• January 29, 2026

    TRB 2026 Highlights

    On January 11-15, 2026, our Region 10 Consortium migrated east to the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting. This annual conference typically consists of more than 13,000 transportation professionals from all around the world, hosting more than 5,000 presentations in nearly 800 sessions and workshops in what always amounts to a jam-packed week in a chilly Washington, D.C.

    In total, we participated in over 100 events, which included lecterns, poster sessions, workshops, committees, and subcommittees.

    Check out the full list >>

    Region 10 Reception

    On Tuesday evening, PacTrans continued our tradition of co-hosting the Region 10 Reception, alongside our university partners. Every year, this gathering serves as the perfect opportunity to network and collaborate with other transportation professionals in a casual atmosphere.

    During the reception, PacTrans presented the 2025 Michael Kyte Region 10 Outstanding Student of the Year Award to Shakiba Naderian from the UW Seattle. Her research focuses on improving multimodal traffic operations by balancing mobility and safety for all road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and connected and automated vehicles. Through optimization and AI-based methods, her work develops efficient and safe control strategies that are implemented and tested in real-world urban environments. Interested in collaborating? Connect with Shakiba.

    View Reception Photos >>

    CUTC Banquet

     

    In parallel with the TRB meeting, the Council of University Transportation Centers (CUTC) Awards Banquet, sponsored by PacTrans, was hosted the Saturday evening before the annual meeting began. This banquet honors the outstanding students and faculty who are shaping and advancing university transportation research with federal funding.

    We celebrated many award recipients, of note:

    PSU Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) Project Team received the CUTC Graduate-Level Group Award in Policy and Planning for their project “Bridgeless to Better Burnside”, which focuses on transforming a wide, high-traffic corridor into a space that supports connectivity and safety. The PSU MURP team includes Michael Azierski, Brian Bill, Eric Gasper, Alex Gill, Jackson Morrison, and Michel Rojas. Learn more about the project.

    Rubina Singh (UW Seattle) received the CUTC Outstanding Student of the Year Award, which recognizes excellence in technical merit, research capability, academic performance, and leadership. Her research centers on how people make transportation decisions, using experimental and quasi-experimental methods to evaluate the impact of transportation policies and infrastructure on mode choice and travel behavior. Interested in collaborating? Connect with Rubina.

     

    Ruimin Ke received the CUTC-Cambridge Systematics New Faculty Award for outstanding teaching and research contributions to the transportation field. Ruimin, a PacTrans and UW alumnus and 2019 recipient of the Michael Kyte Region X Outstanding Student of the Year Award, is now an Assistant Professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Connect with Ruimin.

    Other Awards

    Wayne Kittelson, Senior Principal Engineer, Kittelson & Associates, Inc. and esteemed PacTrans Advisory Board Member was awarded the 2025 recipient of the W.N. Carey, Jr., Distinguished Service Award for his almost 50 years of service to TRB and for his significant engagement in the highway capacity and quality of service field. Through his leadership and global philanthropic work, Kittelson exemplifies the spirit of lifelong service and transformative influence that the award honors.

    From packed sessions and celebratory receptions to simple hallway conversations, TRB once again reminded us how powerful it is to gather. We’re grateful for the time our PacTrans community spent together and look forward to our continued collaborations in the months ahead.