Past Events

The California State University Transportation Consortium organizes or participates in numerous transportation-related events each year. Details about past events, including links to presentations and other relevant resources, when available, are listed below.

Dates	Events
January 28, 2022 to January 30, 2022	Student Leadership Summit 2022 MTI was a proud to co-sponsor of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) SJSU Student Leadership Summit (SLS), an event organized by students to promote guidance and professional development through fun events such as presentations, socials, and technical events. Previously hosted by California Polytechnic State University, it was a great honor to continue the tradition of providing opportunities on behalf of San Jose State University for students to network with professionals in the transportation sector and streamline their interpersonal and leadership skills.
January 27, 2022	MTI Research Snaps Webinar: Transportation to Combat Human Trafficking - Online Human trafficking—a form of modern slavery—is the recruitment, transport, or transfer of persons using force, fraud, or coercion to exploit them for acts of labor or sex. According to the International Labor Organization, human trafficking is the fastest growing organized crime with approximately $150B in annual profits and 40.3M individuals trapped in slave-like conditions. The transportation industry plays a critical role in combating human trafficking as traffickers often rely on the transportation system to recruit, move, or transfer victims of human trafficking for either sex or forced labor. Additionally, transportation is used to move goods produced by forced and trafficked labor. This webinar shared the state-of-the-art efforts being used to combat this issue in the United States, including the role of transportation in facilitating effective prevention programs and increasing victim identification. It informed ongoing efforts on legislation, key initiatives, collaboration, data collection, and research on transportation. PDH Credit Certificate. View Recording. View Slides. Presenters: Dr. Kezban Yagci Sokat
January 20, 2022	Aviation and Climate Change Forum - Online View Event Flyer View Program Aviation’s impact to climate change is significant; without mitigation, this impact is expected to grow as the industry recovers from the global pandemic. Climate change has a correspondingly large impact on aviation; changing weather patterns can affect aircraft performance, infrastructure, and operations. Over the coming decades, the decarbonization of the aviation sector will present numerous technological, policy, and environmental challenges, while extreme weather will create challenges and new requirements for aviation safety and growth. On January 20, 2022, SJSU and its Mineta Transportation Institute hosted a virtual forum on Aviation and Climate Change to discuss these issues. The forum brought together Silicon Valley leaders in academia, government, and industry to showcase the regional capabilities available to address climate change and aviation challenges, and to encourage the public-private partnerships and collaborations needed to do so. PDH Credit Certificate. View Recording. View Slides. Programming Welcome and Forum Overview, Dr. Karen Philbrick, Executive Director, SJSU Mineta Transportation Institute and Dr. Tina Panontin, Director of Program Content, Professor of Practice, SJSU College of Engineering Welcome and SJSU Perspective, Dr. Vincent Del Casino, Provost and Senior Vice President, SJSU Silicon Valley Policy-Maker Perspectives, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, 19th District of California and Senator Dave Cortese, State Senate District 15 1. Aviation and Climate Change: Phenomenology Speakers: Dr. Minghui Diao, Associate Professor, SJSU College of Science, Department of Meteorology and Climate Science Raj Pai, Senior Technologist, NASA Ames Research Center 2. Aviation and Climate Change: Strategic Frameworks Speakers: Robert Pearce, Associate Administrator, Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate Dr. Brandon Graver, Senior Researcher, International Council on Clean Transportation Dr. Sheryl Ehrman, Don Beall Dean, SJSU College of Engineering Dr. Michael Kaufman, Dean, SJSU College of Science Dr. Eugene Tu, Center Director, NASA Ames Research Center 3. Aviation and Climate Change: Technology Advances Speakers: Dr. David Wagner, Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering, SJSU College of Engineering Dr. Alison Bridger, Department Chair, SJSU College of Science, Department of Meteorology and Climate Science Shawn Engelland, Aerospace Engineer, NASA Ames Research Center Dr. Mark Hansen, Professor of Transportation Engineering, UC Berkeley Kevin James, Senior Aerospace Engineer, NASA Ames Research Center Dr. Serena Alexander, Associate Professor at SJSU, Research Associate at MTI 4. Public Private Partnerships Speaker: Shivanjli Sharma, National Campaign Deputy Lead, NASA Ames Research Center 5. Industry Roundtable Moderator: Andrea Pesce, Director, Industry Alliances & Licensing, UC Santa Cruz Speakers: Amy Gross, Sustainability Lead, Joby Aviation Chris Bley, Co-Founder & Director, Monterey Bay DART David Merrill, CEO & Co-Founder, Elroy Air Michael Read, Founder, Skybase
