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Executive Director's Blog
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From the Bus Stop to the Ballot Box |
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October 2024 |
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There is just one week before the November 5th general election. With only days left before ballots are counted and the next President of the United States is chosen by the people (and other critical issues are decided), have you planned how to get your vote in? Although many may have already taken advantage of early vote-by-mail or early in-person voting, public transit remains a vital service that allows all to exercise their sacred right to vote—especially those who must or choose to vote in person. |
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Accelerating Leadership: How MTI’s Training is Empowering Tomorrow's Transit Leaders |
Tech-Driven Independence: How AV Can Improve the Lives of Older Adults |
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September 2024 |
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August 2024 |
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Across the nation, the transportation workforce shortage is reaching a critical breaking point. Data from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) shows that 96% of transit agencies are struggling to find enough workers, and 84% say this impacts their ability to keep services running. Fortunately, as an industry we are increasingly recognizing the importance of investing in our people to invest in our future. Robust workforce development programs are building up the talent pipeline to resolve this crisis and drive our nation’s transportation systems toward a more sustainable, efficient, and innovative future. MTI recently delivered an accelerated version of our Leadership Development Training—recognizing the crucial role of leadership in the success of any organization and in our industry as a whole. |
There are 62 million adults ages 65 and older living in the U.S.—about 18% of the population. By 2054, that number is projected to reach 84 million. As the population of older people here (and globally) rapidly increases, we face challenges in ensuring that our industry is prepared for this demographic shift and able to meet the mobility needs of all. Autonomous vehicles are already operating on our streets, and researchers expect 4.5 million partially or fully autonomous vehicles to be on the road by 2030. How can we harness this mobility shift to empower older adults? |
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MTI’s Executive Director Adds a Chapter to ‘The New Future of Public Transportation’ |
Inspiring Innovation through Collaboration: STEM Event at Hoover Middle |
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June 2024 |
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June 2024 |
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Interested in learning more about the evolution of transportation? Look no further, as the second edition of the best seller, The New Future of Public Transportation, published on May 1, integrates the rich knowledge and experience of industry changemakers into an invaluable inside look at the current state and future of public transportation. This seminal book has already achieved the number one status for new best sellers in multiple genre categories. Put together by transit expert and author Paul Comfort, this edition features 30 contributed chapters from industry leaders, including Dr. Karen Philbrick, Executive Director of the Mineta Transportation Institute. |
One hundred students from Herbert Hoover Middle School (Hoover) gathered in small groups at tables with old CDs and rubber bands. English Language Development (ELD) students in grades 6-8 along with Hoover Leadership students, teachers, and facilitators from a local nonprofit repurposed these materials, once destined for the trash, and turned them into a fun, STEM-focused learning activity. Students constructed platform cars with CD-wheels and tested them to learn about energy, gravity, simple machines, and more in an example of “found engineering.” This event was a collaboration between Hoover MS, San José nonprofit RAFT, and the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI). |
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Commemorating the Day of Remembrance and Norman Y. Mineta |
Celebrating Excellence and Embracing Growth: 2023 in Review |
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February 2024 |
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December 2023 |
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In honor of the Day of Remembrance, we pause to remember our founder Secretary Norman Y. Mineta and the approximately 120,000 other Americans of Japanese ancestry living in the United States who were forcibly relocated and incarcerated. On this day in 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which led hundreds of thousands of Americans having to abandon their jobs and homes and be forced into concentration camps despite never being charged with a crime. |
This is most definitely a year for celebrating excellence and embracing growth. As we anticipate the upcoming year, I'd like to reflect on the milestones we've reached this past year. Though our successes have been covered in detail in previous newsletters, press releases, and media coverage, I wish to emphasize a few particular instances that underscore the significant impact of our efforts to improve the mobility of people and goods. |
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Walking the Talk: National Walk & Roll to School Day and Transportation Safety |
Empowering Communities: Protecting Young Cyclists on California's Roads |
