Category: In The News

Any instance of WTI affiliated work being mentioned in print, broadcast or digital media.

Governor Launches Parenting Website Created by CHSC

Posted on February 11th, 2019
Photo of Montana Governor Steve Bullock and Annmarie McMahill seated at a news conference
Montana Governor Steve Bullock and Annmarie McMahill

Attention Montana parents! The Center for Health and Safety Culture (CHSC), in partnership with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, has created ParentingMontana.org – a new website packed with informative tools on guiding children and teens toward safe and healthy behaviors.

On January 23, Montana Governor Steve Bullock officially launched the website with a news conference, stating “In Montana, we want what’s best for our kids and we all want to be the best parent possible. Now, there’s a new resource available to tackle the wide variety of challenges youth deal with and to support the success of each child in Montana.”

The website features practical tools for parents with kids ranging from age five to age nineteen, covering challenging topics such as anger, bullying, chores, confidence, conflict, discipline, friends, homework, listening, lying, peer pressure, reading, routines, stress, and underage drinking. It is the product of months of thorough and detailed work by the entire staff at CHSC.

Principal Investigators Annmarie McMahill and Jay Otto had the opportunity to participate in the news conference to celebrate the website going live. “It is exciting to see all these great tools come together in one easy-to-use location,” said Annmarie, “and so gratifying to work on a project that will be immediately helpful to parents, teachers, and caregivers in our communities.”

CHSC has posted the Governor’s full news release on its website.

Several news stories also feature photos, video clips and quotes by CHSC staff:

KXLH Channel 9 (Helena); KRTV Channel 3 (Great Falls); and KPAX (Missoula) News: https://kxlh.com/news/montana-and-regional-news/2019/01/24/state-announces-new-program-for-montana-parents/

Montana Public Radio: http://www.mtpr.org/post/state-launches-website-help-parents-raise-their-kids

Great Falls Tribune: https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/2019/01/23/montana-launches-parenting-website/2662375002/

North Carolina Newspaper Features Huijser Interview

Posted on February 11th, 2019
Marcel Huijser

When the Citizen Times in North Carolina wants to know about wildlife crossings, its reporters call on WTI Road Ecologist Marcel Huijser.  Columnist Bill McGoun interviewed Marcel about the installation costs of wildlife crossings and fencing for an opinion piece last week, entitled “In rural WNC, human must progress in harmony with wildlife.”  As part of an ongoing series in the Times about wildlife corridors, Marcel’s expertise has already been included in three articles since the start of 2019!  Read about the previous articles on the WTI News page.

Pop-up Traffic Circle Planned for Helena, Montana

Posted on February 4th, 2019

WTI, Bike Walk Montana, and neighborhood volunteers are teaming up to install a pop-up traffic circle in Helena,Montana in March.  The traffic calming project is designed to slow vehicles on a road near a popular trail head, and to gather public feedback on potential long-term solutions. The Helena Independent Record provided a recent update on the joint effort.  WTI has participated in similar neighborhood traffic calming projects in Bozeman.

UTC Students Honored at TRB

Posted on January 14th, 2019

The 2019 Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting kicked off over the weekend in Washington, D.C.  At the Council of University Transportation Center (CUTC) banquet on Saturday, the University Transportation Center (UTC) Students of the Year were honored.  Each UTC nominates an outstanding graduate student who receives a certificate from the U.S. Department of Transportation, a $1000 award, and travel expenses to attend the TRB Annual Meeting.  The Small Urban and Rural Livability Center (SURLC) and the Small Urban, Rural and Tribal Center on Mobility (SURTCOM), both led by WTI, each had the opportunity to recognize the research accomplishments of an exemplary student this year.

Karalyn Clouser

Congratulations to Karalyn Clouser, who was selected as the SURLC Student of the Year.  Karalyn has been a Research Associate at WTI for five years and is currently pursuing a Master’s of Sustainable Transportation at the University of Washington.  With her background in Planning and GIS, she has provided invaluable research assistance not only to SURLC, but also to the National Center for Rural Road Safety and the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks Technical Assistance Center.  Most recently, she completed a project where she developed four different bus route combinations for a potential new transit service in Lebanon, Missouri. She also helped update the Rural ITS Toolkit, a USDOT-sponsored resource on advanced transportation technologies.

