the graduates.

Twin brothers Jose and Julio Paniagua Fernandez paid special tribute to a family member who wasn’t there, their Dad, who passed away earlier this year. “To complete our goals, we had to overcome a lot to be here today,” said Julio. The brothers will now pursue their Ph.D. degrees in transportation here at UC Davis.

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By Alicia Nguyen

As the Assistant Director for Planning for the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT), Sondra Rosenberg, M.S., Transportation Technology and Policy (TTP), 2005, is making a difference and playing a significant role in the public sphere.

Rosenberg has been managing and actively participating in transportation and research projects with NDOT since 2008. She coordinated the multi-state Interstate-15 mobility alliance, and played a major role in the development of Interstate 11. With her promotion to the Assistant Director position in September 2014, Rosenberg supervises several departmental divisions, including Multimodal Planning and Program Development, Transportation Data, Traffic Safety and Performance Analysis. She is also in charge of coordinating project funding, grant opportunities and represents NDOT on national committees and conferences.

“One of the big things that I participated in this week was the MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) certification review. Every four years, the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration review MPOs to ensure they are meeting federal requirements and guidelines. I was there to represent NDOT as a major partner agency,” Rosenberg said. “It’s rewarding to me because the last time they had a review, they found some things that needed fixing. This time they had a few suggestions, but they found no problems, basically saying ‘MPO and NDOT, you’re doing a great job.’”

Prior to landing at her current public agency, Rosenberg explored a lot of alternative career options. After finishing her degree in physics, Rosenberg decided that she preferred work that had a more direct connection to people’s lives. She intended to study energy policy when she enrolled at the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS-Davis) but soon discovered her passion in transportation policy.

“I thought I could start [at ITS-Davis] and then go to Berkeley’s Energy and Resources Group, but once I got to Davis and learned how transportation affected my life, it got more and more exciting to me. There’s that relatability to what I do and how it affects people’s lives, and the more I learned, the more I got interested in transportation, shaping policies, and having conversations about how it affects our daily lives.”

ITS-Davis’ unique transportation research program puts dual focus on policy and engineering, which Rosenberg found a bit challenging to explain when she first started applying to jobs after finishing her degree.

 

“It’s hard to translate, but the benefit is that the combination of exposure to engineering as well as planning and policy aspects is very useful and a lot of government agencies understand that,” Rosenberg said. “Davis really prepared me for the policy and funding part. That connection to the state government is strong at UC Davis and I think you just don’t get that anywhere else.”

After receiving her master’s degree, Rosenberg worked from 2004 to 2008 at Fehr and Peers, a firm that provides transportation and planning services to public and private sector clients. She then served as a National Parks Transportation scholar, before joining NDOT.

Rosenberg still keeps in contact with peers and faculty from ITS-Davis, and finds herself constantly bumping into colleagues at meetings in Washington D.C. or at conferences all over the country. In addition, Rosenberg has recently reached out to ITS-faculty members Dan Sperling and Susan Handy to recruit students into vacant positions at NDOT. ITS-Davis students are a great fit, she adds.

Rosenberg’s experience at ITS-Davis, coupled with her competence and determination, enabled her to be promoted to her current position at NDOT much sooner than she had expected.

“There are very few places in the country that offer the program that UC Davis does and it’s so important for what we do in transportation, so I feel very fortunate that I went there and landed a job in transportation and was able to use the skills I learned.”

Photos courtesy of Nevada Department of Transportation

The #AggiesAtWork series is done in partnership with the UC Davis Cal Aggie Alumni Association.
View other AggiesAtWork stories:

• UC Davis Transportation Alums: Changing California, Changing the World
  
• For MTC’s David Ory, People & Community are Key to Transportation Planning
• Ben Sharpe’s UC Davis Doctoral Degree Leads to Research Career in International Transportation

By Alicia Nguyen

Several Transportation and Technology Policy (TTP) graduate students have been recognized for their accomplishments during this 2015-2016 academic year with fellowships and scholarships that help to sponsor their studies and research. The TTP program is hosted by the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies.

Calvin Thigpen and Dillon Fitch-Polse, both TTP Ph.D. candidates, are among the recipients of the prestigious Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowships—among150-200 Eisenhower Fellowships typically awarded nationally. Thigpen and Fitch-Polse were each awarded $5,000 fellowships.

Thigpen’s dissertation research examines how young people are affected by “mobility capital,” which is determined by their own travel experiences. In addition to his Eisenhower Fellowship, Thigpen was awarded the Jarena Wright Fellowship, a nine-month fellowship awarded to continuing graduate students from Santa Rosa, Calif.

Fitch-Polse is studying how road environments influence travel behavior for bicyclists. He also is considering ways this research could be used to create a sustainable transportation plan. Both Thigpen and Fitch-Polse presented their current findings at the Transportation Research Board’s 95th Annual Meeting in Washington D.C., in January.

