(L-R): Chairman of the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents Richard A. Box, Gerald Ullman, Brooke Ullman, Board of Regents Vice Chairman Phil Adams.

Gerald Ullman, Texas A&M Transportation Institute senior research engineer and manager of the work zone and dynamic message sign research program, has been presented with a Regents Fellow Service Award, which is among the most prestigious honors bestowed by The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents. The award was presented during ceremonies held at the Hagler Center on the Texas A&M campus January 30, 2013.  The award recognizes employees who have made exemplary contributions to their university or agency and to the people of Texas.

“I am both honored and humbled to be recognized by the Board and Regents and the Chancellor in this manner,” said Ullman. “I’ve been fortunate to be able to work with many outstanding colleagues over my career, and feel this award is a reflection and recognition of all their efforts and support as much anything I have done. I am very grateful to TTI and to the A&M System for the many opportunities I have been afforded.”

Ullman is a nationally recognized expert who has made significant contributions in work zone mobility and safety research for 28 years, beginning his career at TTI as a graduate student in 1984. He has served as principal investigator or co-principal investigator for more than 50 different research projects totaling more than $11 million, and has brought significant recognition to both TTI and to The Texas A&M University System.

Ullman is the ninth TTI employee to receive the Regents Fellow Service Award.

Charley Wootan Award winners Erik Sabina and Stacey Bricka pose with TTI’s Katie Turnbull. (Photo courtesy TRB)

Lead authors Stacey Bricka, Nauman Sheikh and Adam Pike were the respective winners of the Charley V. Wootan, K.B. Woods and Young Professional awards.

Established in 2004, the Charley V. Wootan Award is presented to the outstanding paper in the field of policy and organization. Wootan, who served as TTI’s director from 1976 to 1993, was active in TRB and served as its director in 1983. Bricka is the first TTI employee to receive the Wootan Award.

“This is the first paper award I’ve won and the first paper I submitted as a TTI employee,” Bricka, manager of the Mobility Management Program, says. “The fact that we won out of hundreds of submissions is a real honor, and the fact that it’s named after one of the early leaders of TTI is especially rewarding.” Bricka, who joined TTI in 2010, co-wrote Evaluation of Key Design Elements of Long-Distance Survey of Front Range Travel Counts with Erik Sabina of the Denver Regional Council of Governments.

The K. B. Woods Award, which this year was presented to Associate Research Engineer Nauman Sheikh and co-author and Program Manager Roger Bligh—both of TTI’s Roadside Safety Program—was established in 1971 for the outstanding paper published in the field of design and construction of transportation facilities. Woods was the 19th chairman of the Highway Research Board.

K.B. Woods Award winners John Holt, Nauman Sheikh, Roger Bligh pose with Katie Turnbull.

Their paper, Minimum Rail Height and Design Impact Load for Longitudinal Barriers That Meet Test Level 4 of Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware was part of a Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) research project and co-authored by John Holt of TxDOT’s Bridge Division.

“I feel blessed to receive the award,” Sheikh says. “I think it’s an acknowledgement that the research was worthy of being published and recognized. I feel very fortunate.” Sheikh is no stranger to paper awards. Since beginning his professional career at TTI as a student employee, he’s received three other TRB paper awards, including his first K.B. Woods Award in 2007. Bligh has received three other major paper awards. This is his third K.B. Woods Award.

TRB officials say a total of 4,800 papers were submitted for seven awards named for pioneers in transportation research.

Adam Pike, assistant research engineer in TTI’s Signs and Markings Program, received a 2012 Young Professional Best Paper Award after being one of four that were nominated from the Maintenance and Preservation Section. The paper was entitled Evaluation of ASTM Standard Test Method E2177: Retroreflectivity of Pavement Markings in a Condition of Wetness. This award was the first Young Professional Award conferred under the Maintenance and Preservation Section.

TRB’s Annual Meeting attracted 11,700 transportation professionals from around the world and covered all transportation modes. More than 40 sessions and workshops addressed this year’s theme: Deploying Transportation Research — Doing Things Smarter, Better, Faster.

Jerry Ullman

On Nov. 2, 2012, the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents designated TTI Senior Research Engineer Jerry Ullman to receive the Regents Fellow Service Award. Ullman manages TTI’s Work Zone and DMS Program.

The Board established the Regents Fellow Service Award program in 1998 to recognize employees who make exemplary contributions to their university or agency, as well as to the people of Texas. To date, 97 agency professionals have received the award. The Regents will officially confer the award in January 2013. | View the A&M System Press Release

Dr. Gene Hawkins (right) receives the Wilbur Smith Distinguished Transportation Educator Award from ITE International President Rock Miller.

Dr. Gene Hawkins, associate professor in the Texas A&M Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, is the recipient of a prestigious educator award from the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). Hawkins, who is also a research engineer with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), received the 2012 Wilbur S. Smith Distinguished Transportation Educator Award at the ITE Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, August 15.

