Category: Student

Any news that includes student involvement.

SUMMER IS HERE – Time for Transportation Camp!

Posted on June 2nd, 2021
Students mix cement at transportation camp 2019

WTI is excited to announce two upcoming sessions of the Summer Transportation Camp at Montana State University – free weeklong camps for middle school students.

For: Middle School students (entering grades 6-9 in Fall 2021)

What: Two weeklong camps at the MSU Western Transportation Institute (9am – 3pm) to get everyone moving. Each day camp participants will explore a variety of science, engineering, and design topics related to promoting active, safe, and sustainable transportation systems.

Students prepare to use a microscope during a camp activity 2019

Activities will include:

– hands-on design challenges

– local trail explorations by bike

– field trips of discovery

When: June 21-25 and July 12-16, 2021

Cost: Free! There is no cost to camp participants thanks to a generous grant from the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and the U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

For more information and to register: http://wrtwc.org/center-initiatives/middle-school-summer-camp/

STUDENT NEWS: Meet Alex Musar

Posted on May 17th, 2021
outdoor portrait of Alex Musar

Welcome to Alex Musar, who joins WTI this month as an Undergraduate Research Assistant for the summer. He will be working with David Kack, Andrea Hamre, and other WTI team members on a number of mobility projects, including the NADO technical assistance project in Southern Ohio and the MPO Travel Survey project in Montana.

Originally from Seattle, Washington, Alex arrived in Bozeman in 2018 when he transferred from North Seattle College to Montana State University.  He is now pursuing a dual degree in Architecture and Political Science, with a long-term goal of working in public policy development, especially promoting sustainable growth models for small rural municipalities.  This summer, he is excited to learn more about the links between transportation and urban design, and how a community can build a public transit system from the ground up.

Outside of school and work, Alex is an avid rock climber, backpacker, hiker, and “passionate follower of the Everton [UK] Football Club” (yes, that’s soccer to those of us on this side of the pond).

NPS Introduces Fellows on Transformation Tuesday

Posted on May 6th, 2021

As part of its “Transformation Tuesday” series, the National Park Service (NPS) profiled three fellows from the Public Lands Transportation Fellows (PLTF) program who are currently serving NPS units or projects. PLTF Fellows are assigned to a federal land unit for one to two years, where they lead or support projects that enhance transportation options for visitors.  Within the 2020 PLTF class, three Fellows are serving the NPS. (Read the full article on the NPS website.)

Outdoor headshot of Fellow Ma'ayan Dembo
Ma’ayan Dembo. Focus: Transit/Accessibility. NPS Unit: Glacier National Park
Outdoor photo of Patrick McMahon with backpack 2021
Patrick McMahon. Focus: Climate Change. NPS Units: Alaska National Parks
Outdoor headshot of Fellow Charlie Gould 2021
Charlie Gould. Focus: Emerging Technologies. NPS Unit: Yellowstone National Park

STUDENT NEWS: CATS Participants Create Designs for Bozeman Park

Posted on May 6th, 2021
Group of students listen to speaker during field trip to Soroptimist Park in Bozeman

In a recent feature article, Montana State University News Service detailed the contributions of MSU students to future plans for Soroptimist Park in Bozeman, Montana. The students are part of the Community-Engaged and Transformational Scholarship (CATS) program, led by WTI, which matches projects identified and prioritized by Montana communities with students and faculty in relevant disciplines at MSU to assist in making those projects reality.  During the Fall 2020 semester, students in two undergraduate courses in the MSU College of Agriculture gained hands-on experience working with the city of Bozeman on research, site visits, and design workshops, which culminated in recommendations and designs for renovating the park into a multi-use urban plaza.

NEW NAME, NEW CHALLENGE: The Bozeman Commuter Project Has Rebranded

Posted on April 6th, 2021

Join the GoGallatin MSU Commuter Challenge this week

2021 graphic logo for Gallatin Commuter Project

In October, WTI was awarded an Office of Outreach & Engagement Seed grant to begin a rebrand of the existing Bozeman Commuter Project. Four Montana State University students are working with WTI project lead Matt Madsen as a collaborative team to move the project forward (stay tuned to learn more about all the students!). The goal of the project was to create a more encompassing program, now rebranded as the Gallatin Commuter Project and GoGallatin. The existing BozemanCommute platform has become GoGallatin and provides all the same ride tracking, carpool options, transit schedules and other transportation demand management solutions.