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October 2023 |
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May 2023 |
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October 4th, 2023 is the 27th annual National Walk & Roll to School Day. This event began in 1997 as a one-day event aimed at building awareness for the need for walkable communities. It has since grown into an international movement benefiting everyone through less traffic congestion, safer streets, a cleaner environment, and improved personal health. By participating in events like Walk and Roll to School and taking inspiration from them, we can benefit from the transportation choices we make right now—and so can our kids. Choosing to get to school by walking, biking, or using a scooter or stroller contributes to a better world for our children, the environment, and our community. |
San Jose and San Francisco are among the most bicycle-friendly cities in the country, and although cyclists in rural areas may not have the same infrastructure, interest in bike-riding—both as a hobby and as transportation—is high in rural communities as well. Let’s take a moment this National Bike Month to dig into the latest details about bikes in California and to highlight the importance of bike safety. Many efforts to educate about the importance of wearing a helmet, as well as efforts to distribute helmets to children, have been successful—as reflected in the lower child cyclist fatality data. One such program, delivered this spring by Walk and Bike Mendocino and sponsored by the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) using funds from CA Senate Bill 1, educated 4th and 5th grade students at Nokomis Elementary School in Ukiah, CA about the importance of wearing a helmet and other bike and pedestrian safety issues. |
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Six individuals featured in the project (clockwise from top left): Maria Cortez, Oscar James, Javier Rodriguez, Faye Wilson Kennedy, Ivory Chambeshi, and Rocina Lizarraga. |
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Building Equitable Communities: Righting the Wrongs of the Planning Past |
A Year in Review |
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February 2023 |
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December 2022 |
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How far you need to travel to obtain fresh food, check out a library book, swim at the community pool, or stroll through a park depends on where you live. But where you live is often influenced by factors out of your control and, sometimes, by historical systemic discrimination. Transportation and city planners have, in the past and often inadvertently, been a part of systems that contribute to inequitable circumstances; today, they are rising up to take responsibility to right these wrongs in our communities. In one such effort, the California Planning Roundtable (CPR) collaborated with the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) to uplift six unique voices to identify how past planning practices have impacted communities of color in the words of those who have experienced the impacts. |
I hope we helped make 2022 the best year yet through our continued efforts to empower our communities through transportation. By improving the safety, efficiency, accessibility, and convenience of our nation’s transportation system, we connect the world and increase mobility for all. Now, let’s look back at the most memorable moments of 2022 and see what we’ve achieved together. |
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Workforce Development: A Community and Family Affair |
It’s the Little Things: How Seemingly Small Choices Affect Safety on the Road |
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September 2022 |
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April 2022 |
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Addressing the transportation industry’s critical workforce gap is an important issue for transit agencies, educators, local and state governments, and more—but sometimes it’s also a family affair. |
With most Americans tucked into home offices and sheltered in living rooms during the height of the pandemic, stretches of highway and neighborhood roads were quiet. No bustle of cars, trucks, buses, or bikes. Empty. And yet, 38,680 people died in vehicle crashes in 2020—the highest traffic-related death count since 2007. Why did traffic fatalities spike with fewer drivers on the roads? |
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The Power of Privilege: How to Be a Champion for Women in Transportation |
Professional Development’s Role in Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion |
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March 2022 |
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February 2022 |
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Women have been driving—literally and figuratively—the U.S. transportation industry since the beginning. In recent years, women like Sally Ride, Ph.D., the first U.S. woman in space, and Bessie Coleman, the first African American (male or female) to earn a pilot’s license, have been recognized for their significant accomplishments as industry professionals and trailblazers. Still, many others remain relatively unrecognized or even lost to history. Today, the transportation industry still struggles to attract and retain women. Men remain the majority and retain most of the authority, too. Thus, our industry cannot successfully advance diversity and equity without the support of male allies, mentors, and champions. |