ITE awards the Wilbur S. Smith award annually to recognize a transportation educator who has made an outstanding contribution to the transportation profession by relating academic studies to the actual practice of transportation. The award recognizes Hawkins for his commitment to the professional development of his students.

The wording on the award reads, in part: “Dr. Hawkins typifies the ‘best of the best’ in his personal commitment to achieving excellence, both as an academician and as a professional. His commitment to students has been demonstrated by the personal attention that he gives to his students and the assistance he gives them in furthering their careers.”

During his three-decade long education career, Hawkins has been very active in ITE activities, including as the Texas A&M ITE student chapter advisor from 2007 to 2010. Texas A&M ITE was awarded best chapter in the Texas District in 2008 and 2010, and the Texas A&M team won the inaugural ITE Traffic Bowl in 2010.

Norboge

In a time of increased scrutiny about where transportation dollars are spent, the need for sound economic analysis in transportation planning is greater than ever.

Nick Norboge, Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) assistant transportation researcher and fellow at the Eno Center for Transportation, recently presented a paper that examines how economic analysis can help states make smarter transportation decisions.

The paper “Better Use of Public Dollars: Economic Impact Analysis in Transportation Decision Making” was presented on Friday, June 8, at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, D.C. About 100 people attended the presentation. The paper is a William P. Eno Research Paper and winner of a paper competition among Eno’s Leadership Development Conference fellows.

The paper uses federal and state case studies to demonstrate that economic impact analyses can help to increase accountability and transparency, and it proposes policy changes that can further application of economic impact analysis.

“This research topic was originally inspired by a University Transportation Center for Mobility report that [TTI researchers] David Ellis and Brianne Glover wrote entitled Refining a Methodology for Determining the Economic Impacts of Transportation Investment,” said Norboge. “With both David and Brianne’s help, I worked with Eno CEO Dr. Joshua Schank to write this paper. My hope is that this paper will continue to receive positive press and will reflect TTI as an organization willing and able to take on the tough transportation policy problems of the 21st century.”

The Eno Center for Transportation is a neutral, non-partisan think tank that promotes policy innovation and provides professional development opportunities across the career span of transportation professionals.

Read the paper or watch the presentation below.

Geiselbrecht

Texas Transportation Institute Assistant Research Scientist Tina Geiselbrecht has successfully completed 40 hours of instruction by the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2), receiving the IAP2 Certification in Public Participation.

Geiselbrecht’s work centers on public opinion research and public outreach. In assessing public opinion about planned transportation projects, she has conducted numerous stakeholder interviews, focus groups, surveys and discussion groups. The IAP2 certification enhances her skills in public engagement.

The five-day course included subjects involving effective public participation and public communication techniques.

IAP2 is recognized around the world, training employees in all fields concerned with public engagement.

Turnbull

Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) Executive Associate Agency Director Katie Turnbull received recognition from the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Managed Lanes Committee on May 23 for her contribution to high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) and high-occupancy toll (HOT) research, an effort spanning more than 20 years.

The citation states that “[Turnbull’s research findings] and her hands-on involvement in specific projects have provided practitioners with the tools and information needed to plan, develop and operate HOV and HOT lanes in the U.S. and abroad for the past two decades, providing the foundation for new applications of managed lanes today.”

The Managed Lanes Committee’s Excellence in Applied Research Award recognizes an individual’s contribution to advancing the practice of applied research through his or her groundbreaking and innovative ideas. Qualification for the award includes one’s research resulting in “changes and improvements in activities by implementing agencies and a heightened understanding and acceptance between operating agencies and researchers.”

“It is an honor to be acknowledged for helping advance applied research in HOV and HOT lanes,” notes Turnbull. “TTI has a history of research in this area, and it is especially gratifying to be recognized by one’s peers on a TRB committee.”

TTI Day Award winners.

A total of 14 employees and a doctoral student were the recipients of this year’s individual awards announced May 1 at TTI Day at the Brazos County Expo Center Ballroom. | Individual Citation Listing

The award ceremony is one of the highlights of the annual gathering. This is the 18th year that TTI Day has been held to honor Institute employees and give the agency’s director a chance to deliver his “state of the Institute” address. The awards are sponsored by Trinity Industries, a long-time supporter of TTI.

