INSTITUTE OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERS Annual Report of Activities January 1 st, 2013 to December 31 st, 2013 Auburn University Student Chapter Department of Civil Engineering 238 Harbert Engineering Center Auburn University, AL 36849-5337
INSTITUTE OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERS AUBURN UNIVERSITY STUDENT CHAPTER ANNUAL REPORT OF ACTIVITIES 2013 Report submitted by: Luana Ozelim President (646) 269-0734 lso0001@auburn.edu Approved by: Rod E. Turochy, Ph.D., P.E. Faculty Advisor (334) 844-6271 rodturochy@auburn.edu
STUDENT CHAPTER OFFICERS Spring/Summer Semester Fall Semester President: Scott Seidband Scott Seidband Vice-President: Luana Ozelim Luana Ozelim Secretary: Benjamin Bacon Benjamin Bacon Treasurer: - Chase Horton Publicity Assistant: - Mahdi Pour Rouholamin STUDENT CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP Number of Student Chapter Members 65 Number of Student Members of Institute 65 Number of Faculty Holding ITE Membership 3 ENROLLMENT INFORMATION Civil Engineering Undergraduate Enrollment (as of Fall 2013) Class Full-time Students Pre-civil engineering 316 Sophomore 64 Junior 26 Senior 185 The curriculum does not allow a specific major or concentration in transportation (or any other civil engineering discipline). Students, however, can choose up to four elective courses in transportation. Civil Engineering Graduate Student Enrollment (as of Fall 2013) Civil Engineering (Masters and Ph.D.) 104 Transportation (subset of CE) Masters 6 Transportation (subset of CE) Ph.D. 5
TABLE OF CONTENTS Summary of Activities 1 Student Chapter Meetings...1 ITE Supported Trips...4 Chevron...6 Service Projects...7 Conclusion 9 Finance 9 Membership During 2013 10
SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES AUBURN UNIVERSITY STUDENT CHAPTER, ITE STUDENT CHAPTER MEETINGS February 14, 2013 The first ITE student chapter meeting of the year was held to welcome new and returning students and to discuss the planned events. Volunteers were requested to help with the Engineering Day (E-day) activities. Upcoming meeting times and dates were discussed as well as potential topics and speakers. The City of Auburn Traffic Engineer Brandy Ezelle presented a lecture entitled Pay to Play in the Streets. Brandy earned a degree in civil engineering from Auburn University in 1999, and she has served as City of Auburn Traffic Engineer since 2002. In addition, she serves as the city s bicycle coordinator and the chair of Travel with Care. Brandy presented general information about traffic conditions and upcoming projects in the City of Auburn, and also mentioned the Travel with Care program, asking for volunteers. Attendance: 17 February 28, 2013 Dr. Sweta Byahut, an Assistant Professor in Community Planning at Auburn University, was the second speaker of the year. She has a PhD in Regional Development Planning from University of Cincinnati, a Masters in Planning and a Bachelors in Architecture. gave a presentation entitled Transportation and its Impact on the environment: Climate Change and Public Health Perspectives. The presentation exposed those in attendance tohow land use characteristics such as density, diversity, neighborhood design, transit accessibility, and regional location on household car travel can impact the environment.. Attendance: 19 March 28, 2013 Justin Steinmann, the Principal Planner for the City of Auburn, AL, presented a lecture entitled Renew Opelika Road: the Opelika Road Corridor Plan. Renew Opelika Road is an ongoing project at the City of Auburn that will give as final outcome a plan to guide the future development of Opelika Road and help ensure the area s future commercial viability. The plan included several public meetings, and the main goal was to verify how the community and City can support Auburn s existing businesses and attract new destinations for residents. The lecture included general information about the project, public meeting opinions, the proposed 1 Page
design for the Opelika Road corridor, and results from studies such as pedestrian accessibility, overall look, and traffic studies. The presentation was relevant to the students and faculty attending the meeting, as it provided a unique perspective of transportation planning activities in their local community. Attendance: 10 April 25, 2013 At the final student chapter meeting of the semester, Luana Ozelim and Elizabeth Hammer, Graduate Research Assistants at Auburn University, presented a lecture entitled Microsimulation of the Opelika Road Corridor Using VISSIM. This was a culmination event for an independent study class provided by Auburn University s Department of Civil Engineering. Currently, the Department does not offer a specific class focused on traffic signal studies or the use of computer programs to evaluate current and future traffic conditions through simulation. Therefore, this was an important topic to present to students.. Attendance: 12 September 5, 2013 The Auburn University Student Chapter of ITE hosted the first meeting of the Fall semester, that started with a discussion of upcoming events. The current officers discussed topics related to the student chapter activities and also announced that new officer positions were being created. The attendance at student