pacific nw transportation consortium region 10 Pactrans

PacTrans representative Maria Bayya attended the 2015 Research Advisory Committee/TRB State Representative Meeting hosted by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in Portland, Oregon this past July.

This five day event was themed: “Creating Dynamic Research Programs through Collaboration.” The Research Advisory Committee (RAC) discussed research processes and programs, drafted and approved a strategic plan, and reviewed TRB committees’ activities.

Discussions revolved around issues including: RAC administration, education and training, program quality management, coordination and collaboration, transportation knowledge network, value of research, best practices and success stories.  Worthy to note is the presentation of top 16 picks from the AASHTO RAC annual High Value Research submissions, candidly called SWEET SIXTEEN, which included our very own PacTrans External Advisory Board member Ned Parrish from the Idaho Transportation Department. He presented research entitled “Development of a System for Remote Detection of Avalanches in High-Risk Locations to Enhance Traveler Safety and Mobility.” This was a real-time avalanche detection project that developed/refined infrasound methods for remote detection of avalanches.  The goal of the avalanche detection project was to create a speedy response to avalanche events to minimize delays and improve safety.