Past Events
Railway Terminal World Design and Technology Conference
March 30-31, 2011 • Copenhagen, Denmark
MTI Executive Director Rod Diridon will present at this international conference, discussing the terminal and route designs for California high-speed rail. He also will chair a group meeting. The conference will bring together station and terminal managers, designers, purchasers and specifiers from operators around the world to look at the latest developments, projects, technologies and solutions for tomorrow's rail hubs.
Garrett Morgan Sustainable Transportation Competition
March 2011 • National Broadcast
This competition was created to interest middle-school students in transportation careers and to think about sustainable travel modes. Each year, teams create a project and compete for a $1000 prize for their classroom. The Secretary of Transportation and other industry leaders also participate in the coast-to-coast videoconference broadcast. The exact date is pending the Secretary's schedule.
International Practicum on Implementing High-Speed Rail in the United States
May 3-5, 2011 • Baltimore, MD
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and The International Union of Railways (UIC) will present an in-depth workshop with critical information to implement high- and higher-speed rail in the United States. It will cover key elements on infrastructure, rolling stock, operations, finances and management, markets and customers and federal and state programs. Join MTI at this important event.
APTA Rail Conference Centers
June 12-15, 2011 • Boston, MA
This conference provides a comprehensive learning and networking experience with a complete slate of technical sessions relevant to the operation, management, and maintenance of rail and fixed guideway systems. MTI will present a panel on high-speed rail security planning. More information to come.
MTI Awards Banquet and Commencement Exercises
June 25, 2011 • San Jose, CA
Save the date! Graduates of MTI´s Master of Science in Transportation Management will receive their hoods at a banquet attended by families, friends and transportation leaders. Awards also will be given to the winning middle school team in the Garrett Morgan Sustainable Transportation Competition.
MTI Board of Trustees Meeting
January 22, 2011 • Washington DC
Each six months, the MTI Trustees meet to discuss Institute business and to receive progress updates from each of the Directors. MTI has been far exceeding its required performance metrics, and all indicators show that this will continue.
Council of University Transportation Centers
January 22-23, 2011 • Washington DC
MTI convened with other University Transportation Centers for the annual CUTC awards banquet and conference. The MTI Student of the Year was honored, along with those from the other Centers.
Transportation Research Board 90th Annual Meeting
January 23-27, 2011 • Washington DC
Several of MTI’s leading researchers presented at the annual TRB meeting. More than 85 sessions and workshops addressed “Transportation, Livability, and Economic Development in a Changing World.” The program covered all transportation modes, with more than 3,000 presentations in nearly 600 sessions and workshops.
University Transportation Center Visiting Scholar Seminar
Oct. 1, 2010 • New York City
MTI Executive Director Rod Diridon presented at a SUNY Global Center seminar that examined sustainability and demonstrated how high-speed rail can help meet those goals. He highlighted and discussed premier international high-speed rail systems, and presented the progress of California’s high-speed rail efforts and accomplishments. He also discussed what must be done to ensure success.
Encouraging Sustainable Travel
Sept. 15, Oct. 13, Nov. 17, 2010 • Online Webinars
This free research webinar series for transportation professionals featured three speakers on Efficient Management of Road Construction & Operations. Topics included Encouraging Sustainable Travel, Part II and Equity Considerations in Transportation. The webinars were organized by Caltrans and the California University Transportation Centers, of which MTI is a member.
Podcar City: San Jose
Oct. 27–29, 2010 • San Jose, CA
MTI co-presented an international conference focused on developing podcars, a new type of automated transit technology also known as Personal Rapid Transit, or PRT. Podcar City: San Jose, Innovating Sustainable Communities was held at San Jose City Hall, 200 E. Santa Clara St. This third annual event is co-presented by the International Institute of Sustainable Transportation and the City of San Jose. Speakers and exhibitors came from California, other parts of the US, and Europe.
