NDSU is partner in U.S. Department of Transportation grant to study transit

North Dakota State University is one of four universities that will cooperatively conduct research and provide training and outreach related to public transit under a $3.5 million grant awarded this week by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

NDSU is a partner with the University of Illinois at Chicago and Florida International University in Miami.  The University of South Florida in Tampa will lead the effort.  The Small Urban & Rural Transit Center, a part of the Upper Great Plains Transportation Research Institute at NDSU, will provide expertise in rural and small urban transportation.  NDSU will receive about $500,000 from the grant.

The grant was one of 22 awarded in the University Transportation Centers Program administered by the DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration and was one of two grants specifically targeted to consortiums that will study public transportation.

“NDSU has developed expertise in transit management and coordination, among other areas specifically related to transit providers in rural and small urban areas,” notes Jill Hough, director of the Small Urban & Rural Transit Center. “Our participation in this effort brings added knowledge and awareness to assure that the issues faced by rural and small urban transit providers are addressed.”

Overall, the partnership will focus on the following topic areas:

• Enhancing transit safety
• Developing procedures and approaches to help agencies better care for their fleets and facilities
• Exploring how transit can enhance economic competitiveness of business, regions or communities
• Enhancing the livability of regions or communities through transit
• Improving environmental sustainability of transportation systems and transit operations.

“In each of these areas we will bring a rural or small community focus,” Hough noted.  “We will also gain ideas from our partners that may be transferable to the smaller transit providers that we serve. Each of the four partner universities brings unique strengths and accomplishments to this consortium, but by working together we will enhance our overall collective contribution to the transit industry.” Hough said.

Student Paper Competition Announced

Graduate and undergraduate students have the opportunity to enter a paper competition for an upcoming conference. The 20th National Conference on Rural Public and Intercity Bus Transportation is scheduled to take place in October 2012 in Salt Lake City, Utah. To encourage student participation in the conference, undergraduate students are offered the opportunity to participate in an essay competition and graduate students have the opportunity to take part in a research paper competition.

Two essay winners will receive cash prizes as well as travel funds to attend the conference.

Essay Winners: 1st place $500 and 2nd place is $250

Two winning student research papers will be awarded and the authors will receive cash prizes and travel funds to attend the conference.

Research Paper Winners: 1st place $1,000 and 2nd place is $500

More details are available on the conference website.

Upcoming Seminar – Minnesota Public Transit 101

UGPTI's Transportation Seminar Series is back and we're kicking everything off with Keven Anderson from the State of Minnesota Office of Transit. His presentation, titled Minnesota Public Transit 101, will address the basic structure and organization of public transit in greater Minnesota. It will cover fleet structure, employees, types of rides provided, state oversight, funding, and interaction with local entities and federal agencies. The seminar will be held Aug. 30, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. in Room 422 of the IACC building on the campus of North Dakota State University.

Seminars are scheduled for Tuesdays from 2:00 to 2:50 p.m. throughout the fall semester. For those unable to attend, these seminars are being recorded. Links to the presentations and recordings will be posted online shortly after the conclusion of each seminar.

Education-Industry Mentorship Program Achieves Success

Dr. Jill Hough, SURTC director, launched a successful mentorship program with students from her public transportation class during the spring semester. Students were paired with an industry leader for eight weeks to discuss topics and learn from the mentors' experiences in the transportation industry. NDSU is the pilot university for the mentor program which may be replicated nationally. Hough developed the program in response to the call from industry professionals for better workforce development within higher education. More information can be found in the NDSU news release and the Spring 2011 Transit Lane Brief (pdf).

Seminar on How to Conduct a Review of a Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

A Transportation Seminar titled "How to Conduct a Review of a Peer-Reviewed Journal Article" will be held Oct. 13, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. in Room 422 of the IACC building on the North Dakota State University campus.  In this seminar, attendees will be presented with an overview of the peer review process, the role and responsibility of peer reviewers, as well as tips and considerations to ensure that reviews are done well.