Connected Vehicle/Infrastructure University Transportation Center (CVI-UTC) members exhibited innovative transportation technology research at the 2014 Transportation Technology Legislative Fair on March 19, 2014 in Annapolis, MD. The fair was geared toward legislative education and outreach, and approximately 200 attendees, including 27 delegates and 11 senators, were present.  This year’s theme, “Technology to Cost-Effectively Transport People and Freight using All Modes,” paired government agencies and vendors from various regions to show how technology is being used to cost-effectively transport people and freight using all modes in the state of Maryland.

The 2014 Transportation Technology Legislative Fair was hosted by the Intelligent Transportation Society of Maryland (ITSMD). ITSMD is a state chapter of ITS America, is the nation’s largest organization dedicated to advancing the research, development and deployment of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) to improve the nation’s surface transportation system.

Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) and CVI-UTC are spearheading national efforts to create connected-vehicle communication technology for roadways, thus improving traffic safety and reducing the number of vehicular crashes. Read a Virginia Tech News article about vehicle-to-vehicle communication or visit www.cvi-utc.org to learn more about current CVI-UTC research in intelligent transportation!

February 21-23, 2014 – Virginia Tech hosted the Institute for Industrial Engineers (IIE) Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference in Blacksburg, Virginia. Over 200 students from ten universities on the east coast and sponsors from Lowe’s, PepsiCo, UPS, Deloitte, and Newport News Shipbuilding attended the conference for a weekend of idea-sharing, networking, and professional development for Industrial Engineers (IEs). Conference attendees toured the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute where they learned about the Virginia Smart Road and IE career paths in transportation!

VT IIE Members tour VTTI and the Smart Road during the 2014 IIE Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference hosted by Virginia Tech

Other conference events included guest speakers and presentations, a technical paper competition, an IE case competition hosted by the VT Consulting Club, and other breakout sessions led by the IIE. Students participated in many of the abundant professional development opportunities, including resume building workshops and mock-interviews led by VT Career Services, and speed networking sessions hosted by company representatives.

IIE is the world’s largest professional society dedicated solely to the support of the industrial engineering profession and individuals involved with improving quality and productivity. Founded in 1948, IIE is an international, nonprofit association that provides leadership for the application, education, training, research, and development of industrial engineering.

Read more about this event in the Virginia Tech Department of Engineering March 2014 ISE Newsletter.

CVI-UTC lead, VTTI, has recently implemented a new certificate, aimed at creating leaders in the field of transportation safety within the Commonwealth, across the nation, and internationally. The Human Factors of Transportation Safety Graduate Certificate will be administered through VTTI with support from the Graduate School and affiliated faculty in the following departments: Civil and Environmental Engineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Psychology, and Statistics. The certificate program has been designed to create and deliver to students in-depth knowledge and marketable skills applied to the research, evaluation, maintenance, improvement, and protection of all ground transportation users and their communities – all from a human factors perspective, which is a strong educational focus of VTTI and Virginia Tech.

To learn more, visit https://www.vtti.vt.edu/hfts/index.html