As we shift away from virtual meetings with neat, non-hierarchical squares, and return to in-person meetings at a table with c-suite designated spaces, we take a hard look at who has a seat at that table. What do they look like? Are they representative of their organization? What steps did they take to reach that chief officer position? How can we, the transportation industry as a whole, ensure that we are creating equitable opportunities to ensure those seated at the table reflect the communities our transit agencies serve and the people they employ? |
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Holiday Travel in the Era of Omicron |
Stroll and Roll Back to School Safely: Reviving Commuter Awareness about Pedestrian Safety |
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December 2021 |
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October 2021 |
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With the holidays on the horizon, how will people be traveling—and how will their travel be affected by the transportation industry’s pandemic status? It is possible to travel safely for the holidays by making smart, informed choices. The nation has already taken enormous strides in overcoming the challenges of living while combating a pandemic—traveling safely and enjoying this holiday season will be one more. |
The days are a little cloudier, the skies a little darker, and pedestrians wrapped in coats and obscured by the fall gloom may be a little harder to see. Rain and frost, too, can increase the risk of traffic dangers. And speeding and distracted driving can contribute to injury and even death. It’s National Pedestrian Safety Month, but how can we keep pedestrians safe? |
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Freight Rail: Keeping America Moving |
Driving Women’s Suffrage Straight to the Polls |
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September 2021 |
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August 2021 |
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Rail keeps America moving. Even amid an unprecedented global health crisis, the nation’s goods continued to arrive at stores and on our doorsteps—demonstrating the notable resiliency of the rail industry during the trials of the COVID-19 pandemic. A new report by Northwestern University Transportation Center (NUTC) gives insight into how invaluable freight made its way across the nation in one of the most trying moments of our lifetimes. |
The automobile driven by Alice Burke and Nell Richardson could not be ignored. Bright suffrage yellow and adorned with “Votes for Women” banners and flowers, the car carried the suffragist leaders across the nation in 1916. In their Golden Flyer, the pair drove from New York to San Francisco to garner support for suffragist delegates attending national political conventions. Because women were expected to remain in the home, cars became a symbol of the movement. Driving broke stereotypes and enabled freedom, mobility, and independence. |
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Fueling a Future Free of Fossil Fuels |
Getting LGBTQ+ PRIDE Month Rolling with Capitol Leaders and Allies |
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July 2021 |
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June 2021 |
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With pandemic restrictions being lifted, kids released from academic obligations, and American flags proudly waving in the summer breeze, it is no wonder July is often associated with freedom. Among those nostalgic feelings of liberty, MTI is taking a moment to reflect on a different freedom that will benefit generations to come—the freedom from fossil fuels and the threat of climate change. |
On June 1st, 2021, President Biden wrote in his proclamation on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Pride (LGBTQ+) month of the uprising at the Stonewall Inn in 1969. Commonly referred to as the Stonewall Riots, the movement was led by trans, gay, and queer women of color like Marsha “Pay It No Mind” Johnson. This rebellion against violence enacted on the LGBTQ+ community grew into decades of LGBTQ+ advocacy and the Pride movement. |
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Denouncing Asian Hate while Celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month |
Women Marching to the Top of the Transportation Industry |
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May 2021 |
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March 2021 |
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Embracing diversity and acknowledging both positive and painful history brings us closer as Americans and world citizens. This Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, let us recognize and celebrate the contributions of individuals with Asian and Pacific Islander heritage. |
From the desk of MTI's E.D. Dr. Karen Philbrick, we honor this Women's History Month by taking a hard look at the the obstacles keeping women out of the transportation industry. |
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Celebrating Black History Month and Inventor Garrett A. Morgan |
Full Steam Ahead with MTI's Distance Learning Programs |
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February 2021 |
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October 2020 |
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In honor of #BlackHistoryMonth, join us as we celebrate the inventor, entrepreneur, and hero Garrett A. Morgan by participating in the Garrett Morgan Sustainable Transportation Competition! |
From the desk of MTI's E.D. Dr. Karen Philbrick, "Full STEAM Ahead with MTI's Distance Learning Programs" offers a look at workforce development programs that not only get kids and teens interested in STEAM learning, but also addresses a critical infrastructure need in our nation. |
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Contact Us
SJSU Research Foundation 210 N. 4th Street, 4th Floor, San Jose, CA 95112 Phone: 408-924-7560 Email: mineta-institute@sjsu.edu