2021 graphic logo for GO Gallatin

To kick off the rebrand, The Gallatin Commuter Project is sponsoring the GoGallatin MSU Campus Commuter Challenge. This year’s challenge is open to all students and staff at MSU and runs from April 5th – 11th. Join this campus-wide event (and invite your friends), then start commuting this week via biking, walking, taking the bus, carpooling, scootering, roller-blading, even pogo-sticking!

How Does it Work? By tracking your commute trips, you can be in the running for gift cards to local businesses. Once registered, track your commute as an individual or part of a team by joining or creating a team of your MSU colleagues, peers, and/or community members. If you need help, send us an email at gallatincommute@montana.edu To see how your team is stacking up against other teams in a friendly competition, you can keep an eye of the leaderboard!

Rewards and incentives: Every participant who logs 2 trips during the week will be entered into a drawing for gift cards to various local restaurants and businesses! You can win a gift card to one of these fine establishments:

  • Bangtail Bikes
  • Bridger Brewing
  • Columbo’s Pizza
  • Essy’s
  • International Coffee Traders

Registration Register on the Gallatin Commuter Project Platform at: https://bozemancommute.org/#/ to create an account, join a team, and log your commute trips! Faculty and Staff can register as part of the MSU Network; students can register as a part of the MSU Students Network. Want to join the WTI team? Follow this link to join: https://bozemancommute.org/s/western-transportation-wd.  More information is also available on the MSU Events page.

STUDENT NEWS: Engineering a Future in Transportation

Posted on March 23rd, 2021
Outdoor portrait of student researcher Bryce Grame in 2021

Montana State University senior Bryce Grame has a long-term plan for a career in transportation. With a major in Civil Engineering and a minor in statistics, he is interested in a future that will allow him to work “at the intersection of traffic engineering and transportation planning,” on issues such as emerging technologies and micromobility.

In preparation, Bryce is working as research assistant at WTI, gaining professional, hands-on experience and also providing valuable support to several projects across the mobility and safety program areas. For the Highway Safety Behavioral Strategies project, he worked with Jamie Sullivan on the development of a rural road safety countermeasure toolkit.  He also served on the team led by Matt Madsen to install and evaluate the pilot “pop-up” calming and speed reduction treatments in Ennis, Montana. He is currently working with Rebecca Gleason and Andrea Hamre to evaluate the effectiveness of dynamic flashing beacons installed on rural scenic cycling routes that activate when cyclists pass over their sensors.  Outside of his coursework and WTI projects Bryce has found time to lead the student ITE chapter at MSU, serve as a Resident Advisor, and squeeze in favorite activities like running, hiking, CRU community, and spending time with family.

With his upcoming graduation in May (with Summa Cum Laude Honors), the next steps in Bryce’s plans are a summer internship as a transportation analysist, followed by starting a Transportation Engineering Ph.D. program at the University of Florida.  Based on his hard work and enthusiasm here at WTI, we see a bright future on the road ahead.

STUDENT NEWS: Welcome, Sam Coulter!

Posted on January 25th, 2021
Portrait of Sam Coulter at ice hockey rink 2021

Meet WTI’s Undergraduate Research Assistant Sam Coulter. A Senior at MSU, Sam will be helping Andrea Hamre with the Commercial Package Delivery through Public Transportation Systems in Rural States project. His participation is through a GPHY 498 Internship for the GIS/Planning program within the Department of Earth Sciences, under the academic advisement of Land Resources & Environmental Sciences Instructor, Nicholas Fox. Sam was born and raised in Gillette, Wyoming. He will be graduating this Spring with a Bachelor of Science in GIS/Planning. Sam’s favorite classes have been GIS and Planning classes, where he has enjoyed creating projects from real life situations. In this project with WTI, Sam is excited to learn more about transportation, especially rural public transportation and ways to help increase its efficiency and effectiveness. When not pursuing his studies and internship from home, Sam is at the ice arena playing and coaching hockey. He also enjoys hunting and skiing.

2021 30th Annual UTC Outstanding Student of the Year Awards

Posted on January 12th, 2021
Headshot of Ali Rahim-Talegani

Congratulations to Ali Rahim-Taleqani of North Dakota State University (NDSU). Ali has been recognized as a 2020 Outstanding Student of the Year by the University Transportation Centers for his contributions to the Small Urban, Rural and Tribal Center on Mobility led by the Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University.  Ali has over 10 years of experience in international freight forwarding, logistics, and domestic transport.  He received his PhD in Transportation and Logistics from NDSU in May 2020.