The UCLA Lake Arrowhead Symposium: The Transportation, Land Use, and Environment Connection
October 17–19, 2010 • Lake Arrowhead, CA
MTI executive director Rod Diridon spoke on Laying the Tracks: An Overview and Status Report about High-Speed Rail Development in California and the U.S. His presentation was part of the annual UCLA symposium, an invitation-only retreat attended by approximately 125 policy makers and senior policy analysts from around the country.
Norman Y. Mineta Regional Summit on Transportation Finance
June 25, 2010 • San Francisco, CA
MTI held Part Two of its discussion about transportation finance. The first session last October presented the challenges facing California as its increasing population threatens to make mobility more difficult. This session presented some possible solutions. Moderator: Norman Y. Mineta, Secretary of Transportation (ret.). Panelists included AASHTO Director John Horsley, Dr. Asha Weinstein Agrawal, State Senator Joe Simitian (invited), and finance expert David Crane (invited). It was held at the Commonwealth Club of California and broadcast later on NPR Radio.
MTI Board of Trustees Meeting – June 26, 2010 – San Jose CA
MTI Trustees held their summer board meeting the last Saturday of June. Following the day-long meeting, they attended the Graduation and Awards Banquet (see below).
MTI Awards Banquet and Commencement Exercises – June 26, 2010 – San Jose CA
Graduates of MTI´s Master of Science in Transportation Management received their hoods at a banquet attended by families, friends and transportation leaders. Awards also were given to Kemps Landing Magnet School, Virginia Beach VA, which won the Garrett Morgan Sustainable Transportation Competition.
NCIT 2010 Workforce Development Conference – April 29-30, 2010 – Denver
MTI´s Director of Research Dr. Karen Philbrick and Director of Communications Donna Maurillo participated in the National Center for Intermodal Transportation´s Workforce Development Conference at the Phipps Mansion in Denver. Information collected at the conference will be included in the national workforce development conference in Washington DC, set for later this year.
APTA Rail Conference – June 6-9, 2010 – Vancouver, British Columbia
MTI participated on two panels. Executive Director Rod Diridon addressed high-speed rail. MTI´s Director of Transportation Security, Brian Michael Jenkins, moderated a panel on protecting our rail infrastructure. Hyatt Regency Hotel´s Regency F Room on Wednesday, June 9, from 8-9:30am.
Garrett Morgan Competition – March 23, 2010 – National Videoconference
Middle-school teams compete to see who can develop the best idea for sustainable transportation in this national videoconference. The Secretary of Transportation addressed the teams. This competition was named for Garrett Morgan, inventor of the modern traffic signal. The winning team is honored was June at a banquet at San Jose State University in San Jose, California.
NTSCOE Stakeholders´ Meeting – March 31, 2010 – San Jose, California
The Mineta Transportation Institute and Rutgers University, both members of the National Transportation Security Centers of Excellence (NTSCOE), conducted a stakeholder´s meeting. This was a forum in which invited participants discuss, prioritize and present to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) a list of training and education needs.
High Cost of Free Parking – February 24, 2010–San Jose, California
UCLA Professor Donald Shoup, author of “The High Cost of Free Parking,” discussed how parking reforms can reduce vehicle travel, traffic congestion, air pollution, energy waste, and greenhouse gas emissions while increasing the supply of housing and improved public services. The free event was Wednesday, February 24, 6:30 - 9:00pm at San Jose City Hall, 200 E. Santa Clara Street, San Jose; Council Wing Rooms 118-120. Download an event flyer Co-sponsored by the Mineta Transportation Institute, Great Communities Collaborative, Greenbelt Alliance, Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, Transform, City of San Jose, and San Jose State University's Urban and Regional Planning Department and Urban Planning Coalition. Contact Justin Meek 831-430-6796 or justin.meek@gmail.com.
Workforce Development Summit –February 1–2, 2010 – Long Beach, California
MTI and METRANS Transportation Center co-sponsored a statewide conference to address strategies for recruiting, training, and retaining career-path candidates for transportation careers. The two-day program, which is appropriate for anyone who faces these issues in educating or hiring candidates, was held at the Hyatt Regency Long Beach. Topics included assessing skills gaps, necessary training, career planning, outreach and recruitment, working with community colleges, best practices, and more. www.workforcesummit.org
International Practicum on Implementing High–Speed Rail in the US – Washington, Chicago, LA – February 8–13, 2010
With the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), MTI co-sponsored these regional seminars on providing US decision makers with information on implementing high-speed rail. The focus was on best practices and lessons from European and Asian systems.
