"Straight from the Source" at the Volpe Center

I had a great time visiting the Volpe Center, and giving a presentation as part of their "Straight from the Source" seminar series. On September 18, 2013 I gave a talk entitled "Discoveries in D.C. and Delft: Reflections on the Future of Transportation Research and Education." I really appreciated the very kind welcome and opportunity to interact with Volpe staff and leadership. I remain a big fan and supporter of Volpe's important work in transportation! Here is a link to an article posted on the Volpe website along with a link to the video summary of the presentation.

Drive Oregon Event: Connected Cars

I was very excited to have the chance to engage with Drive Oregon to discuss: Connected Cars, The Future of Transportation on September 4, 2013. We had a great discussion about how we can work together to change the future of transportation!

CICTP2013 Shenzhen China

I was grateful for the opportunity to participate in the 13th COTA International Conference of Transportation Professionals (CICTP 2013) from August 13-16, 2013, in Shenzhen, China. The 2013 conference was jointly organized by Tsinghua University, Shenzhen University, Tsinghua-Daimler Center for Sustainable Transportation, Unihz Technologies Corporation, Shenzhen and Chinese Overseas Transportation Association (COTA), and I want to thank the organizers for their invitation and hospitality during the trip. I delivered a keynote lecture entitled "Retrospect and Prospect," a plenary lecture entitled "U.S. Perspectives on a Safe and Sustainable Future Connected Transportation System," and also presented "Perspectives on Federal Agency Leadership" as part of the Government Forum.

Meeting the MURPs in Shenzhen

Thanks to the efforts of Jeremy Dalton and Pam Phan, I had the opportunity to give a joint lecture on "Sustainable Transportation in Portland" with Peter Koonce at the China Academy of Urban Planning & Design (CAUPD) in Shenzhen. Current PSU Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) students Pam Phan and JP McNeil are interning at CAUPD as part of the PSU China Innovations in Urbanization program. I also had the chance to present the same lecture at the Shenzhen Institute of Urban Planning and Design (UPDIS) where Jeremy Dalton and Szilvia Hosser-Cox are interning. It was great to see some familiar faces, make new friends and learn more about Shenzhen's amazing developments. We really appreciate the hospitality of our hosts!

Connected Vehicle Workshop Focused on Energy Savings

On August 7, 2013, I presented "State of Connected Vehicles" as part of an OTREC Connected Vehicles Workshop focusing on the energy savings potential of intelligent transportation systems. We had a terrific discussion, and I hope it will lead to future collaborations!

Workshop on Performance Assessment of Transportation Networks in Guangzhou, China

I was very pleased to present "U.S. Perspectives on a Safe and Sustainable Future Connected Transportation System" at the Workshop on Performance Assessment of Transportation Networks on August 12, 2013, hosted by the Research Center of Intelligent Transportation Systems, Sun Yat-Sen University, in Guangzhou, China. The university is relatively new, and located in the Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center, which is a fascinating (though mostly empty at this time due to summer holidays) university park containing ten universities and about 120,000 students. The trip included a brief stop in Hong Kong on the way. My sincere gratitude to the hosts and organizers.

Students from German University of the Federal Armed Forces Visit Portland

We were very pleased to host Prof. Klaus Bogenberger and 14 of his students from the German University of the Federal Armed Forces Munich in Portland from August 4-7, 2013. Prof. Bogenberger delivered a lecture on the Quality of Traffic and Traveler Information, and we introduced the students to some of Oregon's natural beauty, and Portland's transport innovations (also Voodoo doughnuts), including a multimodal TriMet trip covering bus, MAX, WES, streetcar and aerial tram. Dr. Chris Monsere and John MacArthur also participated in the visit.

TRB Traffic Signal Systems Committee Workshop

I appreciated the opportunity to participate in the TRB Traffic Signal Systems Committee summer workshop "You Get What You Measure," held in Portland on July 22, 2013. We had an excellent discussion of some of the things we are doing in the Portland region to improve the multimodal transportation system using real time and archived data from multiple sources. It was a great discussion! Thanks to Tom Urbanik and Peter Koonce for the opportunity.

