Related News Story: AARP Highlights Bozeman Traffic Calming Project in National Publication
Month: August 2018
Summer Postcards: Alternative Transportation Takes Many Forms Around the World
Even while on vacation, WTI staff members can’t help but notice new and interesting ways that people travel from place to place. Check out David Kack’s photos from Denmark, where the bicycle is a very well-established mode of daily commuter travel, and where boats provide taxi service. Lisa Hughes and Neil Hetherington shared photos and video from San Diego, Los Angeles and Barcelona, where electric scooters and dockless bikes are rapidly growing in popularity. Anyone else have transportation photos to share from summer travels?
Shared electric scooters provide an easy way to get around cities.
CHSC Researchers Invited to Present at National Conferences
Annmarie McMahill will be presenting at the National Prevention Network (NPN) Conference on Tuesday, August 28, 2018. Her presentation titled, “Reducing Underage Drinking in Montana with Practical Tools that Develop the Social and Emotional Skills of Parents and Their Children,” involves a recent study showing Montana parents with higher social and emotional parenting skills were over six times more likely to engage in best-practices to reduce underage drinking. Her presentation will review social and emotional skills, how they are protective for youth, and a project creating practical tools for parents to reduce underage drinking and strengthen social and emotional skills.
Society of Women Engineers selects WTI Researcher to lead workshop at Annual Meeting
Each year, the Society of Women Engineers receives more than 1000 submissions to present at its Annual Meeting, known as the “The World’s Largest Conference for Women Engineers.” WTI Researcher Natalie Villwock-Witte and her research partners at Minnesota Department of Transportation and Bike Minnesota were selected to lead a presentation entitled “Bicycles and Pedestrians: Advocacy, Planning, and Research” at the upcoming Annual Meeting in October. Congrats, Natalie!
Summer Postcards: Researchers on the Road
Safety Center Announces August Webinar on Rural Bike Safety
The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Safety Center) is hosting a free 1.5-hour online webinar, entitled “Designing for Rural Bike Safety.” This webinar will provide an overview of why bicycle travel should be included in rural transportation networks. Participants will gain an understanding of key safety principles for bicyclists, and learn about design treatments, countermeasures, and the latest guidance. The webinar will be held on Thursday, August 16, 2018 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Mountain Time). For more information and to register, click here.
Teachers Translate Transportation Research into Classroom Experiences
At the West Region Transportation Workforce Center (WRTWC), the first Research Experience for Teachers in Innovative Transportation Systems (ITS-RET) program is well underway. Ten middle, high school, and community college faculty participants are conducting multidisciplinary transportation research for six weeks at Montana State University this summer. The research topic areas focus on the unique challenges of rural transportation systems and developing solutions to transportation challenges through innovation. In addition to working with faculty and research mentors on research, the ITS-RET participants are translating their research experiences into classroom curricula.
On July 31 and August 1, the teachers were able to implement new teaching materials they developed during a two-day workshop held for middle and high school students. The classroom activities demonstrated what an excellent vehicle transportation is for integrated STEM learning. The young workshop participants were able to hone computational thinking skills during a programming challenge, test the strength of different materials, build and test crash attenuators, and use drones to survey a landscape before designing and building wildlife crossing structures. The classroom modules will be posted to the WRTWC website next month as a resource for other teachers. Teachers interested in participating in the RET program next summer can visit the Center website for additional information: http://wrtwc.org/resources/for-educators/
View the WTI project description
WRTWC is sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration and based at the Western Transportation Institute.