Ripplinger Named to TRB Economics Committee
 SURTC associate research fellow David Ripplinger has been named to the Transportation Economics Committee of the Transportation Research Board.
Committee members review papers for the board's annual meeting, plan the economics portion of the meeting and plan other events related to economics in transportation. The committee's purpose is to encourage the application of economic concepts and methods to the analysis of transportation systems and infrastructure.
The Transportation Research Board is a division of the National Research Council, which serves as an independent adviser to the federal government and others on scientific and technical questions of national importance. Its goal is to promote innovation and progress in transportation through research.
"It's an honor to be asked to be a member of the committee," Ripplinger says. "The invitation reflects well on SURTC's reputation for applied research and indicates recognition by the committee that economic principals need to be more fully integrated into transit research as they have been in highway planning, freight transportation and other areas."
Ripplinger has been an associate research fellow with the institute for about a year. Before that he was an agricultural fellow in Washington, D.C., researching and writing briefs, speeches and papers for Iowa Senator Charles Grassley. He also was a research assistant with the USDA's Economic Research Service.
Ripplinger is originally from Devils Lake, N.D., and earned a B.S. degree in agricultural economics from NDSU and an M.S. in economics from Iowa State University.
 Cindy Urness, originally from Grand Forks, ND, is an assistant professor of architecture at North Dakota State University. She received her bachelor of architecture degree from NDSU and her masters of architecture degree from Pratt Institute in New York, NY. She has more than 20 years of experience as a practicing architect. Cindy is leading the architectural team which is working on a prototypical, modular design for a bus stop which could be constructed easily in small urban locations in northern climates.
 Sue Hendrickson recently joined the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute as a project coordinator working with SURTC and the Transportation Research Forum.
Hendrickson spent the past 27 years at NDSU working in secretarial, information processing and information technology positions. The past 12 years were spent with the Agriculture Communication department in the computer services unit. Hendrickson says she looks forward to working with the various SURTC programs.
She will be providing administrative support to SURTC programs including contract administration, recordkeeping, publication development and other duties.
 Carla joined SURTC in the spring of 2005. She is currently pursuing her bachelors degree in Business Administration at North Dakota State University. Carla assists with data collection and report preparation.
 Katie Evans
Katie Evans is working with SURTC on a summer internship. She is involved with developing innovative small urban transit systems, as well as shadowing the design and construction of the new State-of-the-Art NDSU campus bus shelters. Originally from Fergus Falls, Minn., Katie is currently a fifth year student in the architecture program at NDSU.
 Daniel McGinnis
Daniel McGinnis joined SURTC as a summer intern in 2005. He is entering the 5th year of the architecture program at NDSU and is working under a FTA grant designing prototypical bus shelters for the SURTC region. McGinnis is also involved in the construction of two state-of-the-art bus shelters being erected on the Campus of NDSU this summer.
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