MTI Board of Trustees´ Meeting – January 9, 2010 – Washington, DC
Every six months, MTI Trustees meet to discuss Institute business. The January meetings are traditionally held in Washington to coincide with conference of the Council of University Transportation Centers (CUTC) and the annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board (TRB).
Transportation Finance Forum – October 29, 2009 – San Francisco, California
An expert panel addressed the financial challenges facing California´s transportation infrastructure as the state anticipates exponential population growth in the next 50 years. Speakers included Therese McMillan, Deputy Director of US DOT´s Federal Transit Administration, Randell Iwasaki, Director of Caltrans, and Steve Heminger, Executive Director of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Dr. Asha Weinstein Agrawal moderated. The meeting took place at the Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco and was recorded for later broadcast over NPR Radio.
The Transportation⁄Land Use⁄Environment Connection – October 18-20, 2009 – Lake Arrowhead, California
This UCLA meeting addressed the challenges of operating in a restricted financial environment while working toward improvements in transportation, land use and the environment. MTI research associatesl presented their papers, including Dr. Jennifer Dill, who discussed the results of a survey on green taxes for automobiles.
APTA Annual Meeting – October 4-7, 2009 – Orlando, Florida
As part of the APTA Annual Meeting, MTI hosted “Launching High Speed Rail in the U.S. – A Report on Project & Planning Awards to Corridors.” A morning and an afternoon session took place on Thursday, October 6, featuring representatives from each of the planned high–speed rail corridors.
Distinguished Lecturer Series – October 20, 2009 – Fayetteville, Arkansas
Rod Diridon, Sr. discussed the challenges of creating and improving a light rail service. He presented as a Distinguished Lecturer at the University of Arkansas College of Engineering in Fayetteville.
AASHTO Annual Meeting – October 22-26, 2009 – Palm Desert, California
This year´s topic is “Transportation into the Future, Green Transportation.” MTI research associates – including Dr. Caroline Rodier, Dr. Susan Shaheen, and Dr. Asha Weinstein Agrawal – presented their research projects at this gathering of state highway transportation officials. Their topics included "Car Sharing and Public Parking Policies," "Public Support for Environmental Transportation Taxes and Fees,"and more.
International Transport Economics Conference – June 15-16, 2009 – Minneapolis
Dr. Asha Weinstein Agrawal, Director of MTI’s Transportation Finance Center, discussed her recent research on green taxes and people’s attitudes about levying them on automobiles. When it was published last year, her research received a great deal of media coverage.
APTA’s National Rail Conference – June 14-18, 2009 – Chicago
Brian Michael Jenkins, Director of MTI’s Transportation Security Center of Excellence, led a panel addressing the most recent information on selective screening of rail passengers. Results of pilot test studies also were presented.
MTI Board of Trustees Meeting – June 27, 2009 – San Jose CA
The MTI Board of Trustees held its twice-yearly meeting.
MTI Awards Banquet and Commencement Exercises – June 27, 2009 – San Jose CA
Graduates of MTI’s Master of Science in Transportation Management received their hoods at a banquet attended by families, friends and transportation leaders.
CUTC Summer Conference – June 30-July 2, 2009 – Amherst MA
The Council of University Transportation Centers held its summer meeting in Amherst, MA. Past-President and MTI Executive Director Rod Diridon spoke, along with several other transportation leaders.
Annual Transportation and Infrastructure Summit – August 11-14, 2009 – Irving TX
The Mineta Transportation Institute, the Association of Public Transportation Agencies (APTA) and other organizations co–sponsored this event. Its contributions will help develop responses to meet the challenges and opportunities for the future of transportation in the United States and across the globe. MTI presented a panel.