Successful IBPI Workshop on Bicycle and Pedestrian Curriculum

I was very happy to participate and help lead a successful workshop sponsored by the PSU/OTREC Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI), focused on Integrating Bicycle & Pedestrian Topics Into University Transportation Curriculum, from July 24-26, 2013. We had more than a dozen faculty members from around the U.S. (and Canada) participate actively in this workshop that focused on best practices in teaching, development of course modules and other curriculum resources. We hope to continue to develop and share resources as we aim to integrate pedestrian and bicycle engineering and planning topics into our courses and curricula. Special thanks to Prof. Jennifer Dill, Hau Hagedorn and Peter Koonce for making this all happen!

ISTTT20 in Nordwijk, the Netherlands

I had the opportunity to participate in the 20th International Symposium on Traffic and Transportation Theory (ISTTT20) held in Nordwijk, the Netherlands from July 17-19, 2913, and hosted by my friends at TU Delft. I spoke about the future of traffic management in the U.S. at a masterclass organized by TrafficQuest, and also chaired a session at the ISTTT meeting. Further, we held a summer meeting of the TRB Committee on Traffic Flow Theory and Characteristics. All in all a very successful few days, with fantastic organization and hospitality by all of our Dutch hosts and organizers!

Another Successful Study Abroad Course in Delft

From June 29 - July 13 we had another very successful study abroad course in Delft, the Netherlands, in partnership with Prof. Peter Furth from Northeastern University and our friends at TU Delft. A total of 5 students and one TA from PSU participated along with 19 Northeastern students. You can read the student blogs documenting their experiences:

• Josh Capps
• Seth Cool
• Kate Drennan
• Sarah McCrea
• Max Scheideman
• Jesse Boudart (TA)

We had the opportunity to "live" the Dutch transportation experience and get a feel for the lifestyle there with excellent guest lectures and field trips. We hope that our students will continue to bring their experiences into their professional and personal lives moving forward. Special thanks to the students for participating, to Prof. Furth and his students and to all of our hosts for their wonderful hospitality! The course will be offered again in 2014.

Terrific PSU Reunion in Delft

Had a wonderful reunion with two former PSU students - Prof. Ahmed El-Geneidy, now an associate professor at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and Andrew Byrd, now a PhD student in urban planning at the University of Paris and running a company that leverages public transport timetable and real time data for trip planning and accessibility analyses! Very exciting to see how well both Ahmed and Andrew are doing as leaders in their transportation fields!

Cycling on the Danube

I had the chance to cycle from Passau, Germany to Vienna, Austria along the Danube River recently. I found some dual inductive loop detectors at about a dozen locations, keeping track of the cycle traffic. It was fascinating to see the impressive repair and recovery work just a few weeks after a major flood. The roads, railways and cycle path were all clear, clean, and open. One could see the dramatic devastation to many homes and businesses due to the flooding but most were being repaired, dried and cleaned up. Fire trucks were spraying down the path, fire boats were in the river clearing debris, and teams were removing, cutting and stacking trees up for later removal. Large piles of trash were awaiting disposal. Despite the trauma, the trip was beautiful and interesting.

ITS for Connected Mobility

The 5th Annual mobil.TUM 2013 International Scientific Conference on Mobility and Transport was held June 18 & 19, 2013 Munich, Germany. I was asked to present the keynote address ITS for Connected Mobility which provided an overview of current research efforts toward deployment of cooperative systems for improving transportation safety, mobility and sustainability. Special thanks to Prof. Fritz Busch and his team of students and staff for all of their wonderful organizational efforts and hospitality. I also provided a call to action for researchers to step up our efforts in the coming years to accelerate deployment of ITS technologies in order to reap their benefits. I also served on the scientific committee and chaired a session on "General Concepts and Visions." As part of the trip I also cycled from Passau to Vienna on the Danube river cycle path and investigated its sensor technology.

PSU Students Create MAX Station Activity Animation

As part of the CE 4/558 Public Transportation Systems course, students Jordan Cools and Stefan Bussey developed an animation showing the TriMet MAX light rail system's station activity for September 2, 2012, you can find the video on YouTube.

Bertini Returns to San Luis Obispo

After 25 years (I graduated in 1988), it was wonderful to have the honor of being invited to give some guest lectures at my alma mater, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. In addition to enjoying great weather, eating some Tri-Tip and strawberries at the Thursday Farmer's Market, and seeing some great old friends, I spoke on the topics: "Adventures in Federal Agency Leadership" to Prof. William Riggs' CRP 530 Public Agency Management course; "Unlocking Some Mysteries of Traffic Flow Theory" to Prof. Anurag Pande's CE 529 Modeling and Simulation Lab; and "A Transportation Engineer Goes to Washington" to Prof. Pande's CE 421 Traffic Engineering course. Many thanks to my friends at Cal Poly for their kind hospitality and for the great opportunity to meet the excellent Poly students who are living the spirit of "learn by doing!"

