Staff

Cao Accepts Position at University of Minnesota

Researcher Xinyu (Jason) Cao left SURTC in August to accept a faculty position at the University of Minnesota. He is now an assistant professor of urban and regional planning at the Hubert Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.

At SURTC, Cao researched transit-oriented development and solutions in small urban and rural transit. His research touched on gender-role based differences in activity participation and time allocation, the effect of neighborhood design on aging mobility, and residential and transit choices of apartment dwellers in small urban areas.

"Xinyu's contributions helped SURTC achieve a new level of excellence in transit research. He was a great asset to our team, and we wish him much success as he transitions into his new role at the University of Minnesota," says Jill Hough, SURTC director. Cao joined SURTC in 2006 as an associate research fellow.

Mattson Joins SURTC Staff

Jeremy Mattson joined the SURTC staff in October as an associate research fellow. Before joining SURTC, Mattson worked at NDSU as a research assistant in the Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics where he studied agricultural trade and farm policy. He earned his master's degree in agricultural economics from NDSU in 2000 and earned bachelor's degrees in economics and in management from the University of Minnesota, Morris, in 1998.

Mattson, originally from Lake Park, MN, joined SURTC because of his interest in transportation research. His expertise in economics will contribute to a variety of SURTC research projects including an analysis of biodiesel use in transit buses.

Hough Invited to FTA Safety Meeting

SURTC director Jill Hough was an invited presenter at a Federal Transit Administration State Safety Oversight Program Meeting in Minneapolis Sept. 17-20.

Ninety-five representatives from rail transit agencies, state safety oversight agencies, federal agencies, universities and industry associations attended the meeting. The FTA's State Safety Oversight program is designed to prevent public transportation fatalities, injuries, property damage, and system interruption and to ensure the capability of responding to any incidents that do occur.

Hough and representatives from three other University Transportation Centers outlined their programs and described how they interact with the transit industry. "The invitation to attend was an endorsement of SURTC and its work," Hough notes. "The FTA recognizes that our research and outreach can have a significant impact on the safety and security of transit agencies."

SURTC Graduate Assistant Participates in Summer Internship with FHWA

Natalie (Beck) Easterday, SURTC graduate research assistant, was an intern with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) as part of the Summer Transportation Internship Program for Diverse Groups from June to August 2007. Easterday is an NDSU graduate student in emergency management and has been working with SURTC since the spring of 2006.

"Under the direction of the Emergency Transportation Operation team, I was able to connect transportation concepts with emergency management. I had the opportunity to gain valuable experience as well as network with a variety of professionals," says Easterday.

As part of her internship, Easterday completed several major projects. She studied contraflow plans and operations by interviewing five transportation specialists from four gulf coast states. Contraflow plans are used to alter the normal flow of traffic to aid in an emergency evacuation situation. Many states in southeastern United States have adopted hurricane evacuation plans using contraflow to increase the number of available outbound lanes.

Easterday also compiled an evacuation news story database. She conducted a Google query to obtain news stories pertaining to evacuations and evacuation planning for the previous six months and compiled the stories into a searchable database. This database will act as a resource for future emergency management efforts relating to evacuation planning.

In addition, Easterday wrote a paper that presented funding opportunities for state and local governments to host training exercises and emergency preparedness activities. Easterday also attended an interagency conference and participated in three field trips.

Events Calendar

• TRF – 2008 Annual Forum, Mar. 17-19, 2008, Fort Worth, TX
• APTA – Transportation & University Communities Conference, Apr. 5-8, 2008, Reno, NV
• APTA – 2008 Bus & Paratransit Conference, May 3-7, 2008, Austin, TX
• CTAA – EXPO 2008, Jun. 1-6, 2008, New Orleans, LA
• APTA – EXPO 2008, Oct. 6-8, 2008, San Diego, CA
• TRB – 18th National Conference on Rural Public & Intercity Bus Transportation, Oct. 19-22, 2008, Omaha, NE
• ITS America – 2008 Annual Meeting & Expo, Nov. 16-20, 2008, New York City, NY