During his doctoral studies, he worked on several projects relating to micro-mobility using simulation, optimization, and machine learning.  Now a master’s degree student in Computer Science, Ali is conducting research with the Small Urban and Rural Center on Mobility (SURCOM) at NDSU’s Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute.  He is currently developing a web application that will help rural and small urban transit agencies identify and project their state of good repair.

In addition to receiving his PhD in 2020, Ali published his third journal article, “Maximum Closeness Centrality K-Clubs: A Study of Dock-Less Bike Sharing in the Journal of Advanced Transportation.

STUDENT NEWS: Gaining Research and Testing Experience in the Cold Climates Lab

Posted on December 7th, 2020
Staff photo, Lura Johnson

The Cold Climate Operations and Systems program has new student support in the Lab!

WTI is pleased to welcome Lura Johnson as an undergraduate lab technician, who will assist with various road deicing tests and materials.  Working closely with Program Manager Laura Fay and Mat Bell, she is currently supporting the Ice Melting Capacity Test and the Roadway Friction Modeling project.

Lura is currently pursuing a B.S. in Environmental Engineering here at MSU and also participates in the Honors College. Originally from Keene Valley in upstate New York, she has a strong interest in the protection of public and private lands, like the Adirondack Park near her hometown.  Her long-term goal is to pursue a career in resource preservation with an emphasis on pollution control.  When she’s not studying or working in our labs, she enjoys making art, backcountry and nordic skiing, trail running, backpacking, and swimming.

Student Research Opportunities: Five Positions Available with Bozeman Commute Rebrand Project

Posted on November 6th, 2020

Summary: The Western Transportation Institute (WTI) is seeking five MSU students for part-time, paid positions to support the development and implementation of a project to rebrand a local, online commuter platform.  Seeking students in marketing, graphic design, engineering, public health and sustainability.  Apply by November 13th, 2020.

Background

Logo for Bozeman Commuter project including tagline Rethink Transportation

Many people who work in Bozeman live far away due to high housing costs, resulting in long and expensive commutes. BozemanCommute.org is an online platform hosted by RideAmigos launched in 2018 in part to help people find more affordable commute options. However, the Bozeman Commute platform receives relatively limited use.  The Bozeman Commute Rebrand, social marketing and programs/outreach project will engage MSU students and partners from different sectors in the community including transit, economic development, sustainability, business, and transportation.  The project objectives include:

  1. Rebrand the Bozeman Commute program to appeal to a broader audience
  2. Development of a comprehensive social marketing campaign
  3. Develop programs and outreach events to engage more people in understanding their transportation options.

Position Description

The Western Transportation Institute (WTI) is seeking five MSU students who will be responsible for supporting WTI in the development and implementation of the rebrand project. The plan is to create a multi-disciplinary student team consisting of one student from each of the following disciplines:  marketing, graphic design, engineering, public health and sustainability.  It is anticipated that this team approach will foster a culture of collaboration among people who likely have differing backgrounds and viewpoints. Roles may include the creation of marketing and outreach materials, website development, event coordination and implementation, data collection and analysis, survey design and analysis, literature reviews, preparing project reports, and making presentations to various community groups. 

The work is anticipated to start in mid-November and be complete by early June or when the project is complete.  Students will report to the Bozeman Commuter Project Manager- Matt Madsen.  Students will be paid $14 per hour up to 80 hours total per student over the next 6 months.  It is anticipated students will work approximately 10-15 hours per month on average, though that time may vary depending on class and other commitments.   Work will be remote, virtual, and possibly in-person.

Required Skills/Qualifications

  1. Junior or Senior Level Undergrad or master’s Level Student in Engineering, Marketing, Graphic Design, Art, Community Health, or Sustainability.
  2. Ability to work independently as well as in a collaborative environment
  3. Experience with Webex and other internet-based meeting software
  4. Ability and willingness to work during the Snowmester
  5. Demonstrated oral and written communication skills
  6. Demonstrated experience with programs like MailChimp, SurveyMonkey, and others

For More Information/To Apply

Contact Matthew Madsen, MPH, Research Associate at the Western Transportation Institute.  Matthew.madsen@montana.edu  Please submit a resume and cover letter to the email address listed above.  Please indicate your area of specialty in your cover letter.