PacTrans | Student Activities

Student Activities

June 04, 2024
RECAP – AI in Motion: Shaping the Future of Mobility & Safety Symposium

On May 15-17, 2024, the Texas Department of Transportation hosted the AI in Motion Symposium: Shaping the Future of Mobility & Safety in Austin, Texas. PacTrans, in collaboration with TTI and Region 6 UTC (Southern Plains Transportation Center), co-organized the event, drawing over 150 participants passionate about transportation AI.

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May 06, 2024
Showcasing WDI Student Programs at Engineering Discovery Days

Last Friday, on May 3, 2024, PacTrans shared our Workforce Development Institute (WDI) initiatives at Engineering Discovery Days held at the University of Washington (UW). At Engineering Discovery Days, students and faculty from all UW engineering departments share their work with upwards of 10,000 students, teachers, families and the community.

Our operations team, combined with volunteers from the PacTrans fellowship program, had a great time informing visitors about the PacTrans mission and WDI summer programs for students. The programs shared were:

Intro to Autonomous Cars

In this course, students learn about important topics related to autonomous vehicles (AVs) and the supporting infrastructure, and work with a team to build their own AV using LEGO Education SPIKE Prime Kits. We’ll discuss specific topics related to AVs, such as connected technology, sensing and data collection, traffic system control, electrification and more. Students practice integrating sensors, algorithms and a computing unit to automate vehicle movements. Students also take field trips to on-campus labs and hear from UW researchers and scientists. Co-sponsored by UW Youth & Teen Programs.

Washington Transportation Camp

Washington Transportation Camp is a FREE 6-day/5-night residential summer camp that will give highly motivated Washington state high school students the opportunity to explore the wonderful world of transportation through classes, lab tours, field trips, and student-led projects. Co-sponsored by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).

Here are some quotes from our volunteers:

It was such a pleasure to see UW campus alive with so many young students eager to learn about engineering. Watching students attempt the hardest levels in our Rush Hour game, then seeing the joy on their face as they succeed reinforces why I enjoy teaching so much, and I hope to see many of these students at future summer camps to learn more about transportation.

–– Ryan Avery, PacTrans Interim Assistant Director

It was great to see so many young students enthusiastic about engineering and watching them engage with all the different activities. My favorite thing was engaging in conversations about transportation and engineering with these students. I believe that it is important to have events like these to engage the future generation in engineering.

–– Jonah Lorica, PacTrans Graduate Fellow

Engaging with the students was the best part! I loved playing games with them and answering any of their questions about transportation. It couldn’t have been a better day either. We got to be outside with the perfect PNW view.

–– Kristine Pham, PacTrans Marketing & Communications Specialist
March 19, 2024
Thank you for joining our Preparing Future Transportation Leaders for a Sustainable Tomorrow Seminar

On March 4, 2024, PacTrans and the Council of University Transportation Centers (CUTC) collaborated to provide students with valuable face-to-face engagement with transportation professionals. During the event, the Secretary of Transportation, Roger Millar, and ASCE President, Dennis Truax, imparted insights on the future of civil engineering, opportunities in the intersectionality of transportation and sustainability, and their own career journeys. Watch the full seminar above.
May 12, 2023
PacTrans Participates in 2023 Lifesavers Conference

PacTrans had two consortium partner universities participate in the 2023 Lifesavers Conference on Highway Safety Priorities in Seattle, Washington. The Lifesavers Conference showcases the latest research, evidence-based strategies, proven countermeasures, and promising new approaches for addressing the nation’s most pressing traffic safety problems and focus on the 4 Es of traffic safety: engineering, emergency response, enforcement, and education. PacTrans’ collaborator, the Northwestern Tribal Technical Assistance Program (NW TTAP) Center, was among the exhibitors, leveraging the opportunity to discuss safety challenges on Tribal roads and to network with professionals in traffic safety and Tribal transportation.
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May 01, 2023
WSU Student Researcher win First Prize in Student Data Analysis Contest

Chuang Chen, a Graduate Research Assistant from Washington State University, recently won first prize in the 2022 Long-Term Infrastructure Performance (LTIP) Student Data Analysis Contest (Pavement). Chen won with a paper titled, Key Climatic Factors Affecting Asphalt Pavement Roughness Differ in Different Climate Regions: Exploratory Analyses, which explored the use of multiple techniques for big data processing and subsequent exploratory analyses, and investigated the relationships between climatic factors and a typical asphalt pavement distress – roughness. This study also tested the hypothesis that key climatic factors affecting asphalt pavement roughness differ in different regions.
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