Past Events

The Fresno State Transportation Institute designed the Railroad Model Competition to be an accessible and enjoyable educational experience, helping students and teachers to build a better future in transportation sciences.

This competition was divided into 3 grade levels; Upper Elementary, Middle, and High schools. Each grade level had 10 teams per grade and teams of up to 10 students and at least one faculty member or club advisor. This competition showcased the creativity of the teams in designing their own railroad track models in a way that is fuel and cost-efficient and minimum time traveled. 

*MTI was a proud co-sponsor of this competition.

Major challenges leave agencies and transit bus manufacturers facing uncertainty as the U.S. public transportation sector charges ahead into a zero-emission future. Leah Foecke and Zachary Karson of global infrastructure advisory firm Rebel Group and authors of a recent MTI publication explored obstacles and insights in the US transit bus market. The discussion focused on key industry dynamics, financial challenges with zero-emission bus (ZEB) acquisition, technological barriers in deployment, and regulatory issues. 

Presenters: 

• Leah Foecke, MS, MTI Researcher & Manager, Rebel Group
• Zachary Karson, MS, MTI Researcher & Manager, Rebel Group

Moderator: Karen Philbrick, PhD, Executive Director, Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI)

View Recording.

View PDH Credit.

View Presentation Slides.

About the Presenters

Leah is a Manager at Rebel with over seven years of experience as an economic consultant and policy advisor. She brings experience advising clients at the national, state, and local level, with particular expertise in transit and transportation, zero-emission transition, and public-private infrastructure delivery. Prior to Rebel, Leah provided economic analysis, strategic advisory services, and monitoring and evaluation support to public and private sector clients as an economic consultant and held fellowships focused on climate and infrastructure with the City of Boston and the State of Massachusetts. She holds a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Public Policy and a bachelor’s degree in economics and biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Zachary is a Manager at Rebel with experience advising both public and private clients on infrastructure projects and transactions in various sectors, including mass transit and mobility, renewable energy, broadband, water, and wastewater. Zachary focuses on financial analysis, risk analysis, procurement support, and assisting clients with key commercial and financial decisions. Zachary is also a registered Series 50 municipal financial advisor. Before working at Rebel, Zachary worked for various public and private organizations in the renewable energy sector. He holds a master’s degree in public administration and a master’s degree in business administration from New York University, and a bachelor’s degree in political science and Spanish from Kenyon College.

On the Right Track: The Transformative Potential of Rail

Discover the secrets behind over 50 years of global high-speed rail innovation in MTI’s newest webinar series! Explore station planning, station design development best practices, and groundbreaking projects from France, Germany, and Spain, featuring actionable insights from expert speakers. Join us as we explore how international high-speed rail success can guide U.S. professionals to shape the future of transit in our communities.

This webinar series is co-sponsored by APTA High-Speed & Intercity Passenger Rail Committee, California High-Speed Rail Authority, High Speed Rail Alliance, and US High Speed Rail Association.

Webinars include:

• Webinar #1 | December 11, 2024 | The French Case: Stations as City Boosters
• Webinar #2 | January 15, 2025 | The Spanish Case: Transformacion Rápida
• Webinar #3 | February 12, 2025 | The German Case: Rail Stations to Connect the World
• Webinar #4 | March 5, 2025 | Berlin, Beijing, Bakersfield: Station Design Insights for U.S. Rail

Webinar #4 - Berlin, Beijing, Bakersfield: Station Design Insights for U.S. Rail

Join us for the final installment of our webinar series On the Right Track: The Transformative Potential of Rail! This session features expert insights from Heidi Sokolowsky (Urban Field Studio), Kristopher Takács (AECOM), and Eric Eidlin (City of San José). All three have decades of experience in station planning, both in the U.S. and globally. In this session, the three panelists will summarize key takeaways from the past three webinars in the series and reflect upon how global insights from world-class station design and project delivery can influence the future of multimodal transit in California, the U.S., and beyond. They will also consider how recent federal policy shifts could influence the trajectory of high-speed rail projects in the U.S. Don’t miss this opportunity to join the conversation shaping the future of rail!

Featured Guests:

• Eric Eidlin, Station Planning Manager, City of San José Department of Transportation
• Heidi Sokolowsky, Founding Partner, Urban Field Studio
• Kristopher Takács, Global Head of Stations and TOD, AECOM

View Recording.

View PDH Credit.

View Presentation Slides.

About the Speakers

Eric Eidlin is Station Planning Manager with the City of San Jose. In this role, he plays a leading role in the City’s efforts to transform Diridon Station into a world-class multimodal hub.

Eric brings a wealth of experience in high-speed rail (HSR) and intermodal facility planning to the City, including from his travels to France and Germany, where he has studied best practices in HSR system and station development. Eric previously worked as Sustainability Manager for the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Region 9 office in San Francisco, where he coordinated major federal interagency initiatives relating to sustainable transportation and development. Eric holds a master’s degree in urban design from the University of Toronto and a master’s degree in city planning from UCLA.

Heidi Sokolowsky is a founding partner at Urban Field Studio, an urban design firm based in San Francisco. Heidi has received her master’s degree in Architecture and Urban Design from the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany, and has worked on urban development and transit-centered projects for over 30 years, including station areas for HSR, BART, Caltrain, and L.A. Metro Stations. Heidi is currently a consultant to the California High-Speed Rail Authority focusing on station area planning, early site activation, and community engagement. She enjoys and collaborates on the design of urban places that are walkable, livable, and sustainable – and can evolve over time. She is also a regular user of trains and bikes. She has taught urban design at San José State University and at the Bauhaus University in Weimar.

Architect and urbanist Kristopher Takács leads AECOM’s global practice for Stations and Transit-Oriented Development (TOD), a multi-disciplinary team of designers, transportation experts, and land planning strategists recognized for creative, technical expertise that connects people, buildings and places. Kristopher has been instrumental in the creation of award-winning multi-modal passenger facilities and mixed-use urban development around the world, including Denver Union Station and Brightline Florida. He is a skilled leader of complex urban design and transportation infrastructure projects that deeply engage public and private stakeholders—projects that lead with vision and result in consensus-driven value creation.

Founded by the National Society of Professional Engineers in 1951, Engineers Week is dedicated to ensuring a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce by increasing understanding of and interest in engineering and technology careers. Engineers Week aims to inspire future generations of engineers and provide opportunities for K-12 students to learn about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) through professional panels, discussions, and hands-on engineering activities. As a part of Engineers Week celebration, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) San Jose - Young Members Forum hosted 75 local high school students to participate in High School Day at Valley Water District Office.

*This event was presented by the Mineta Transportation Institute.