Past Events

The California State University Transportation Consortium organizes or participates in numerous transportation-related events each year. Details about past events, including links to presentations and other relevant resources, when available, are listed below.

Dates	Events
October 31, 2023	Fixing Our Broken Transit Planning Process - Online U.S. transit has long grappled with escalating costs and delays: why do we struggle to build transit systems at a pace or a cost comparable to other countries? How can we mend a fractured transit system? In this webinar, transportation experts discussed the core issue: Should the focus be on individual projects or on achieving broader outcomes? Attendees learned what approach will bring positive, actionable change to our transportation systems. Speakers: Alison Premo Black, PhD, Senior Vice President & Chief Economist, American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) Eric Goldwyn, PhD, Program Director of Transportation and Land Use & Clinical Assistant Professor, NYU Marron Institute Sadie Graham, Link21 Program Director, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Joshua Schank, PhD, MTI Research Associate & Managing Principal, InfraStrategies Moderator: Hilary Nixon, PhD, Deputy Executive Director, Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) View Recording. View & Download PDH Certificate. Presenters: Alison Premo Black, PhD, Eric Goldwyn, PhD, and Joshua Schank, PhD
October 24, 2023 to October 26, 2023	2023 “Research to Practice” Transit Symposium - Online As the transit industry is poised to take advantage of the largest transit and rail investment in our lifetimes, the symposium provides a platform where transit experts share insights on how evidence-based research is being or can be, used to make the most of these opportunities in a changing environment. This year’s symposium focused on the following topics: Practical applications of transit data Transit fare policy Transit equity Transit marketing and outreach strategies Transit-centered multimodal integration (e.g., MaaS) Transit apps and digital payments Microtransit and automated shuttles Bus fleet electrification Post-COVID ridership recovery strategies Opportunities and challenges to transit research implementation The Symposium was convened by a partnership between APTA, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), University of Florida Transportation Institute, the T-SCORE University Transportation Center, and the Mineta Transportation Institute.
October 19, 2023 to October 21, 2023	ACSP2023 Annual Conference - Chicago, IL The Mineta Transportation Institute, with SJSU's Department of Urban and Regional Planning, participated in the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning 2023 Annual Conference in Chicago. As one of the largest events of the year for planning academics and professionals, the ACSP Annual Conference attracts faculty, researchers, and students from across the United States and from 30+ countries worldwide. The ACSP Annual Conference is known for furthering the success of the academic planning community. Attendees had the opportunity to visit the Community Connection Café and learn more about MTI/SJSU authors. *MTI was a proud co-sponsor of this event.
October 11, 2023	Empower Girls, Amplify Young Voices: International Day of the Girl - Smythe Cubhouse, San José, CA This event is an annual and internationally recognized observance on October 11th. Like its adult version, International Women's Day (March 8), International Day of the Girl acknowledges the importance, power, and potential of adolescent girls. At the same time, this day is designated to eliminate gender-based challenges that little girls face around the world. By empowering girls through education, skills training, and mentorship, we can dismantle barriers and create a world where every girl can flourish. Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley celebrated the entire week of October 10th-15th and observed the 11th with an event. "When I was younger, I wanted to be a scientist - *but I had stopped that dream* because I just hadn't seen a lot of women scientists. But today, I met a lot of amazing women with amazing careers. I met engineers, I met lawyers - I met scientists! *I really needed this." To learn more about the movement, visit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley's website. MTI was a proud co-sponsor of this event.
September 26, 2023	Perfecting Your Scholarship Application - Online Scholarship season is here! MTI Student Association hosted a free virtual event to learn tips for perfecting students' scholarship applications for a better chance at funding their education. Speakers joined from transportation associations such as the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), California Transportation Foundation (CTF), and Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS). Attendees learned about each association's scholarship programs. *MTI was a proud co-sponsor of this event. View Recording.