chapter meetings, field trips, service projects and other activities increased during the year of 2013. As a result, two more officer positions were created at the beginning of the Fall semester, Treasurer and Publicity Assistant. With 5 officers, more students can be closely involved with the activities, and also organize officers duties better. In addition, volunteers were requested to be part of the Auburn University Traffic Bowl team. The main presentation of this meeting was given by Clark Bailey, an engineer with Skipper Consultants and former member of Auburn University s local chapter of ITE. Clark received his Bachelor and Master of Science degree from Auburn University, and joined Skipper Consulting in 2007. He gave a presentation entitled 280 Intersection Improvement Projects. Attendance: 23 October 3, 2013 Dr. Huaguo Zhou, a new Associate Professor in Civil Engineering at Auburn University, gave a seminar presentation entitled Contributing Factors Regarding Wrong-Way Driving Crashes on Freeways. Dr. Zhou has a PhD in Transportation Engineering from the 2 Page
University of Florida, and a PhD in Highway and Railway Engineering from Beijing Jiao-Tong University.. Dr. Zhou is a new faculty member at Auburn, which made this meeting a good opportunity for students to get to know him and his areas of research, especially Traffic Safety. Attendance: 23 October 31, 2013 Auburn University and the ITE student chapter welcomed Becky Malenke, Project Manager with Neel-Schaffer, Inc., and President of the Alabama Section Institute of Transportation Engineers at that time. Becky received her Bachelor in Civil Engineering in 1998, and her Master degree in Community Planning in 1999, both at Auburn University. She presented a lecture entitled Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: Diversity Within the Transportation Engineering Profession. The presentation provided exposure to a broad range of activities she was personally involved with. Attendance: 21 November 14, 2013 Dan Fagnant, a Ph.D. candidate in Transportation Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, gave a presentation entitled Autonomous Vehicles: Anticipating Impacts in a World of Increasingly Shared Mobility. He obtained his Bachelor degree in Computer Engineering at Gonzaga University and his Master degree in Civil Engineering from University of Texas. His research experience includes mainly transportation planning and autonomous vehicles. The emerging technology component of the presentation and how the Transportation professional should plan for the autonomous vehicles (when analyzing the system for autonomous vehicles within a city, for example, how many vehicles should be assigned to each area, how to define an area, how to request a vehicle, how vehicles interact, among other issues) generated a tremendous amount of interest within the chapter. Attendance: 19 3 Page
Figure 1 Dan Fagnant December 5, 2013 At the final student chapter meeting of the year, Benjamin Bacon, Mikhail Gordon, and Scott Seidband, Graduate Research Assistants at Auburn University, presented a lecture entitled Discrete Choice Modeling of Long Distance Trips. This presentation was also a result of an independent study class provided by Auburn University s Department of Civil Engineering. Several aspects of modeling in Transportation Planning were discussed. Attendance: 10 ITE SUPPORTED TRIPS Coordination with Tiger Transit provided an opportunity for the student chapter to visit their newly built and state-of-the-art maintenance and dispatch facilities. On November 8, 2013, nine students were able to experience a guided tour covering all aspects of transit operations. 4 Page
Figure 2 Students at the Tiger Transit field trip The members of the Auburn University Student Chapter of ITE are constantly encouraged to participate at relevant conferences, meetings, and general events related to Transportation. In 2013, AUITE members attended the following meetings: a) Transportation Research Board (TRB) 92 nd Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C. January 13-17. Attendance: 5 b) Alabama Section Institute of Transportation Engineers (ALSITE) Spring Meeting, Anniston, AL. March 7. Attendance: 4 c) Alabama Section Institute of Transportation Engineers (ALSITE) Summer Meeting, Gulf Shores, AL. June 5-7. Attendance: 3 d) Alabama Section Institute of Transportation Engineers (ALSITE) Fall Meeting, Huntsville, AL. October 17. Attendance: 1 e) Southern District ITE (SDITE) Annual Meeting, Charlotte, NC. April 7-10. Attendance: 4. The AUITE Traffic Bowl team also represented the chapter with distinction winning the Alabama Section competition, at the Spring ALSITE Meeting in Anniston, and placing second place at the SDITE competition, at the SDITE Annual Meeting in Charlotte. 5 Page
Figure 3 SDITE Annual Meeting and Traffic Bowl Awards CHEVRON The Southern District ITE publishes The Chevron, a newsletter for students, each fall and spring. The newsletter contains current news on student chapters as well as information on student awards and deadlines for competitions. The AUITE student chapter was excited to be able to support The Chevron with an article highlighting the chapter s involvement with the local outreach programs. Figure 4 Chevron 6 P age