December 9, 2021	MTI Research Snaps Webinar: Accessibility Policy For Autonomous Public Transit - Online One of the greatest advantages of autonomous vehicle technology is its potential to empower people to achieve mobility. This technology has significant potential to empower Americans with disabilities to move from A to B in ways previously unheard of. However, the realization of this potential depends on many stakeholders and potential obstacles. Vehicle manufactures, policy- makers, and state agencies all collaborate to accommodate the needs of disabled individuals at different stages of travel, through information system design, vehicle design, and infrastructure design. Integrating accessibility at this stage of the AV revolution would allow an opportunity to develop a transportation system that treats accessibility as a guiding principle, not as an afterthought. ADA regulations, along with universal design principles and assistive technologies, can maximize accessibility for all. We explored how through improved collaboration and adoption of best practices, the industry can learn to address the needs of individuals with disabilities. PDH Credit Certificate. View Recording. View Slides. Presenters: Drs. William "Billy" Riggs and Anurag Pande
December 3, 2021	ARTBA's 11th Annual Student Transportation Industry Video Contest - San José, CA The Student Video Contest is an annual competition aimed at helping students gain a better understanding of the importance of transportation infrastructure investment to the U.S. economy and quality of life, and to learn more about the industry and potential transportation construction career opportunities. ARTBA’s Research & Education Division sponsors the competition, which is divided into two age groups: Elementary, middle or high school students Post-secondary, college and graduate students Winners are selected in each age group. First prize in each category is $500 and second place in each category is $250. Videos should be no longer than 2 ½ minutes and feature audio. View past submissions \| Rules and regulations *This contest is supported by MTI and it's Executive Director who also serves as ARTBA's President of Research and Education Division.
November 16, 2021	Advanced Driver Assistance Systems & Automated Features: Are They Driving Us to Safety? - Online Automotive companies are constantly striving to enhance their vehicles to minimize and ultimately eliminate driver errors and enhance safety. Various advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and automated features are designed to warn, and in some cases, take over certain driving maneuvers. These systems are part of vehicles with driver assist technology, which are vital for the successful deployment of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) in the near future. What are these features? How do they work? How does a driver’s behavior vary when driving a vehicle with ADAS or automated features in rural, urban, and freeway driving scenarios? This webinar explored these questions based on research from evaluating drivers’ behavioral response to scenarios when driving vehicles with and without features like lane departure warning (LDW), blind spot warning (BSW), over speed warning (OSW), lane keep assist (LKA), and adaptive cruise control (acc). View Recording. View Slides. Presenters: Dr. Srinivas Pulugurtha and Raghuveeer Gouribhatla
November 8, 2021	Make the Connection: Next Stop Your Career - Online WTS-SF Bay Area and the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) of San Jose State hosted this free virtual event "Make the Connection: Next Stop Your Career" that introduced Bay Area university students studying transportation to local professional organizations that offer networking, professional development opportunities, and/or scholarship opportunities. At this event, Bay Area university students studying transportation (all disciplines) were introduced to the many wonderful professional organizations in our region, including: Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS) American Planning Association (APA) American Public Works Association (APWA) Association of Environmental Professionals (AEP) Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Intelligent Transportation Society of California (ITS California) Latinos in Transit (LiT) View Recording. View Slides.