Gouri Mishra, also a TTP Ph.D. candidate, was awarded the UC Davis Graduate Research Mentorship Fellowship for the 2015-2016 academic year. The fellowship promotes diversity within the field of transportation studies and is only awarded to six students per year. Mishra’s dissertation research involves the effects of mobility options, such as ridesharing, on travel behavior. Mishra was also awarded the Ernest E. Hill Fellowship in 2015, which supports students’ research to address the impacts of global warming.

During the fall quarter of 2015, Jeff Kessler, who recently completed his TTP Ph.D. degree, received the UC Davis Malcolm Stacey Fellowship, which is awarded annually to one or two Jewish students who are pursuing a career in engineering. Kessler’s research focuses on developmental approaches to technological innovation that can be used to help policy makers determine where resources can be dedicated to promote innovation more efficiently.

At the WTS Sacramento “Advancing Women in Transportation” annual awards and scholarship dinner in January, TTP graduate students Sarah Strand and Julie Schiffman, and UC Davis seniors Jordon Costello and Kelly Andrews, were awarded scholarships for their achievements in transportation studies. Strand and Schiffman, both M.S. students, were awarded prestigious Helene M. Overly Memorial Graduate Scholarships.

Strand is building her background in city planning while conducting research on land-use, transportation, and climate policies.

“I’m honored to be the 2015 recipient of the WTS graduate scholarship in memory of Helene M. Overly, who dedicated 15 years of public service,” said Strand. “Upon graduation, I hope to work on planning and policy at a public agency helping to prepare California for the impacts of climate change.”

Schiffman is researching equity implications as they relate to zero emission vehicle rebates.

“I’m proud and honored to receive recognition from a professional group of women within the transportation industry,” said Schiffman. “I hope to continue working on such important topics and use the skills I learned at ITS in a professional career after graduation this spring.”

UC Davis seniors Jordon Costello and Kelly Andrews were also recognized for their efforts in transportation studies at the event. Costello, who majors in environmental policy and planning, received the Sharon D. Banks Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship, which awards female students planning to pursue a transportation-related field. Andrews, a civil engineering major, won the Bimla G. Rhinehart Leadership Scholarship, which recognizes undergraduate women in transportation studies who demonstrate leadership skills.

By Alicia Nguyen

As a principal planner and head of the Analytical Services team at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), David Ory—Ph. D. in Civil Engineering, UC Davis, 2007—finds the human behavior aspect of transportation particularly rewarding.

MTC is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. Its primary responsibilities include distributing federal and state transportation funds, such as for highways and public transportation, and coordinating and leading long-term transportation planning for the region. Ory, who has been working with MTC since 2009, leads a team of eleven data scientists and urban planners.

“The big project we’re working on right now is an update to our regional transportation plan. Every four years, one of the requirements of the MPO is to make an outline for the investment plan for the region. In California, the long-range plan is also the ‘sustainable communities strategy’, which is a coordinated transportation and land use plan that strives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Ory said. “We also do a big project assessment effort as part of the plan in which we rank each project presented to us in terms of cost-benefit and whether or not it’s consistent with the plan’s adopted goals.”

Ory is particularly invested in the way his work interacts with people and the community. “When you get into engineering, you do a lot of modeling of physical systems,” Ory said. “If you have a building you have to think about ‘how can I make this building not collapse.’ In transportation planning and travel behavior, you get to use a lot of math and statistics, but instead of working with buildings, you work with people. So I really like the aspect that works with human behavior and human happiness.”

Ory finds his career particularly rewarding, and sees it as a way to give back to the community. True to his passion, Ory also encourages ITS-Davis students to take advantage of the university’s resources in order to do research that benefits people.

“[Some students] might research what just seems more interesting or what their advisor thinks is more interesting. I think it’s always good to step back and see which topic is more useful to humanity—and that one may be more interesting in the end. Once you get into the academic wheel it’s difficult to keep the big picture in perspective. In the long run, it’s hard, but it’s always good to do what’s good for society.”

As a person who enjoys a challenge, Ory found that ITS-Davis’ curriculum in engineering and statistics allowed him to test his skills and knowledge. In addition, he noted that the array of disciplines that ITS-Davis offered was particularly unique and allowed him to branch out and exchange ideas with colleagues who were in differing, but related, fields. He stays in contact with and gets different points of views and new insight from other alumni as their careers progress and he encourages current students to embrace the opportunities that UC Davis provides.

“I think one thing that’s really great about UC Davis is the very diverse set of career paths laid out in front of you. Take advantage of that, get to know people, and try to understand what they do because that can help you. The students and faculty have a really diverse set of interests and I think that’s unique to Davis.”

The #AggiesAtWork series is done in partnership with the UC Davis Cal Aggie Alumni Association.
View other AggiesAtWork stories:

• UC Davis Transportation Alums: Changing California, Changing the World
  
• Nevada Department of Transportation’s Sondra Rosenberg: Shaping Policies in the Public Sphere
• Ben Sharpe’s UC Davis Doctoral Degree Leads to Research Career in International Transportation