Past Webinars

The Mineta Transportation Institute Student Association hosted its third annual Scholarship Success Session—a free virtual event designed to help students strengthen their scholarship applications and explore funding opportunities for their education.

Scholarship providers from the following organizations shared their insights:

• Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO)

• California Transportation Foundation (CTF)

• Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS)

They discussed what reviewers look for, introduced scholarship opportunities from their organizations, and provided practical tips participants could use right away.

Attendees came ready with questions and left with valuable advice and resources to support their scholarship journey.

View Recording.

View Slide Deck.

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

The 2025 “Research to Practice” Transit Symposium took place October 28-30, 2025, online. As the transit industry is experiencing significant changes (e.g., new technologies, potential funding shortage) in recent years, the symposium provided a platform where transit experts shared insights on how evidence-based research is being or can be used to make the most of these opportunities in a dynamic environment. This year’s symposium focused on the following topics:

• AI in Transit
• Federal Transit Innovations
• High-speed rail
• Rural Transit
• Intercity Bus Systems
• Microtransit and Paratransit State of Practice

The Symposium was convened by a partnership between APTA, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), University of Florida Transportation Institute, UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies, the Mineta Transportation Institute, and the Safety and Mobility Advancements Regional Transportation and Economics Research (SMARTER) Center at Morgan State.

MTI hosted the latest installment of our On the Right Track webinar series featuring Angus Campbell of the globally acclaimed architecture practice Foster + Partners. Campbell discussed his work on rail stations both internationally and domestically in the US, particularly in California. This included San Jose Diridon station and several stations along the Central Valley segment of California High-Speed Rail. Campbell’s work spans a wide range of projects, many involving adaptive reuse and mixed-use districts. The conversation explored what California can learn from international examples Foster + Partners has worked on and examined lessons for delivering projects more efficiently while also maximizing their benefits for cities and regions. This not-to-be-missed conversation took place on Thursday, October 9th.

Featured Guest: Angus Campbell, Senior Partner, Foster + Partners

Moderator: Eric Eidlin, Station Planning Manager, City of San José Department of Transportation; MSTM Instructor

This webinar was co-sponsored by APTA High-Speed & Intercity Passenger Rail Committee and US High Speed Rail Association.

View Recording.

View PDH Certificate.

About the Featured Speaker

Angus Campbell studied at the University of Birmingham and the Bartlett School of Architecture before joining Foster + Partners in 1990. During his three decades at Foster + Partners, he has worked on some of the world’s most prestigious rail infrastructure, venues, and masterplans across more than 20 countries. Angus has overseen some of our most complex projects, including Wembley Stadium, which opened in 2007; the development of the adjoining Wembley Park Station and masterplan, now the centrepiece of one of the world’s most successful entertainment districts; and the Hydro in Glasgow, one of the busiest 15,000-seat indoor arenas in the world. Angus has also been involved in the design of major pieces of infrastructure, starting with the King’s Cross Masterplan and the expansion of St Pancras Station. This experience led to his role as architectural design lead for the Haramain High-Speed Rail, linking the cities of Makkah and Madinah, which opened in 2019, as well as the transportation plan for the city of Jeddah. Angus’ unique experience includes the design of stations as urban anchors and how this impacts the design of the surrounding precinct in its urban setting. This gives him a holistic understanding of design briefs and the associated challenges they pose in creating a successful 365-day destination. Since 1998, he has developed a keen interest in venues and transit architecture. He was project architect for Wembley National Stadium, became a project director in 2001, a partner in 2004, and was made a senior partner in 2014. Recent projects include the City and South West Extension in Sydney, where he designed six stations with integrated overbuild, which opened in 2024. He is currently working in California on California High-Speed Rail, the expansion of Diridon Intermodal Station, and the BART Extension, which brings public transport to Silicon Valley.

MTI hosted an inside look at lessons learned from a recent San José State University study trip to Spain and France—home to some of the most celebrated high-speed rail systems and stations in the world. Through first-hand student experiences and expert perspectives, the event explored how great stations seamlessly connect intercity rail services with safe spaces for walking and biking and anchor vibrant urban neighborhoods that power regional economies.

The session examined what makes these stations thrive: the governance structures that keep them running smoothly, innovative strategies to futureproof them against tomorrow’s challenges, and the art of building public trust through strategic engagement. Attendees gained valuable insights and actionable inspiration to help transform mobility in their own communities.

Featured Guests:

• Dakota Gross, Senior Planner, LSA Associates, Inc.; SJSU MS in Transportation Management (MSTM) Student
• Alex Kenefick, Chief, Integration and Network Planning Branch, Caltrans; MSTM Alum ('17)
• Inmaculada Mohino, PhD, Associate Professor, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
• Fabrice Morenon, PhD, Managing Director, SNCF Hubs & Connexions

Moderator: Eric Eidlin, Station Planning Manager, City of San José Department of Transportation; MSTM Instructor

This webinar was co-sponsored by APTA High-Speed & Intercity Passenger Rail Committee, CRISI: Promoting Railroading Careers and Developing the Current Rail Industry Workforce, High Speed Rail Alliance, SJSU Institute for Metropolitan Studies, and US High Speed Rail Association.

*1 PDH credit available

View Recording.

View Slide Deck.

View PDH Certificate.

About the Featured Speakers

Dakota Gross is a transportation planning consultant based in Los Angeles. She is also a current graduate student in the Master of Science in Transportation Management (MSTM) program at the Mineta Transportation Institute, part of the Lucas Graduate School of Business at San José State University. Dakota has worked on large-scale transportation infrastructure projects, including preparing transportation and environmental planning documentation for the California High-Speed Rail project.

Alex Kenefick is the Branch Chief of the Integration and Network Planning Branch at the Caltrans Division of Rail. The branch is responsible for the release and update of the California State Rail Plan. Alex has had past careers in service, tourism, and watershed planning and management. Alex has a BS in Planning and Development from USC and a MS in Transportation Management from San Jose State University.

Inmaculada Mohino, PhD is Associate Professor at the Polytechnical University of Madrid, where her research focuses on urban design, regional planning, and the spatial impacts of large transportation infrastructure, with a particular focus on high-speed networks. She holds masters degrees in civil engineering and urban design, and a PhD in Territory, Infrastructure, and Environment from the University of Castilla La Mancha (UCLM). She previously taught at both UCLM and Universidad Complutense de Madrid and was a visiting scholar at Oxford Brookes University, UCLA, and the University of Amsterdam. Her work has been published in high-impact scientific journals, including the Journal of Transport Geography. 

Fabrice Morenon, PhD is the Managing Director of SNCF Hubs & Connexions, the arm of the French Railways that oversees the development of rail stations internationally. With a PhD in Economics and degrees from La Sorbonne and Sciences Po, his expertise spans station financing, development, and operations. Morenon is a Chevalier (Knight) of the French National Order of Merit, has been appointed French foreign trade advisor by the French Prime Minister, and was named Chairman of the sector “Station Managers Global group” at the International Union of Railways (UIC).