October 29, 2021	SoFA Pocket Park Exploration - San José, CA MTI is partnered with the SJSU Department of Urban Planning, Communivercity, and Veggielution on this community-based project. In order to gain broad participation in a downtown community survey exploring the habits of Downtown San Jose residents and the new SoFA Pocket Park, MTI co-hosted three outreach events, including two geared towards K-12 participants.
October 19, 2021	(Cyber) Security Risk: Aligning the Transit Industry and Vendors to Address Increasing Cybersecurity Challenges - Online How can the transit industry and vendors align to address increasing cybersecurity challenges? This webinar looked at research to help public transit agencies understand the cybersecurity risks posed by the role some vendors play in their systems, and aligned vendors’ interests with the agency’s to better understand, mitigate, and respond to threats. The research team is delving into crucial behind-the-scenes details with these issues by conducting interviews, reviewing best practices, and examining U.S. policy on cybersecurity in public transportation and potential changes from the new Administration. The researchers provided operational recommendations for public transit operators and supply chain of vendors to adequately combat critical cyber risks. View Recording. View Slides. Presenters: Brandon Thomas
September 30, 2021 to October 1, 2021	2021 Mobility 21 Southern California Transportation Summit Road to Recovery - Online MTI is proudly co-sponsored Mobility 21's 2021 Summit "Road to Recovery." Mobility 21 is a coalition that brings together public, business and community stakeholders to pursue regional solutions to the transportation challenges facing Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties. In this year's summit, speakers tackled such topics as: California's Global Ports & Supply Chains Carbon Neutrality Employees Commutes Transportation Advocacy Equity Contractors Housing
September 16, 2021	MTI Research Snaps Webinar: "Roadblock Up On The Cloverleaf: Workforce Development for the Trucking Industry" - Online The trucking industry transports goods essential to our everyday lives. In recent years, the industry has faced workforce dilemmas such as driver shortages and high turnover—and supply chain issues stemming from the pandemic only amplify these problems. How can we ensure this important workforce remains functional and efficient? How does trucking fit into the future of transportation? This webinar explored truck driver recruitment and retention as well as other broader industry trends. View Recording. View Slides. Presenters: Drs. Tom O'brien and Tyler Reeb
September 8, 2021	Progressive Parking Policies: A Conversation with Prof. C.J. Gabbe & Students - Online The City of San Jose considered reducing the regulations it placed on parking to allow development to occur more easily. On August 27th, the City Council held a study session on this. What would these changes mean? Could they be beneficial for San Jose? How will they impact the next generation of San Joseans? Catalyze SV & Mineta Transportation Institute held a dynamic panel bringing together Professor C.J. Gabbe of Santa Clara University and his Environmental Studies and Sciences students. MTI was a proud co-sponsor to this informative event. View Recording. Presenters:* C.J. Gabbe & Santa Clara University students
July 22, 2021	MTI Research Snaps Presents "Google It: Microtransit Pilot Via2G and the Future of Commuting" - Online This webinar found alternatives to solo driving can help reduce congestion, improve air quality, and reduce parking demand. In October 2019, Google contracted the company Via to launch a new on-demand microtransit commute option called Via2G. This webinar discussed three months of pilot operations to understand the trends, challenges, and successes of microtransit commuting. The Via2G program enjoyed increasing popularity over time, providing more than 7,500 rides to nearly 900 Google employees. Most trips were relatively short, suggesting the program complemented peoples’ existing commute modes. Findings suggested future program iterations should seek ways to minimize deadheading, focus future programming and outreach on employees who always drive and/or complete errands on the commute trip, and extend program hours. View Recording. View Slides. Presenters: Anne Brown, PhD, Alice Grossman, PhD, Lucy Noble
