Two UC Davis Students Awarded Prestigious Women’s Transportation Seminar Scholarships
Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) Sacramento, an organization dedicated to furthering the careers of women in the transportation industry, awarded two UC Davis students with scholarships at the annual WTS-Sacramento Awards and Scholarship dinner. The event recognizes the accomplishments of women in the transportation industry, while also supporting promising students through scholarships and awards.
Transportation Technology and Policy (TTP) graduate student Kalai Ramea and undergraduate Melody Lin were each awarded scholarships on January 22 that will help advance their careers in transportation and energy.
Kalai Ramea, Ph.D. candidate in Transportation Technology and Policy received the Helene M. Overly Memorial Graduate Scholarship for her research into consumer’s vehicle behavior. The scholarship honors Overly for her 15 years of service to WTS.
In the TTP graduate program, Ramea studies different consumers groups, and the effect that those groups have on the direction of the automotive industry. Formerly a transportation engineer at a consulting firm, Ramea is well versed in intelligent transportation systems projects and high-level policy analysis. She conducts various analyses of policies to determine how the public sector can encourage and influence greener vehicles choices by consumers.
“Organizations like WTS are extremely important especially at this pivotal stage where woman are breaking all kinds of glass ceilings in the transportation sector, whether it’s in construction, design, or academia,” said Ramea. “I feel extremely grateful and honored to receive this award, and it will provide me with the resources needed to travel to various conferences and present my research.”
Melody Lin received the Sharon D. Banks Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship. Named in honor of the late chief executive officer of AC Transit in Alameda-Contra Costa County, California, this scholarship aims to foster the development of young undergraduate women’s careers in the transportation field.
Lin, a UC Davis senior, is a double major in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning (EPAP) and International Relations. In these degree programs, she specializes in advanced policy analysis and global environmental health respectively, and is particularly interested in bike-sharing programs, pedestrian-friendly downtown areas, mixed-use zoning, and transit network fluidity.
“WTS is an amazing organization filled with fantastic people in the transportation industry. It’s wonderful that WTS encourages and gives women the opportunity to learn about professions in the transportation field,” said Lin. “I’m extremely grateful for being able to receive this scholarship, and it has me excited for my role as a transportation planner in the years to come.”
Photo (left to right): Research Engineer Sonia Yeh, Kalai Ramea, and Melody Lin. Photo courtesy of WTS-Sacramento.
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