• September 25, 2024

    Meet 2024-2025 PacTrans Fellow: Peter Yu

    Today we’re spotlighting one of our upcoming 2024-2025 PacTrans Graduate Fellows, Peter Yu. Peter’s life is all about transportation!

    What’s your current role?
    I am a first-year transportation engineering master’s student and a member of the STAR Lab at the University of Washington in Seattle. I graduated from UW with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 2024.

    What’s your favorite college memory?
    I have been fortunate to attend several in-person, international transportation engineering conferences. I was able to attend the 2022 ASCE ICTD here in Seattle, the 2022 and 2023 TRB Annual Meetings, and the 2023 ITE Annual Meeting.

    What are some career goals?
    I plan to obtain master’s and PhD degrees in civil (transportation) engineering and hope to become a professor or professional/research transportation engineer. I plan to continue my research and work in traffic operations and intelligent transportation systems.

    What’s your greatest professional accomplishment?
    At UW, I have learned several widely used traffic analysis packages, including Synchro, Vistro, HCS, and Sidra. I have also gained expertise in teaching.

    How will PacTrans benefit you?
    I am extremely grateful for the amazing and generous support I have received from PacTrans. PacTrans has generously supported my attendance at professional conferences, including the TRB Annual Meeting and ASCE International Convention. The PacTrans Graduate Fellowship will help advance my studies and move me closer to my future career aspiration as a professor.

    What are some hobbies or interests you have? A fun fact?
    I am a road and traffic signal enthusiast and love to drive around and capture oddities on our roadways, especially those that are not “MUTCD compliant.” I have a YouTube channel and also enjoy reading. Moreover, I am interested in fire alarm systems and emergency and disaster preparedness. Fun fact: At my first-ever ITE Annual Meeting in 2018, I got to know Dr. Wang. Moreover, the keynote speaker of the conference turned out to be an alumnus of my high school (class of 1973).

    Want to know more about Peter? Connect with him on LinkedIn!

    About the PacTrans Graduate Fellowship

    The PacTrans Fellowship is focused on students interested in pursuing a master’s degree and with aspirations of being industry leaders in the transportation field. In addition to receiving a quality education, PacTrans fellows also participate in an internship, allowing for their knowledge obtained in the classroom to be supplemented with practical knowledge of the transportation industry.