To everyone who ventured through the snow last week for the 2025 TRB Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., we thank you and hope you enjoyed your time networking and learning!

Among my personal highlights of the conference was the time I got to spend with the Federal Highway Administration's Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellows and the TRB Minority Student Fellows (pictured), watching the fascinating discussion during the Chair's Plenary on transportation innovation (the recording is available to watch here), the Empathy at the Intersection exhibit, and Sandra Rosenbloom's insights on transportation's "marginalized majority" for the Deen Lecture.

Victoria Sheehan, TRB Executive Director

The U.S. Department of Transportation and Congress should direct and support states, localities, regional planning organizations, and other federal surface transportation fund recipients to pilot the use of metrics addressing the transportation needs of all people, according to a new National Academies/TRB study released this past week (TRB Special Report 356: An Assessment of Data, Tools, and Metrics for Equity in Decisions About Surface Transportation Investments). Over the last 20 years, states and localities, reinforced by legislative requirements, have made concerted efforts to measure the U.S. transportation system’s physical and operational performance, whereas the performance of transportation investments in meeting the life needs of disadvantaged and underserved populations is seldom assessed.

TRB's four Cooperative Research Programs release reports of their activities each year. Hot off the presses are:

• ACRP 2024 Annual Report: The Airport Cooperative Research Program has nearly 600 research products available free to download online, including 38 new ones in 2024.
• NCHRP 2024 Annual Report: The National Cooperative Highway Research Program, which began in 1962, released 102 new research products in 2024.
• TCRP 2024 Annual Report of Progress: The Transit Cooperative Research Program has nearly 800 publications available free to download online, including 17 from 2024. 
• A few weeks ago, the BTSCRP 2024 Annual Report was released by the Behavioral Traffic Safety Cooperative Research Program.

TRB's Top Downloaded Publication in December: NCHRP Research Report 1125: Reducing Conflicts Between Turning Motor Vehicles and Bicycles: Decision Tool and Design Guidelines (released November 26, 2024)

There are currently several TRB job openings.

• Deputy Division Director - Technical Activities Division. This position will oversee the planning and coordination of TRB’s Annual Meeting at a programmatic level throughout the year, among many other responsibilites.
• Senior Program Officer and Senior Program Officer. These positions will manage and oversee research projects within TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP).
• Program Officer. This position will play a crucial role in the execution and management of NCHRP's projects. 
• Senior Program Officer - Technical Activities Division. This position's portfolio will consist primarily of projects dealing with rail transportation and freight systems.
• Associate Program Officer. This position will support the Technical Activities Division Director in the management of the division.
• Program Coordinator. This position will coordinate and oversee the work of support staff handling clerical, administrative, and logistical aspects of meetings under direct supervision of the Operations Manager of TRB's Cooperative Research Program.
• Sponsorship and Exhibit Sales Manager. This position will raise revenue through the sale of sponsorship and exhibit packages for TRB conferences among other responsibilities. 

There are many other job opportunities at the National Academies. Plus, find featured transportation research jobs beyond the National Academies at TRB's Career Center.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Volpe National Transportation Systems Center is hiring for the position of Director, Center for Policy, Planning and Environment. The hire will be based in Cambridge, MA and applicants must submit materials by February 3.

May 29 - 29 - Registration is now open for TRB's Conference for Data and AI for Transportation Advancement. Register today!

TRB staff extend their thoughts to those affected by the California wildfires. Deadlines for several RFPs originally due this week have been extended.

News coverage of the TRB Annual Meeting is compiled here. A sampling includes:

• POLITICO: EV Charger Program will Survive Trump, Transportation Official Says
• AASHTO Journal: TRB Panel: Technology Key to ‘Future of Transportation’
• FreightWaves: At TRB: How High-tech Mapping can Grow Intermodal, and a Data Reality Check