SERVICE PROJECTS February 22, 2013 - Auburn University College of Engineering E-Day - E-Day, Auburn University s Engineering Open House, took place on February 22. The event gave middle and high school students a chance to learn about Auburn s engineering programs, and the opportunities the college offers. Students had opportunities to chat with Auburn students and faculty, experience interactive exhibits, and visit classes and labs. They could also tour Auburn campus, and learn about admissions, scholarships, financial aid, and residence life. The ITE Student Chapter had the responsibility of introducing Auburn while on Tiger Transit and answer any questions they may have. Volunteers: 14 March 18-22, 2013 The City of Auburn Travel with Care Program - During the Spring semester, the student chapter was able to continue its support of The City of Auburn s Travel with Care Program. The main focus of the campaign is traffic safety, through the promotion of knowledge on a range of issues, particularly pedestrian, bicycle, and motorcycle-related. Public education is accomplished primarily through the promotion of awareness of pertinent laws and legislation in regards to jaywalking, proper passing of transit and school buses, motorcycle regulations, pedestrian rights, bicycle laws, and other safety related topics such as nighttime visibility. Volunteers: 14 Figure 5 Travel with Care 7 Page
April 17 and October 25, 2013 School Outreach- Representatives of the student chapter were fortunate to conduct educational outreach programs with local school children. The program allowed AUITE an opportunity to interact with surrounding schools on a rotational basis. The outreach program, which has been operational for a number of years, provides 4 th and 5 th grade students hour-long blocks of instruction with a focus on traffic safety. In addition, traffic items, including raised pavement markers, samples of pavement paint and tape, and mini street sign models, are passed around to the students for a hands-on learning experience. The past year ITE presented to Cary Woods Elementary School (April) and Pick Elementary School (October). Volunteers: 3 Figure 6 School Outreach April 26, 2013 Webinar- In response to the leadership demonstrated by the chapter in its educational outreach effort, AUITE officers represented Auburn on a national level as one of five student chapters involved in K-12 educational outreach with local schools. Presentations took place in a webinar format hosted by ITE with over 20 attendees including representatives from colleges, private businesses, and transportation associations. 8 P age
CONCLUSION AUBURN UNIVERSITY STUDENT CHAPTER, ITE Officers, faculty, and student members believe that the Auburn University Student Chapter has had a great year, filled with a wide array of activities including student chapter meetings, ITE supported trips, service projects, and participation in activities with the ALSITE and SDITE. We have strived to give our members new challenges and opportunities to better improve themselves as transportation professionals. The 2013 year continued a trend for the Student Chapter in the quality and quantity of work, which will only improve as time goes on. The Auburn University Student Chapter had three officer positions until the end of Summer 2013: President, Vice- President, and Secretary. However, in the Fall 2013 semester, two new positions were created, Treasurer and Publicity Assistant, in order to make more students closely involved with ITE activities and to better organize the duties of each officer. Already, the 2014 year looks just as promising as the 2013 year. The officers involved recognize the benefits of being student members of the Institute of Transportation Engineers and try to ensure that our members share in these experiences in becoming transportation professionals. FINANCE Chapter dues not accepted Balance (01/01/2013) $1,355.57 Receipts ITE Report Funding $100.00 Expenditures Supplies for meetings/food for meetings $309.59 Balance (12/31/2013) $1,145.98 9 Page
MEMBERSHIP DURING 2013 AUBURN UNIVERSITY STUDENT CHAPTER, ITE Undergraduate Students Olivia A. Berryhill Robert R. Boylston Robert G. Burns Eduardo V. Butler Cooper J. Calhoun Luke D. Canan DoriAnn B. Clayton Chelsey N. Dorman Jordan L. Doran Allison V. English Ian C. Evans Kelly E. Evans Lauren E. Gaines Thomas P. Glanton Andrew S. Graves Carly E. Haithcock Joseph J. Harmon Chase G. Horton Tommy M. James Heather M. Jones Kristen M. Kopp Michael J. Langley Andrew G. Long Kris C. McCord Joshua B. McDougald Antonio R. Montanaro Michael A. Moore Nathan D. Moore Noah S. Morgan Daniel J. Moss Mark A. Nugent Graham M. Outlaw Phillip J. Peek Kari M. Pledger Joseph M. Puzon Marshall W. Quarles Tyler S. Reeder Justin D. Rush Jordan M. Russell Katharine C. Sampson Jeffrey P. Sanders Trenton B. Scarborough 10 Page
Ashten G. Shiver Christopher W. Skinner Clay B. Smith Amanda E. Spillers Ashley S. Steele Isaac Wasilefsky Jacob S. Watterson Samuel D. Wesson Emilee C. Williams M.S. Students Benjamin K. Bacon Mikhail G. Gordon Elizabeth F. Hammer Rasib A. Majid Kyle P. Moynihan Clayton Plemons Bradley M. Prichard Scott M. Seidband Franchesca Taylor Ph.D. Students Fatemeh Mohammad Derong Luana Mahdi Baratian Ghorghi Jalayer Mai Ozelim Pour Rouholamin 11 Page