September 21, 2023	Best Practices in Disaster Public Communications When disaster strikes and an emergency notification is issued, people are often unsure how to act. They may spend time “milling,” checking in with friends and neighbors, scrolling through sources and social media—trying to decide whether the alert applies to them. Research has shown this can be life threatening. Looking at how community members responded to alerts during the SCU and CZU complex wildland fires in 2020, experts Dr. Frances L. Edwards and Dan Goodrich examine disaster public communications best practices. How can public agencies collaborate with social media organizations to get the right messaging out? How do we ensure messaging engenders immediate, life-saving action? The researchers have also proposed an app that could assist in eliminating time spent milling by speeding up social media investigation by sorting messages via GIS coordinates, time, and more to ensure community members are reading the messages most relevant to them. This webinar, presented during National Preparedness Month, helped viewers gain valuable insights and explore innovative solutions in disaster communication. View Recording. View Slide Deck. View & Download PDH Certificate. About the Panelist Frances L. Edwards, PhD Deputy Director, National Transportation Security Center Frances L. Edwards, MUP, PhD, CEM, is professor emeritus of political science at San José State University, following 17 years as the Director of the Master of Public Administration program. She is the Deputy Director of the National Transportation Security Center at the Mineta Transportation Institute. A Certified Emergency Manager with over 20 years’ professional experience in California, she has served as acting assistant fire chief for the San José Fire Department, as Budget Analyst for the Irvine, California Police Department, and as Assistant to the City Manager in Florham Park, New Jersey. Dan Goodrich Senior Transportation Security Scientist Daniel C. Goodrich, MPA, CEM, MEP is a Senior Transportation Security Scientist with the Mineta Transportation Institute at SJSU, and the instructor for “Security Issues for Transportation Professionals” in the Master of Science in Transportation Management program. He is a Certified Emergency Manager, a Master Exercise Practitioner, a Professional Continuity Practitioner and a Certified Security Specialist. He provides emergency management planning and training support to Caltrans and Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority. Presenters: Frances L. Edwards, PhD and Dan Goodrich
September 20, 2023	Garrett Morgan Sustainable Transportation Competition: Information Night MTI was joined by eager middle school students, dedicated parents, and passionate educators at the Garrett Morgan Sustainable Transportation Competition Information Night. This event served as a gateway to an extraordinary national STEAM competition crafted to educate and engage students by solving our nation’s critical transportation issues. Participants learned how they can participate in the competition, and win prizes as we revealed this year’s #VisionZero2030 competition prompt. Learn more about the competition: https://transweb.sjsu.edu/workforce-development/garrett-morgan-program View the Recording. View the Slide Deck. View the 2024 Competition Prompt.
July 10, 2023 to July 28, 2023	Mineta Summer Transportation Institute (MSTI) 2023 - San José State University MTI's 2023 MSTI was held weekdays, July 10-28, 2023, M-F 9am-3pm at San José State University. While engaging in stimulating hands-on STEM activities and venturing on exciting local field trips, students learned about transportation innovation and earned 3 transferable college credits in Environmental Studies from San José State University. This program was completely free and open to high school students. This program was delivered in partnership with Caltrans and is a crucial step toward building the transportation workforce pipeline. View the Program Page View 2023 Calendar of Activities
June 28, 2023	Light Rail to Lunch Light Rail to Lunch encouraged local San José youths to get familiar with VTA’s public transit system. At this event, Catalyze SV, Mr. Barricade, and VTA led participants on a tour around the newly developed area in North San José to highlight features that support the community. The event also included a career panel with VTA. *MTI was a proud co-sponsor of this event.
June 25, 2023 to June 29, 2023	2023 WTS Capital Summit - College Park, MD The WTS Capital Summit, a signature program of Transportation YOU, offers students an opportunity to meet transportation industry thought leaders, government and administration officials, and college students beginning their own career journeys in the industry. Historically, the Summit brings high school-aged mentees and transportation professional mentors to the Washington, D.C. area for a 4-day summer program of tours, lectures, and interactive experiences showcasing careers in transportation. Students register to attend the Summit through WTS Chapters. The Summit provides participants experience in engineering challenges, professional development and leadership skills development, networking events, local tours, and opportunities to learn about core transportation development components, such as accessibility, livable communities, and urban planning. Tours may include the U.S. Department of Transportation; the U.S. Capitol and U.S. Congress, local airports, highway research facilities, the Washington Area Metropolitan Transit Authority (Metro), live engineering projects, port operations, and other transportation hubs. The Summit also encourages student attendees to consider a wide variety of future undergraduate and advanced degree opportunities... STEM, engineering, and beyond. *MTI was a proud co-sponsor of this program.