Approximately 12,000 people from around the world will gather for the Transportation Research Board (TRB) 94th Annual Meeting. For the first time, the event will take place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., from Jan. 11-15, and involve more than 5,000 transportation-related presentations at nearly 750 sessions and workshops covering all transportation modes. This year's spotlight theme is "Corridors to the Future: Transportation and Technology."
Sessions With U.S. Department of Transportation officials include:
Rulemaking for Safety
Jan. 12, 10:15 a.m. to noon
Deputy Secretary of Transportation Victor Mendez will be joined by the administrators from each DOT mode to discuss the challenges and promise of improving safety, including the current systems used to eliminate and anticipate safety problems and adjusting the regulatory framework to allow for better risk analysis.
Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx to Unveil 30-Year Plan
Jan. 12, 1:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Transportation Secretary Foxx will discuss the DOT's efforts to assemble a comprehensive, long-term transportation plan that focuses on understanding and addressing how rapid technological and demographic changes will challenge a growing nation.
Creating Ladders of Opportunity: Efforts to Increase Access for the Future
Jan. 12, 3:45 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Access to reliable, safe, and affordable transportation for all is central to Secretary Foxx’s agenda. Carlos Monje Jr., counselor to the secretary at the DOT, and Therese McMillan, acting administrator of the Federal Transit Administration, will be joined by other panelists to discuss the challenges and opportunities to measuring connectivity and how choices made regarding transportation infrastructure at all levels can strengthen communities, create pathways to jobs, and improve quality of life.
Thomas B. Deen Distinguished Lecture and Presentation of Awards
Jan. 12, 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.
The Deen Distinguished Lectureship is awarded to recognize the career contributions and achievements of an individual in areas covered by TRB’s Technical Activities Division. As the 2015 recipient, Daniel Sperling, professor of civil engineering and environmental science and policy, and founding director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at University of California, Davis, will deliver a lecture titled "The Emerging Transformation of Mobility, Vehicles, and Fuels." A number of TRB awards also will be presented at this event.
State Department of Transportation CEO Roundtables
Jan. 13, 10:15 a.m. to noon
Funding Transportation Investments in an Uncertain Federal Fiscal Environment
Given the nation's debate about deficits and taxes and its impact on infrastructure investments, leaders of state DOTs will discuss the measures they are taking to fund needed projects.
Connected and Automated Vehicles — Challenges and Opportunities for State DOTs
Jan. 13, 1:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Fundamental transportation planning, design, maintenance, and operations have changed with the advent of connected and automated vehicles. A panel of state DOT leaders will discuss how to prepare and adapt for the possibility of meeting new technical, policy, and legal expectations.
Moving the Goods — Accommodating Major Changes in Freight Flows
Jan. 13, 3:45 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
New and expanding energy sector developments throughout the U.S. will greatly increase freight transportation in the next two decades. Further expansion of the Panama Canal also has affected goods movements across the U.S. A panel of state DOT leaders will examine how to meet the changing needs of energy transport.
Chairman's Luncheon
Jan. 14, noon to 2 p.m.
The Chairman's Luncheon is attended by about 750 leaders in the transportation field from the U.S. and abroad. This year's featured speaker will be Robert E. Skinner Jr., executive director of TRB, who will discuss the role of research in advancing progress in transportation and the challenges ahead. Also during the luncheon, Skinner, who is retiring from TRB at the end of January, will be presented with the Frank Turner Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Transportation for his work as a strong advocate for innovation in transportation and support of objective, balanced analysis as a foundation for policymaking. Tickets are required for the luncheon, and limited seating (without lunch and admittance after 12:45 p.m.) is available in the balcony.
The annual meeting also will feature an exhibit hall with more than 300 booths from government agencies, research organizations, and commercial businesses, showcasing their products and services.
A newsroom will be available to reporters at the convention center. Members of the media must register to access the room. For registration information, contact Lisa Marflak (information below). Visit here for more information about the meeting, including a complete list of sessions.
Attendees can download the free annual meeting app to access information on the schedule of events, program participants, floor plans, exhibitors, and more. To download, search "TRB 2015" in the App Store or Google Play. To follow online conversations about the annual meeting, use the hashtag #TRBAM and follow TRB on Twitter @TRBofNA.
