News:

Dr. Wolshon Presents at the National Hurricane Conference
March, 2012

Dr. Brian Wolshon presented at the 2012 National Hurricane Conference in Orlando, Florida in March 2012. Dr. Wolshon was one of several speakers that led the session titled “The New Realities of Hurricane Evacuations”. Better data about inundation potential, larger numbers of people, and changing population attributes are causing emergency management professionals to re-think their approaches to evacuation, with respect to timing, sheltering, communicating, and deciding who needs to leave.

In particular, Dr. Wolshon discussed “Special Evacuation Challenges in the Florida Keys,” a project that he has been working on for the past five years. He emphasized several issues that make the Florida Keys unique and the challenges presented with respect to evacuation. In addition, he described the transportation analysis process and the emerging knowledge that can be applied to other locations.

Student Outreach at St. Joseph’s Academy
March, 2012

Katie Spansel presented at the St. Joseph’s Academy (SJA) Career Day on March 14, 2012. SJA is an all-girls Catholic high school in Baton Rouge, LA, with high standards of excellence in its academic programs. The mission of SJA is to educate young women as responsible and unifying members of the world community.

During the event, Spansel explained the typical duties of a civil engineer and the requirements to achieve an engineering degree at LSU. She described the University Transportation Center and the interesting on-going research projects dealing with transportation, safety, and evacuation. The girls expressed interest through their thought provoking questions and inquiries.

“I am hopeful that these eleventh grade students have a new found interest in engineering as a potential career endeavor. With SJA having a strong math and science emphasis in the curriculum, I know the girls will be well prepared for any engineering field,” Spansel said.

LSU Student Awarded Clayton Ph.D. Assistantship Supplement Award
March, 2012

LSU graduate student, Scott Parr, was selected to receive the 2012 Clayton Ph.D. Assistantship Supplement Award. This award was established through an endowment by 1959 LSU graduates, Donald W. and Gloria Pichon Clayton, to support the College of Engineering in its quest for excellence. Parr will be honored at the LSU College of Engineering Hall of Distinction Banquet on April 26th, 2012. The LSU College of Engineering is very proud of Parr for his academic accomplishments and representation of the student body.

Dr. Wolshon presents at American Council of Engineering Companies Meeting
March, 2012

Dr. Brian Wolshon presented at the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) local chapter meeting in Baton Rouge, LA. His presentation was titled “Evacuation Practice and Research: Preparing for Natural and Man-made Major Events”. The purpose of the discussion was to illustrate how the evacuation planning in Louisiana has evolved over time. Problems were identified from the evacuation of Hurricane Ivan and solutions were proposed to enhance the evacuation plan. After extensive studies and modeling with TRANSIMS, a contraflow plan was established for Metropolitan New Orleans. In conclusion, it is evident that TRANSIMS can be an effective tool for evacuation modeling and planning.

LSU and UNO Receive Federal Transportation Grant
January, 2012

Louisiana State University and the University of New Orleans are both members of a consortium of universities selected to receive a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. LSU and UNO are members of the Southwest Region University Transportation Center, which is led by Texas A&M University and also includes Texas Southern and the University of Texas at Austin. The consortium is one of 22 University Transportation Centers that will receive federal support to address critical transportation challenges facing the nation.

The Southwest Region University Transportation Center will receive $3.5 million, with LSU and UNO receiving $250,000 each. The Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration used a competitive selection process to select the grant recipients.

"The UNO Transportation Institute is excited to partner with the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) at Texas A&M and our partners at LSU and other universities to be part of the winning team for this federal grant,” said John Renne, early research professor of planning and urban studies and director of the UNO Transportation Institute. “TTI is known nationally as the preeminent transportation research institution and UNO's role as a partner on this team creates a tremendous opportunity for the future of UNO's role in transportation research, not just in Louisiana, but nationally."

"LSU’s partnering with Texas A&M and the other consortium member institutions gives us a fantastic opportunity to team with some of the most recognized programs in the field of security, emergency, and evacuation transportation research programs in the world as well the unique opportunity to work closely with some of the most internationally esteemed researchers in all fields of transportation engineering and planning,” said Brian Wolshon, Edward A. and Karen Wax Schmitt Distinguished Professor of Engineering in the Louisiana State University’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Director of the Gulf Coast Research Center for Evacuation and Transportation Resiliency at LSU. “In the upcoming years, we expect to make significant advances in our ability to model and evaluate the transportation processes associated with mass emergencies as well as the human behavior that influences travel decision-making under such conditions. With our specialization in emergency transportation LSU faculty, staff, and student researchers seek ways to make travel and supply before, during, and after emergencies both large and small ever safer, faster, more efficient, more adaptable, and more cost effective. Through our work we strive to give transportation networks, resources, systems and personnel the ability to save and preserve life."