Wonderful Visit to Davis - Cycling Nirvana

Thanks to my colleagues at U.C. Davis for a wonderful visit on May 10, 2013. I had the opportunity to meet a large group of students and faculty who attended my seminar. Thanks to Prof. Lisa Aultman-Hall who has been visiting Davis this year on sabbatical, I had a wonderful tour of the city's excellent cycling infrastructure. Seems like Delft with wider streets and no canals (and no stroopwafels!).

Visit to ASU

Had a terrific visit to ASU, where I was able to present a seminar to the ITE student chapter and meet with many excellent faculty colleagues. I also had the chance to tour the fascinating Decision Theatre. Many thanks to all colleagues and students for their kind hospitality!

Fastlane Week at TU Delft

I had the honor of participating in Fastlane Week at TU Delft from March 18-20, 2013. I served as an opponent on the Ph.D. defenses of Dr. Thomas Schreiter and Dr. Femke van Wageningen-Kessels; Dr. Yufei Yuan also successfully defended his thesis. TU Delft has a long tradition of public doctoral defenses, and it was a terrific experience! Congratulations to the new young Doctors and to their advisors and colleagues.

Presentation at Port of Rotterdam

I had the opportunity to present "Stimulating Innovation in Transportation: Lessons Learned from the U.S." at the Port of Rotterdam on March 19, 2013 - part of a masterclass on Smart Models for Intelligent Traffic Management and What it Means for Practice organized by colleagues at the Delft University of Technology. Great experience and great view!

Oregon ITE ITS Subcommittee Inaugural Meeting

I was very pleased and honored to be the kickoff speaker for the Oregon ITE ITS Subcommittee inaugural meeting on February 13, 2013. I presented some Reflections on the First 20 Years of the National ITS Program. Thanks to ITE for a great event!

Snowshoeing to Mirror Lake

PSU students and faculty had a great snowshoeing outing to Mirror Lake. Students in Transportation Engineering and Planning (STEP) have blogged about it.

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting

The TRB Annual Meeting was held in Washington, D.C. January 13-17, 2013. More than 30 PSU students and faculty participated actively in the meeting. A highlight was the opportunity to visit the U.S. DOT with a group of our students, where the students learned a lot about transportation policy as well as federal building security. Also the Committee on Traffic Flow Theory and Characteristics which I chair was active with a wide array of sessions and meetings. We also awarded the Greenshields Prize. I also participated in a workshop focusing on ways that state DOTs can strengthen working relationships with universities in the traffic operations/ITS area.

ITS Evaluation Workshop

Had the opportunity to participate in the EasyWay Workshop on ITS Evaluation in Copenhagen on November 8, 2012. I gave a presentation on "Other Sources for ITS Results: U.S. Perspectives," including some discussion of the U.S. DOT's ITS Evaluation knowledge resources, that include details on benefits, costs, and lessons learned. EasyWay is a European Project that includes an extensive archive of ITS evaluation reports. There is another European ITS Evaluation program that is described on the ITS Toolkit website.

ITS World Congress, Vienna, Austria

Excellent experience at the 19th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems, held in Vienna, Austria. First responsibility was to serve on the International Programme Committee as well as the Americas Rapporteur for the Sustainable, Clean and Energy Efficient Mobility track. I also was a co-author for a technical paper, "Traffic Flow Effects of a Variable Speed Limit System on a German Autobahn: An Empirical Analysis," with Klaus Bogenberger and Simone Weikl, University of Federal Armed Forces Munich, Germany, presented in session TS017 - Sensor & Detection Systems - Safety & Enforcement. I also was a speaker in session SIS88 - Innovation in ITS, and I moderated session TS094 - Electromobility - Infrastructure (1). Finally, I was the organizer and moderator for session SIS59 - 21st Century Workforce Development: Changing the Way We Think About ITS Education and Training. I also participated in the 5th NEARCTIS Workshop, and spoke on a panel on Structuring Future Research Effort in Road Cooperative Traffic Management from the U.S. perspective. NEARCTIS is a Network of Excellence for Advanced Road
Cooperative traffic management in the Information Society.