 

 

 

Zach Becker

Kudos also go out to Zachary Becker who was selected to represent SURTCOM.  Zach attends Eastern Washington University, where he is nearing completion of a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning.  His research focuses on the mobility and accessibility challenges faced by tribal reservations in northwestern states. He created a parcel-level, GIS database containing network distances from nearly every parcel in Washington state to the nearest healthcare facility.  The database compares distances on tribal reservations to distances on nontribal lands. Zach has been invited to present this research at four national conferences.

Visit the WTI website for more information on our UTC Research Centers and our Education Programs.

Big Sky Transportation Grant Named Top News Story of 2018

Posted on January 14th, 2019

Last week, Explore Big Sky published a special feature on its picks for the most important local news stories of the year.  Top of the list – the $10 million federal TIGER grant awarded to the Big Sky, Montana region for roadway, transit, and trail improvements. In the article, WTI Program Manager David Kack discusses working with partners in the Big Sky community to identify critical transportation needs and develop the successful proposal. More information about the grant is available on the WTI news page.

Huijser Interview on Wildlife Crossings

Posted on January 14th, 2019

The Asheville (NC) Citizen Times interviewed WTI Research Scientist Marcel Huijser for the feature article “Bridges for Bears: Do Wildlife Corridors Work?” Marcel discusses wildlife crossing structure success stories in Banff National Park and on U.S. 93 in Montana.  Read the full interview or learn more about the WTI Road Ecology program on our website.  The Citizen Times also interviewed Marcel on the costs and benefits of wildlife crossing structures for a follow up article called “Bringing Back Historic Wildlife Migration Corridors to the Mountains.”

Coming up Soon! December Summit will Focus on Rural Road Safety

Posted on October 15th, 2018

Banner image promoting National Summit on Rural Road Safety, December 4-6, 2018. Photo depicts first responders assisting at a traffic accident

Following a highly successful inaugural forum in 2016, the National Center for Rural Road Safety and the National Association of County Engineers will host the 2nd National Summit on Rural Road Safety from December 4-6, in Savannah, Georgia.  At the first summit, more than 100 attendees from around the country collaborated on defining the future for “Moving Rural America” by articulating the key transportation safety issues facing rural areas, culminating in a call to action of “On the Road to Zero, We Cannot Ignore Rural.”

For the second summit, participants will continue to move the rural conversation forward and focus more intently on safety solutions and “Bridging the Gap.”  Some of the key questions they will tackle include how to create a unified voice for rural areas, and how to implement safety solutions with rural constraints.

“After the first summit, participants were encouraged by the progress we made to develop an initial action plan and they wanted to keep the momentum going,” said Safety Center Manager Jaime Sullivan. “At the upcoming summit, we’re looking forward to taking the next step of how to select and implement safety solutions that will make a real difference on rural roads.”

If you’re interested in attending, early bird registration closes on November 12!  The agenda and registration information are available here.

Major Milestones

Posted on October 10th, 2018
Photo of WTI staff members receiving service awards at Montana State University ceremony
Susan Gallagher, Kathy Rich, Jamie DuHoux and Leann Koon receive service awards from MSU President Waded Cruzado

Congratulations to the WTI staff members who were recognized last week for their years of service to Montana State University.  Many of them were able to attend the Milestones in Service ceremony on October 2, during which they received congratulations and service awards from MSU President Waded Cruzado.  Thanks to all of you for your (combined) 75 years of dedication and contributions to WTI and MSU!

Jamie DuHoux – 20 years

Susan Gallagher – 15 years

Marcel Huijser – 15 years

Leann Koon – 10 years

Jamie Arpin – 5 years

Karalyn Clouser – 5 years

Kathy Rich – 5 years

 

In the News: WTI gets a “shout out” for its contribution to MSU research expenditures

Posted on September 25th, 2018

In two news stories last week, WTI was one of the MSU departments noted for its strong annual research totals: “The Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering rounds out the top three colleges for research expenditures with $15 million, led by its Center for Biofilm Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering and the Western Transportation Institute.”

Bozeman Daily Chronicle: https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/montana_state_university/msu-research-spending-totals-million-second-highest-in-history/article_47af68f8-f1f7-52e5-afeb-3a718986c0f8.html

MSU News story on research: http://www.montana.edu/news/17978