June 17, 2021	MTI Research Snaps Webinar: "Using Twitter to Model Traffic Flows" - Online This webinar discussed how Twitter data can be used to understand and explain travel patterns in the relation between commuting and non-commuting trips. Local and regional planners struggle to keep up with rapid changes in mobility patterns, but researchers looked at whether geo-social network data can help. When comparing a robust data set of tweets from the Bay Area to US Census LODES data, researchers found that the data closely matched, and concluded that the common practice of employing LODES data to extrapolate to overall traffic demand is indeed justified. Regardless of trip purpose (e.g., shopping, regular recreational activities, dropping kids at school), the LODES data is an excellent predictor of overall road segment loads. View Recording. View Slides. Presenters: Drs. Laxmi Ramasubramanian and Jochen Albrecht
June 11, 2021	12th Annual Mineta National Transportation Policy Summit presents 'Electrifying the Transportation Future' Transportation policymakers face two overlapping, once-in-a-generation opportunities: electrifying the nation’s vehicle fleet and re-establishing a stable source of federal and state revenue for transportation. As states and the Biden administration begin a push to rapidly electrify the US fleet for climate reasons, policymakers are under increasing pressure to rethink how states and the federal government fund transportation infrastructure and services. For decades, motor fuel taxes have generated the majority of state and federal funds spent on transportation, even if recently these taxes have been losing their purchasing power. However, a shift to electric vehicles will require a new transportation funding model. The speakers will discuss the challenges and opportunities with such options as mileage fees, carbon taxes, higher vehicle registration fees, or a shift entirely away from user-generated revenue. View Recording \| View Program \| View Flyer \| View event page on Commonwealth Club website \| View past MTI's National Transportation Policy Summits
May 22, 2021	Hayward Unified School District STEAM Innovation Showcase - Online MTI proudly partnered with Hayward Unified School District’s Lorin Eden Elementary for their 2^nd annual STEAM Innovation Showcase featuring projects related to the theme Building a Better World. This exciting district-wide event was designed to share student work with the community and highlight innovative projects and programs in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math.
May 18, 2021	MTI Research Snaps Webinar: "Curb Chaos: Managing the Curb After COVID" - Online In recent years, curbspace has become more diverse and complex necessitating strategies for managing competition between multiple modes and types of users. This webinar featured policies, best practices, and lessons learned for managing curbspace in complex built environments and discussed recent changes in response to the global pandemic. Topics discussed include: Fees for access and use; Prioritizing access for public transportation, cyclists, pedestrians, older adults, youth, and people with disabilities; Geofencing to limit curb access; and Pricing; and other related strategies. View Recording. View Slides. Presenters: Susan Shaheen, PhD
May 3, 2021	MTI Photography Contest MTI held a photography contest open to all who take an interest in photography. MTI embraces diverse submissions and photographers to amplify the convergence of all voices. The 2021 theme for this contest was ground transportation with an emphasis on safety by diverse groups ranging in age, gender, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Ground transportation methods including but not limited to autonomous vehicles, bicycling, micro-mobility, pedestrian access, public transit, etc. Safe transit practices should be observed in the images (i.e. helmets for bicyclists, e-scooters in bike lanes, etc.).
April 26, 2021 to April 27, 2021	Lorin Eden Elementary Science Fair - Online MTI was a proud partner of Lorin Eden Elementary of Hayward, CA for their annual STEAM Innovation Showcase, where students unveiled their sustainable transportation-related projects. After exploring three critical areas of transportation— active transportation, fuel sources, and new and emerging technology, these students had the opportunity to discuss their ideas with transportation professionals. Featured speakers from: - California High Speed Rail and Fresno's Institute of Transportation
April 22, 2021	MTI Research Snaps Webinar: "Will AVs Do Away with Traffic Fines and Fees?" - Online This webinar discussed how widespread autonomous vehicle use impact traffic law violations and current government revenue schematics. States and localities have the opportunity to rethink and replace current practices since these vehicles will likely commit fewer traffic offenses. Governments can begin to reallocate resources that are currently invested in writing these tickets, defending the charges, and pursuing the debts in addition to re-evaluating the considerable equity issues that autonomous vehicle adoption may further highlight. View Recording. View Slides. Presenters: Selika Josiah Talbott, J.D.