pacific nw transportation consortium region 10 Pactrans

WSU’s Mehrzad Mehrabipour was awarded the Helene M. Overly Memorial Scholarship by the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) Puget Sound last March, receiving a grand total of $5,000. 

“The fact that improving a small process can enhance and impact the quality of an entire system inspired me to receive a B.S. degree in 2012 and an M.S. degree in 2014, both in Industrial Engineering,” Mehrabipour said in an email.  

“Since Industrial Engineering is a broad field, I explored different areas while I was working as a lecturer until I became interested in the improvement of transportation systems as a critical need for a vibrant society, which impacts people worldwide. 

“I came to the U.S. in 2016 to pursue my graduate degree in Transportation Engineering at Washington State University. I received my second M.S. degree in Civil Engineering, with a specialty in Transportation Engineering. I have developed an approach to find real-time signal timing plans in large-scale transportation networks for my M.S. thesis. 

“Currently, I am studying Ph.D. in the same field. So far, I have developed different approaches to find optimal drivers’ routes in large-scale transportation networks. 

“I have presented my research for the Transportation Research Board, the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, and PacTrans. 

“In the fall of 2017, I was in an undergraduate class for Transportation Engineering, and the instructor asked everyone to tell their reasons for taking this class. I became so upset that no one mentioned an interest to Transportation Engineering as a reason. Then, I realized they were not familiar with Transportation Engineering at all. 

“This inspired me to establish the Institute of Transportation Engineers Student Chapter at WSU (ITESC-WSU). My main goal is to familiarize students with Transportation Engineering and promote the advancement of transportation by involving students with transportation projects, inviting transportation professionals, and designing innovative transportation-related activities. 

“I also represented the Civil and Environment Engineering department at the Graduate and Professional Association at WSU from 2017-2018. My efforts resulted in an increase of awareness of Transportation Engineering, even at the university level, and growth in the number of ITESC-WSU members. 

“After so many years of studying, I find myself strongly passionate about Transportation Engineering. I totally sense how improvements in delays, accidents, and air quality can affect an entire society. 

“My goal is to work as a researcher and faculty member that contributes to creating smarter, safer, and more efficient transportation systems.”

Mehrabipour’s research interests includes operation research in traffic congestion management, large scale traffic assignment, signal timing optimization, and network optimization.

The Helene M. Overly Memorial Graduate Scholarship was established in honor of WTS’s first Executive Secretary for her dedication to public service, organizational skills, and determination which helped double WTS’s membership in two years. This scholarship is offered to women enrolled in a transportation-related graduate degree program.

The Women’s Transportation Seminar is an organization dedicated to aiding other women in the pursuit of a career in transportation by offering a countless amount of programs, networking opportunities, and access to the highest level of the transportation industry. The organization, born in 1977, currently thrives with 6,500 members, consisting of both women and men, and has strong professional relationships with 40,000 transportation professionals. 

In addition to receiving this scholarship, Mehrabipour was also awarded the President Leadership Award by WSU earlier this year.

Congratulations on these fantastic achievements, Mehrzad!