Transportation Leader Norm Mineta Passes Away

Norman Mineta, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce and U.S. Secretary of Transportation, former Chair of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Public Works and Transportation, and a friend and strong supporter of transportation research, passed away last week. As a congressman, he played a key role in the development and passage of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA). As Secretary of Transportation, he made the decision to ground all airplanes in U.S. airspace on September 11, 2001. He also led the efforts to create the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). He was the 2017 recipient of TRB's Frank Turner Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Transportation. He was also a member of TRB's Future Interstate Highway System Study Committee. TRB Executive Director Neil Pedersen said, "Secretary Mineta was truly an outstanding American. Considering his personal story from his time in a Japanese-American internment camp, through his time in Congress, and his being a Cabinet Secretary in both Democratic and Republican administrations, there are very few who could match his record of service and love of country."

Improving Equity in Transportation

TRB Volunteers who are members or friends of various TRB standing technical committees answered our question, "What can TRB and the transportation industry learn from Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month to improve equity in transportation?" Read the important points to consider from David Kim from WSP. Thank you, David!

TRB and Academies Volunteers Have New Training Materials

New training materials have just been released for the National Academies' expert volunteer community. The materials are designed to acclimate volunteers and support them throughout their work with TRB and the Academies. See how your volunteer efforts contribute to the National Academies' mission and impact!

TR News 338. The March-April 2022 issue of TRB's magazine—with a cover feature on trafficked, missing, and murdered indigeneous women—is available in hard copy and digital copy for subscribers. For those who are not subscribers, the cover and the table of contents are available.

• The work of the TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program with the Seahive in Florida, which uses a reef as a defense against tropical storms, is featured in a Vox article.
• About 3.6 million people in the United States in a given year did not get medical care because of transportation issues, finds research in TRB's TRR journal, cited in an AARP feature on long-term care.
• A National Academies report on how to improve the supply chain for medical supplies is cited in this Forbes feature article.