Get Involved With TRB

TRB is one of six major divisions of the National Research Council, which serves as an independent adviser to the federal government and others on scientific and technical questions of national importance, and which is jointly administered by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to provide leadership in transportation innovation and progress through research and information exchange, conducted within a setting that is objective, interdisciplinary, and multimodal. The Board is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation.

Each year, TRB’s varied activities engage more than 7,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest by participating on TRB committees, panels, and task forces. Others get involved and support TRB activities by becoming a TRB Affiliate; participating in TRB-sponsored conferences and workshops; authoring technical papers and contract research reports; and more.

Here are links to additional information on how you can get involved in TRB.

Serve on a TRB Standing Committee, Subcommittee, or Taskforce
In 1920 the Board established three technical committees to promote research and disseminate highway research findings. Today TRB maintains more than 200 standing committees and task forces that address all aspects and modes of transportation. More than 4,000 administrators, operators, engineers, attorneys, researchers, educators, and others concerned with transportation serve on these committees and task forces without compensation. Committee members identify research needs; provide information to the transportation community on research priorities and procedures; review papers for presentation at the TRB Annual Meeting and for publication; encourage the incorporation of appropriate research findings into practice; and develop special programs, conferences, and workshops.

Serve on a Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) Panel
TRB manages a number of major research programs sponsored by other organizations, which include the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP), the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP), the Hazardous Materials Cooperative Research Program (HMCRP), and the National Cooperative Freight Research Program (NCFRP).  Under all of these programs, TRB organizes panels of experts to provide guidance on technical aspects of the research.  TRB also manages programs of smaller studies focused on synthesizing current practices in the NCHRP, TCRP, and ACRP programs as well as a separately administered Commercial Truck and Bus Safety Synthesis Program (CTBSSP).

Serve on a Strategic Highway Research Program 2 (SHRP 2) Expert Task Group
The Strategic Highway Research Program 2 (SHRP 2) is investigating the underlying causes of highway crashes and congestion in a short-term program of focused research. SHRP 2 targets goals in four interrelated focus areas: Safety; Renewal; Reliability; and Capacity.  SHRP 2 is guided by an oversight committee and four technical coordinating committees, one in each of the four focus areas.  The targeted task groups provide assistance in areas requiring specific technical expertise, including preparation of requests for proposals and review of proposals.

Join/Support TRB--Become an Affiliate or Sponsor
TRB has individual affiliate packages geared to both students and professionals that offer deep discounts on TRB publications and meeting registrations, as well as exclusive access to services provided by TRB.  TRB also offers a tiered system for organizations who wish to associate themselves with and support the work of TRB.  The organizational affiliate and sponsor programs offer increasing benefits commensurate with the level of support provided.  Opportunities to become a sponsor of TRB's Marine Board are also available.

Submit a Paper
The TRB Annual Meeting, held the first half of January every year in Washington, D.C., covers all transportation modes, with more than 3,000 presentations in nearly 600 sessions.  In addition, each year TRB sponsors more than 50 specialty conference and workshops that support sessions where papers are also presented.  Papers presented at any TRB-sponsored meeting are also eligible for consideration for publication in TRB's Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board.  The submission deadline for papers to be considered for the Annual Meeting is August 1.  Deadlines for paper or abstract submissions for speciality conferences vary.

Exhibit
The TRB Annual Meeting, held the first half of January every year in Washington, D.C., attracts more than 10,000 attendees from throughout the United States and the world. By exhibiting at the Annual Meeting, commercial organizations can showcase their products and services, and show their support for transportation research and innovation.

Respond to an RFP or RFI
TRB's Strategic Highway Research Program 2 (SHRP 2); Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (IDEA) programs; and its highway, transit, airport, freight, and hazardous materials cooperative research programs each year award more than $50 million in transportation research funding on a wide variety of topics.

Submit an IDEA
TRB's  Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (IDEA) Programs fund research into promising but unproven innovations for highways, transportation safety, and transit. Investigators may submit proposals in March or September of each year to be considered for funding. 
 
Stay Current - Subscribe to the TRB E-Newsletter
TRB's Transportation Research E-Newsletter is a free weekly electronic service designed to keep individuals up-to-date on TRB activities and to highlight selected transportation research-related activities taking place at the federal and state levels, and within the academic and international transportation communities.  More than 33,000 people from around the world receive the E-Newsletter.

Keep Informed - Follow TRB on Twitter 
Follow TRBofNA to receive daily updates about TRB's research, projects, and activities. TRB's Twitter page will be updated and monitored daily. Use it to stay informed about transportation research or let TRB know what transportation research items interest you.