Getting Involved in TRB Committee Activities

An Invitation to Become Involved in TRB Committee Activities

TRB's standing committees are the gateway to becoming involved in TRB activities, provides an excellent opportunity for you to network with others in your field, and stay current on emerging issues while contributing to the continuing evolution of transportation research and practice. Take a look at the resources below for information on the benefits to volunteers and their organizations, what standing committees do, and how to become involved. Feel free to contact the relevant TRB staff officer or committee chair if you have any questions (contact information is available in the list of standing committees).


Benefits to Volunteers and Their Organizations

TRB committee activities provide significant benefits to volunteers, to their employers, and to the transportation community. Committee friends and members network with their colleagues, receiving valuable and timely information about ongoing and recently completed research, new technologies, and current practice. They also establish professional relationships with individuals from other geographic areas and disciplines, broadening their knowledge and perspectives. These relationships often are maintained for years, providing opportunities to informally share experiences, discuss mutual problems, and obtain guidance.

An organization's support for an employee's participation in TRB committee activities is directly rewarded through early awareness of new research findings, as well as the opportunity to encourage research addressing problems faced by the employer. Transfer and implementation of new technologies in government agencies and industry frequently result from participation in TRB committee activities. Moreover, issues identified through committee activities often lead to initiatives that directly benefit transportation agencies. By supporting the volunteer work of their staff on behalf of TRB, employers are able to contribute to the broader transportation community by sharing information on their organizations' research results and practices.

What do Standing Committees Do?

TRB standing committees provide opportunities for transportation researchers and pratictioners to join together in the following activities.

• Stimulating research by developing and publishing research problem statements, issuing calls for papers, submitting research problem statements to the NCHRP and TCRP, and defining and publishing critical issues and research needs.
• Keeping the transportation community apprised of recent and ongoing research through sessions at TRB Annual Meetings, specialty conferences and workshops, committee meetings, informal networking, responses to requests for information, and referrals to other experts.
• Synthesizing and disseminating research results through sponsorship of workshops and conferences, compilation of bibliographies, and publication of compendiums of research papers and state-of-the-art and state-of-the-practice reports.
• Reviewing and recommending research papers for publication by TRB and for TRB-sponsored awards.
• Cosponsoring special activities and providing liaison with other transportation-oriented agencies in the United States and in other countries.
• Encouraging participation in TRB by students and professionals entering the transportation field.

Committees use a variety of approaches in conducting their activities.

• Committee meetings (held both at the TRB Annual Meeting each January and at midyear)
• Dissemination of research findings and other information through publications of conference proceedings, research reports, manuals, newsletters, and directories in both print and electronic media, including CD-ROM, the Internet, audiotape, and videotape
• Telecommunications, including e-mail, teleconferencing, committee Web sites, and bulletin boards
• Expanded networks, including joint TRB committee activities, subcommittees, and committee "friends"
• Training workshops and tutorials,
• Use of TRB's Transportation Research Information Services (TRIS) bibliographic database to conduct information searches  

How to Become Involved

To participate as a volunteer in TRB committee activities, or learn more about the work of the standing committees:

• Consult the list of TRB standing committees, including the scope statement and member list for each. Click on the TRB Staff or Chairperson's email address and send a brief email summarizing your background and why you are interested in participating with this committee.
• Contact a TRB staff representative to learn of current activities in which you may wish to participate.
• Volunteer to serve as a reviewer of research papers, to work on a committee project, or to give a presentation or preside at a session of the annual meeting or a specialty conference.
• Participate in committee meetings, which generally are open to anyone who wishes to attend. Introduce yourself to the chair and other committee members.
• Express your interest in joining as a formal member of the commitee at the first opportunity. Each committee has a required turnover of one-third of its members every 3 years, and committee members may not continue for more than three consecutive 3-year terms if other individuals wish to join. As a result, opportunities occur at least every 3 years (more often for many committees).

Roles of Standing Committee Members

Please see the TRB Technical Activities Standing Committee Members' Guide for more information on roles and responsibilities of standing committee members, young members, and friends of the committee.