University Transportation Centers work with regional, state and local transportation agencies to help find solutions to challenges that directly impact their communities and affect the efficiency of the nation’s transportation system. The UTC projects are peer-reviewed and the results of their work are shared with the national transportation community to encourage greater progress through collaboration. The selected universities will research a wide range of transportation-related issues including shared rail corridors, innovations in multimodal freight and infrastructure, bridge inspection methods and reducing roadway fatalities and injuries.

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2011 CETR Student of the year
December, 2011

 

Scott Parr, a PhD student at Louisiana State University, received the 2011 Student of the Year award. Scott was honored for his research involving the impacts of police traffic control during emergencies and planned special events. He was recognized for his accomplishments at the TRB Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

CETR Scholarships
December, 2011

The LSU CETR awarded two scholarships to students pursuing doctoral degrees in transportation related fields. The students, Samuel Cooper and Meisam Akbarzedeh, are studying sustainable pavement materials under Dr. Louay Mohammad and travel demand modeling mass evacuation scenarios under Dr. Chester Wilmot, respectively. The scholarships were used to support their travel to the 91st Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board in Washington, D.C.

LSU Student Awarded Fellowship
January, 2012

Jaworski Sartin, an LSU doctoral student specializing in the area of transportation systems engineering, was awarded a Fellowship through the “Bridge to the Doctorate” (BD) project at Louisiana State University. This LSU/BD award is made possible through the Louis Stokes – Louisiana Alliance for Minority Participation (LS-LAMP) funded by the National Science Foundation. The purpose of the LS-LAMP BD is to support and encourage students from underrepresented groups in pursuit of a PhD in the science, technology, engineering or mathematics fields.

Student Wins Prestigious Graduate Fellowship
April, 2011

University of New Orleans master’s of urban and regional planning student Max Williamson is the recipient of a 2011 Dwight David Eisenhower Graduate Fellowship. The fellowship, through the Federal Highway Administration, is for the pursuit of a master’s degree in transportation-related fields. Williamson will receive a minimum of $5,000, which he will use to work on his thesis on how to make New Orleans a more bicycle-friendly city. Williamson, a native of St. Augustine, Florida, has a bachelor’s degree in geography and political science from Florida State University. The objectives of the Eisenhower Graduate Fellowship Program are to attract the nation’s brightest minds to the field of transportation, to enhance the careers of transportation professionals by encouraging them to seek advanced degrees and to retain top talent in the transportation industry of the United States. The program is intended to bring innovation and enhance the breadth and scope of knowledge of the entire transportation community in the U.S. Established in 1974, UNO’s master’s of urban and regional planning is the only accredited professional planning program in Louisiana. Read more...

Video Released Featuring the Center
March, 2011

The team at Evacuteer.org has produced a video highlighting the accomplishments made at the Center since Hurricane Katrina landed in New Orleans in 2005. Evacuteer.org is a non-profit organization which aids New Orleans with the City Assisted Evacuation Plan by recruiting, training, and managing evacuation volunteers.  A report was also produced by Evacuteer.org Executive Director Robert Fogarty. A link to the report can be found here.


Originally Posted: March 21, 2011

Research Presented at Seminar
March, 2011

Dr. Joshua Kent presented his current research activities to the LSU School of the Coast & Environment at a seminar on February 18, 2011. Dr. Kent's research is currently funded by the center to investigate the impact of subsidence on major evacuation routes in Louisiana. A model will be produced which will be able to forecast subsidence for coastal Louisiana through 2100. The abstract for Dr. Kent's research project can be found here. A link to the handout of all speakers present at the seminar can be found here.
Originally Posted: March 21, 2011

Center Sponsored Research Making Headlines
February, 2011

Research currently sponsored by the Center is making headlines around the country. Lead Researcher Marwa Hassan is investigating the use of nano compounds on pavements in order to capture some of the C0₂ emissions form vehicles. Links to the various articles can be found below.

• Baton Rouge Advocate Article: Mix might clear the air
  
• San Francisco Chronicle Article: Can Roads be a Solution to Pollution?
  
• LSU Website Article: Coming Clean
  
• LSU Paving the Way in Sustainability
  

Originally Posted: February 14, 2011

Distinguished Speaker for Clinton Global Initiative
February, 2011

Dr. John L. Renne, Early Research Professor of Planning and Urban Studies in the Department of Planning and Urban Studies and Associate Director of the Gulf Coast Research Center for Evacuation and Transportation Resiliency has been invited by President Bill Clinton to speak at the third Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative University on April 17th, at the University of Miami in Florida. Dr. Renne will participate as a panelist in the session titled, ‘Sustainable Transportation: One Step to Building Sustainable Communities.’ Dr. Renne is the only transportation scholar speaking at the conference.
Originally Posted: February 14, 2011

Center Recognized by AARP
February, 2011

AARP Louisiana Recognizes UNO Gulf Coast Research Center for Evacuation and Transportation Resiliency for showing significant contributions in leadership and service for residents of New Orleans.
Originally Posted: February 14, 2011