2008-2009 Sixth Annual Region X Student Conference

(formerly the TransNow Student Conference)

Friday November 7th, 2008
University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Located in the UW Club lower level (see campus map, grid 10-O). Please visit the UW Club website for driving directions.

We are grateful for support from:

Transportation Northwest (TransNow) is a showcase for transportation research and education in the Pacific Northwest (Federal Region X) which includes Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska. Region X serves as a microcosm of transportation for the entire country, with a diversity of modes, infrastructure systems, and area types that make it a prime testing ground for studies in transportation operations and planning. Other sponsors of this conference include the National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technologies (NIATT), the Alaska University Transportation Center (AUTC) and the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium (OTREC).

The Region X Student Conference is of, for and by students!

Past student conferences have been held at the University of Washington (2003), Portland State Unversity (2004, 2007), Oregon State University (2006), and the University of Idaho (2005). The 2008-2009 Region X Student Conference is being held at University of Washington. No professors or other faculty are involved in the conference in any way. Students are able to present their research and exchange ideas with their peers in an environment that does not exist in the classroom or in other conferences. Here, student interactions between institutions are fostered in a professional environment. The conference includes both student presentations and a poster session to showcase the great student-led transportation research being done in the Northwest. The schedule has more information.

Please join us in exploring student research in the transportation field!

Sponsorship

The 2008-2009 Region X Student Conference committee is seeking external sponsorship for conference hospitality and poster and paper prizes. This is an excellent opportunity for supporting the research efforts of students and promoting positive recognition of sponsors among participants. For more information, please visit the Contacts page.

Free Food

The conference will include breakfast and lunch. There will be an unhosted happy hour/dinner at a nearby location after the conference for anyone interested.

Free Registration

Registration is free for any student enrolled in transportation programs at universities in the Northwest. Registration has closed on October 24. Click here for a list of contacts.

Poster Session

We encourage al participants to prepare a poster. Posters can be on a range of topics and you are welcome to collaborate with other sudents on a poster. Students will vote on the best posters and there will be awards for the best ones!

Keynote Speaker

We are pleased to have Dr. Stephen D. Van Beek as our keynote speaker. Dr. Van Beek will address the reauthorization of the federal surface transportation bill and new directions in transportation funding.

Stephen D. Van Beek is President & CEO of the Eno Transportation Foundation, a non-profit operating foundation that promotes creative, research-based problem solving by government and the transportation community on transportation challenges. Established in 1921, a key goal of Eno is to support the professional development of leaders across all transport modes. Offerings include non-partisan policy forums; leadership development courses; study missions focused on transportation innovation; and, resource publications for the industry.

Before joining Eno, Dr. Van Beek served as Chair of the Federal Practices Group and Director for Jacobs Consultancy, an aviation management consulting firm. He has previously served as Executive Vice President, Policy, with Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) in Washington, D.C.; Associate Deputy Secretary and Director of the Office of Intermodalism at USDOT; and Deputy Administrator of USDOT’s Research and Special Programs Administration.

Panel Discussion

This years's student conference will also feature a panel discussion of professionals in transportation on how the push toward sustainability is changing transportation careers. We welcome our panelists:

Ted Day, Transportation Planner, Service Planning, King County Metro
Robin Mayhew, Program Manager, Transportation Planning, Puget Sound Regional Council
Paul Coffelt, ITS Engineer, City of Lynnwood
Bill McGurk, Civil Engineer, SvR Design

Christine Wolf, Regional Transportation Program Planner, Seaport, Port of Seattle

Student Presentations

Students in prior years have presented on a wide range of topics. This year's student presentations are listed on the schedule.