The individual award winners were:

• Mehdi Azimi — Doctoral Student
• Tara Ramani — New Researcher Award
• Dan Walker —Research Technical Staff
• Michael Vickich — Research Technical Staff
• Linda Castillo — Research Support Staff
• Andy Garner — Administrative Technical Staff
• Susie Catalina — Administrative Support Staff
• Chris Sasser — Administrative Professional Staff
• Jeff Borowiec — Researcher Award
• Joe Zietsman — Researcher Award
• Kay Fitzpatrick —Senior Researcher
• Steve Roop — G. Sadler Bridges Sr. Researcher
• Brian Long — Gregory P. Richmond Administrative Professional Staff
• Christy Harris — Charles J. “Jack” Keese Career Achievement for Agency Support
• John Mounce —Charley V. Wootan Career Achievement for Research

Also, four graduate students were honored with Keese-Wootan Fellowships:

• Lisa Larsen — $1500
• Yuging Zhang — $1500
• Lisa Minjares — $750
• Prem Devarasetty — $750

In addition, students affiliated with the Southwest Region University Transportation Center (SWUTC) and the University Transportation Center for Mobility (UTCM) were recognized for awards received earlier this year:

• Lisa Larsen — UTCM Student of the Year
• Benjamin Sperry — SWUTC William J. Harris Outstanding Doctoral Student Award
• James Robertson — SWUTC/TAMU Outstanding Master’s Student
• Christopher Jones — SWUTC/TAMU Most Outstanding Student

TTI Day Team Award winners.

The employees responsible for the Anonymous Wireless Address Matching (AWAM) System received the Herbert H. Richardson Team Award at TTI Day, May 1 held at the Brazos County Expo Center.

The 24 employees all had a role in the invention, implementation, testing and success of the AWAM system, which has been featured in numerous publications and is the recipient of state and national awards.

The patent-pending system allows transportation agencies to monitor traffic conditions with the help of Bluetooth®–enabled devices. AWAM is being used for traveler information, border-crossing delay monitoring, hurricane evacuation, travel surveys and arterial-street monitoring.

The recipients of the Herbert H. Richardson Team Award, sponsored by Trinity Industries are:

• Michael Vickich
• Darryl Puckett
• Rajat Rajbhandari
• Leonard Ruback
• Swapnil Samant
• Tony Voigt
• Darrell Borchardt
• Kathy Tran
• Roma Stevens
• Kevin Balke
• Bob Brydia
• Shawn Turner
• Ed Hard
• Steve Farnsworth
• Roberto Macias
• Brian Miller
• Robert Benz
• Shammanth Kuchangi
• Paul Adamson
• Omar Mata
• Jonathan Tydlacka
• Brenda Manak
• Lisa Patke

The project, Using Smartphones to Collect Bicycle Travel Data in Texas, was first honored with the WTS Heart of Texas (HOT) Chapter’s Innovative Transportation Solutions Award at its Awards and Scholarship Gala March 30 in Austin. International winners are selected from the many local chapter awards winners.

“This was an unexpected honor locally, but to win on the international level as well was especially exciting,” says TTI Associate Research Engineer Joan Hudson, who led the project. “We teamed up with the Center for Transportation Research at The University of Texas for this project, and that was very rewarding.”

Using volunteers from May through November of last year, the project tested a smartphone application’s effectiveness in tracking bicyclists’ travel routes. A total of 3,000 bicycle trips were logged by participants. A final report will determine if the data collection method will be useful for communities wanting to improve bicycle facilities.

Goodin Named Chapter’s Woman of the Year

Also at the WTS HOT Chapter Gala, the group honored TTI Senior Research Engineer Ginger Goodin as the local 2011 Woman of the Year. Goodin is TTI’s Planning and Environment Division Head, as well as leader of the Institute’s Austin Office. The award “honors a woman who is an outstanding role model and has contributed to the advancement of women and minorities in transportation.”

“I’m very humbled to have been selected for this award,” Goodin says. “The women recognized in the past are community leaders, women I look up to. To be included in the company of such an elite group is a huge honor for me.”

A graduate of the 2010 Leadership Texas program, Goodin is nationally known for her research on mileage-based user fees and as an expert on managed lanes. She often testifies before the Texas State Legislature on important technical transportation issues. Goodin is the TTI-Austin lead for the Mobility Investment Priorities Study, which is helping the region prioritize projects to pursue using the area’s share of $300 million in funding allocated by the Texas Legislature in 2011.

Other TTI-related nominees for WTS HOT chapter awards recognized at the Gala were: TTI as Employer of the Year; Cinde Weatherby as Member of the Year; and the Texas 2030 Committee’s efforts were recognized with the Innovative Transportation Solutions Award.

TTI’s Weatherby Elected to WTS International Board

Cinde Weatherby, director of TTI’s Center for Strategic Transportation Solutions, will begin a two-year term on the WTS International Board of Directors in May. She has been an active member in both the Greater Dallas-Fort Worth and Heart of Texas chapters of the organization.

WTS International boasts nearly 5,000 members — both men and women — in 49 local chapters across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. There are four WTS chapters in Texas: Greater Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and the Austin-area Heart of Texas chapter. The HOT chapter has also sponsored one of the few student chapters in the country at The University of Texas.

The international association was established in 1977 to help women “find opportunity and recognition in the transportation industry.”