University of Washington

Education and Workforce Development Transportation education and workforce development are high priorities for the PacTrans institutions as key components of the mission and plans for the consortium. Our five universities educate the majority of transportation professionals working in Region 10 and have won awards for innovative and effective engineering education efforts. PacTrans' activities in education and workforce development emphasize cultivating future leaders and professionals through education on the systems approach to safe and sustainable transportation solutions. PacTrans provides educational and workforce development activities in several different areas centered on four themes: enhancing student learning through an adoptable curriculum, increasing student experiences with real-world transportation issues, increasing the recruitment of students through expanded university outreach programs, and improving regional collaboration in education and workforce development. Each year PacTrans provides scholarships, fellowships, assistantships, and internships to students at the PacTrans universities. As part of our mission to bring talented professionals into the transportation field, PacTrans provides funding to students seeking transportation-related degrees. Students and faculty in the PacTrans universities are directly involved in transportation research and education, and have developed strong relationships with state transportation departments and other regional organizations. PacTrans' relationships and impact extends to the international transportation community, as well. Collaboration and education exchanges bring visitors from countries such as Denmark, China, Luxembourg, and Israel, and the Valle Scholarship and Scandinavian Exchange Program fosters cooperative international education among the University of Washington and Scandinavian institutions. REGION 10 STUDENT CONFERENCE Transportation students in Region 10 gather every year at the Region 10 Student Conference. PacTrans and the UW Student Chapter of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) jointly sponsored the Region 10 Student Conference on October 18, 2014 at the University of Washington. In existence for over a decade, this tradition serves as an excellent venue for students to share research and develop professional connections. ANNUAL TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD (TRB) MEETING The Annual TRB Meeting attracts approximately 12,000 transportation professionals from around the world. The meeting, held in January in Washington, D.C., represents one of the most important and widely attended venues for transportation researchers and practitioners to exchange research information and share technology transfer stories. The meeting covers all transportation modes, with more than 3,000 program presentations and a variety of sessions addressing topics of interest to all attendees— policy makers, administrators, practitioners, researchers, and representatives of government, industry, and academic institutions. Every year, PacTrans honors the center's Student of the Year by sponsoring full travel costs and awarding $1,000. The Student of the Year is nominated by transportation faculty for excellence in academic achievement and overall contribution to the transportation community. The Student of the Year is officially recognized by CUTC at the awards banquet held in conjunction with the TRB meeting. PacTrans reimburses a portion of conference travel expenses for students who are the primary presenter/ author of a paper accepted for presentation at the meeting. At the 94th Annual Meeting (January 11 – 15, 2015), more than 100 academic research papers and talks were presented by PacTrans graduate students as primary authors. PACTRANS STUDENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING: MARSHA ANDERSON BOMAR Marsha Anderson Bomar is a transportation entrepreneur, leader, and trailblazer for women in transportation engineering. To get to where she is today, Anderson Bomar recognizes the importance of developing strong communication skills for career and leadership success. For the PacTrans Student Leadership Training on April 20, Anderson Bomar critically examined the way language can work for and against us, the communication differences between men and women, and what students can do now to build skills to grow as strong leaders. 22 Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium

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