In a recent press release, MSU describes CHAPTA, a proposed WTI program to study how to safely integrate driverless technology into the nation’s trucking fleet.
View the article: http://www.montana.edu/news/16951/msu-s-wti-launches-program-to-study-safe-integration-of-semi-autonomous-trucks
Visit the CHAPTA web page: http://wti-truckplatoon.org
The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Safety Center) and the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) are co-hosting a FREE, 1.5-hour online webinar about ITE’s new Vision Zero Toolbox. The toolbox showcases best practices, analytical techniques, policy guidance, and communication and educational tools for Vision Zero (the goal of zero traffic fatalities among all road users) to make them easily accessible to practitioners.
The webinar will be offered on Thursday June 1, 2017 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Mountain Time). To register for the webinar, please click here. Instructions on accessing the webinar will be sent after your registration is confirmed.
Rob Ament has just returned from a week long meeting in India hosted by the Science for Nature and People Partnership (SNAPP). India currently faces numerous wildlife protection challenges; for example, protected areas are often too small to support viable populations of wide-ranging species, such as elephants and tigers, especially if highways and other development severs habitat connectivity between protected areas. Rob was invited by the Landscape Connectivity in India Working Group to give a presentation and provide his expertise for the workshop, during which participants developed strategies to address the impact of transportation systems on ecological connectivity surrounding various protected areas in the region.
The workshop was held near Nagarhole National Park in the Western Ghats mountain range (a UNESCO World Heritage site) of southwest India. Rob shared these photos from his amazing wildlife viewing opportunity within the National Park.
The Journal of Cold Regions Engineering has published “Effectiveness of Liquid Agricultural By-products and Solid Complex Chlorides for Snow and Ice Control,” authored by Anbu Muthumani and Xianming Shi. The article summarizes their work to conduct a laboratory investigation of the thermal properties, ice melting behavior, and corrosivity of agro-based deicers, in order to compare their effectiveness to traditional deicers.
Muthumani, Anburaj and Shi, Xianming (2017). Effectiveness of Liquid Agricultural By-products and Solid Complex Chlorides for Snow and Ice Control. Journal of Cold Regions Engineering, Vol 31, Issue 1 (March 2017). http://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/%28ASCE%29CR.1943-5495.0000112
A WTI project on developing viable transit options in Wyoming is the subject of a feature article in the Spring 2017 issue of Rural Connections Magazine. David Kack, Jaydeep Chaudhari, and Taylor Lonsdale authored “Exploring Transit Feasibility in Park County, Wyoming,” which highlighted their collaboration with the Powell Economic Partnership, Inc. and the Forward Cody, Inc. to identify transportation alternatives that nurture economic development and expand job opportunities for residents. The full article is available to read here
Two WTI staff members received advanced degrees at the Montana State University Spring Commencement Ceremony on May 6. Doug Galarus earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the College of Engineering, and Carla Little received her Master’s in Higher Education from the College of Education, Health and Human Development.
The Center for Health and Safety Culture (CHSC) will host a webinar entitled “What is the Positive Culture Framework?” which will introduce the Center’s approach to improving health and safety at the community level. This framework builds on the shared values, beliefs, and attitudes that already exist in a culture to promote health and safety, and uses a process that can be adapted to address any public health or safety issue. Presenter Katie Dively will share examples of how PCF has been applied in areas such as traffic safety, substance abuse, and violence prevention. The webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, June 14 at 12 noon (Mountain Time). To register, click here. (Event password: chsc)
The Center for Environmentally Sustainable Transportation in Cold Climates (CESTiCC) will hold its annual Summer Workshop on Thursday, August 10 in Pullman, Washington at Washington State University. The workshop will provide an opportunity for exchange on each of CESTiCC’s research thrusts and will feature a student poster competition and lectern sessions on a variety of topics related to environmentally sustainable transportation issues and research. If you would like to submit an abstract for presentation or a poster title, please follow the instructions on the event’s flyer. Registration for this is event is free; all attendees and presenters should register online on the CESTiCC Workforce Development Page. For more information on the workshop, please click here. WTI hosted last year’s popular workshop in Bozeman; for questions, you can also contact Laura Fay.
Craig Shankwitz spoke to the Montana Traffic Educators Association conference in Great Falls, Montana last week, delivering a presentation on emerging vehicle technologies. In his remarks, he stated that the connected vehicle technologies are more likely to be widely deployed before autonomous (or driverless) vehicles. Connected vehicles communicate to other vehicles or to roadside infrastructure, which enables important updates and alerts about safety, traffic, or road conditions that can be sent directly to one’s car. Craig’s presentation was featured in a TV news story in Great Falls.
Got your bike, walking shoes, or bus schedule ready? May 1 is the first day of the Bozeman Commuter Challenge. Special thanks to the Montana State University News Service for highlighting the event last week in a story on the MSU website. WTI will use Bike Walk Montana’s Commuter Challenge website to keep track of miles and compete both statewide and locally. It’s not too late to sign up at www.mtcommuterchallenge.org Look first for the WTI Team and register yourself with our team. The Challenge is open to anyone working in the greater Bozeman area, there is no cost to enter, and participants are eligible to win great prizes from some of Bozeman’s best local businesses. WTI’s Dani Hess was featured in KBZK’s coverage on the event last week. For questions, email Dani Hess at daniellehess@montana.edu