The Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting is the world’s largest gathering of transportation professionals. Each year, numerous Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) researchers and students attend the Washington, D.C., event. The 2015 annual meeting was Jan. 11–15.
Turnbull Honored with TRB’s Carey Award
TTI Executive Associate Director Katie Turnbull was presented with TRB’s W. N. Carey, Jr. Distinguished Service Award, recognizing her outstanding service to TRB and transportation research.
Since 1988, Turnbull has provided uninterrupted service as a chair or member of 23 TRB councils, groups, sections, committees, panels and task forces, and has written or coauthored 39 TRB publications. Most recently, she served as chair of the TRB Technical Activities Council.
“Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to work with an outstanding group of volunteers and TRB staff on numerous projects and activities. TRB has enriched both my professional career and my personal life. It’s provided me with numerous opportunities to help address key transportation issues and to help make a difference,” Turnbull said.
TTI Researchers Honored with D. Grant Mickle Award at TRB
Three TTI researchers received the prestigious D. Grant Mickle Award, given to the best paper in the field of operation, safety and maintenance of transportation facilities.
TTI Senior Research Engineer Kay Fitzpatrick, TTI Associate Research Engineer Marcus Brewer and TTI Associate Research Scientist Raul Avelar were honored for Driver Yielding at Traffic Control Signals, Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons, and Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons in Texas — a Texas Department of Transportation research project that examined the effectiveness of three types of pedestrian crossing devices. Fitzpatrick, the principal investigator for the project, also received the D. Grant Mickle Award in 2012.
Epps Receives ARTBA’s Steinberg Award
TTI Executive Associate Director Jon Epps was honored with the American Road and Transportation Builders Association’s 2015 S. S. Steinberg Award, which is presented annually to an individual who has made remarkable contributions to transportation education. The award is named after the founding president of the association’s Research and Education Division.
Epps is considered a pioneer in the field of asphalt pavement because of his innovations related to recycling and testing. He is also responsible for improving the materials and processes used by the pavement construction industry.
“I have been very fortunate to work with great people, especially students, during my career,” Epps says of the Steinberg Award. “Being an educator has been one of the most rewarding parts of my job. I’ve always tried to bring research into practice, and I thank ARTBA for this great honor.”
ATLAS Intern Presents Poster at TRB following VSL Research Project
A summer intern with the new Advancing Transportation Leadership and Safety (ATLAS) Center — a University Transportation Center formed between TTI and the Transportation Research Institute at the University of Michigan — became the first ATLAS intern to present a poster at TRB’s 2015 Annual Meeting. Ryan Stone, an undergraduate at the University of Michigan, conducted research to determine the public’s perception of variable speed limits (VSLs). His poster was accepted for presentation following a TRB peer review. Stone determined that the vast majority of people had negative feelings about VSLs. He concluded that perceptions would improve once the public was educated through awareness and outreach efforts.
TTI Associate Researcher Named 2014 SWUTC Student of the Year
Brad Brimley, a Texas A&M University transportation engineering student, has been selected as the Southwest Region University Transportation Center (SWUTC) Student of the Year. The honor is bestowed on the best and brightest from the SWUTC consortium, which includes five universities: Texas A&M, The University of Texas at Austin, Texas Southern University, Louisiana State University and the University of New Orleans. He received the honor at the Council of University Transportation Centers banquet, held at the TRB Annual Meeting.
