ITS Lab at PSU

Intelligent Transportation Systems Laboratory News Items

Our most recent 30 news items are below, to see all 410 news items dating back to 2003 browse here


Alex Bigazzi presents at APEC workshop in Vietnam • April 2013 Alex Bigazzi was invited to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to present at a workshop for the APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) Transportation Working Group 37th meeting. The workshop was entitled “Sustainable Urban Transportation: Intermodal Freight and Transit Oriented Development”, and was presented by the Intermodal and Intelligent Transportation Systems Experts Group. Alex presented on the greenhouse gas emissions effects of traffic management related to road freight and transit-oriented development, particularly the effects of congestion mitigation and priority for heavy vehicles such as trucks and buses. His presentation was based on several years of research on traffic management and pollution emissions, conducted with his advisor Dr. Miguel Figliozzi. While in Vietnam, Alex was able to witness the unique urban traffic flow characteristics of a city with a 90% motorbike mode share!

Alex Bigazzi's "Portland ACE" project on display at MCECS Innovation Program Showcase • April 2013 Alex Bigazzi, a graduate student in transportation engineering, presented his Innovation Program project at a showcase in the Engineering Building today. The Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science's (MCECS) Innovation Program provides funding and assistance for student-led innovation projects. Alex's project is called the "Portland ACE: Portable, Low-cost, and Networked Device for Assessing Cyclists' Exposure". Over the past 9 months Alex built a low-cost, light-weight device that measures a bicyclists' travel, environmental, and physiology data, and sends them over Bluetooth to an Android smartphone with a custom-built application that displays and logs the data. More information on Portland ACE can be found here: http://civil.alexbigazzi.com/PortlandAce. Alex discussed his project with attendees and was asked to give a short presentation about the Innovation Program. The Portland ACE is already being used to collect data for Alex's research, and development continues to add new sensors and work toward commercialization.

Alex Bigazzi presents at Transportation Research Forum in Annapolis • March 2013 Alex Bigazzi, a Ph.D. student in Transportation Engineering, presented two research papers at the 54th Annual Transportation Research Forum in Annapolis, Maryland. The first paper was titled "Exploring the Aggregate Effects of Roadway Capacity on Congestion and Travel Demand Using Panel Data Granger and Causality Tests", and used econometric models to look at the statistical relationships supporting supply-side and demand-side congestion mitigation strategies. The second paper was titled "The Emissions Benefits of Truck-Only Lane Management", and analyzed traffic management techniques to reduce air pollution emissions from road freight. The second paper was co-authored by Alex's advisor, Dr. Miguel Figliozzi.

USDOT Releases Research Data Exchange (RDE) featuring PORTAL snapshot data • March 2013 From the USDOT press release -"U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT) Research and Innovative Technology Administration and the Federal Highway Administration released the first version of the Research Data Exchange (RDE), a transportation data sharing system that promotes sharing of archived and real-time data from multiple sources and multiple modes. This new data sharing capability will support the needs of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) researchers and developers while reducing costs and encouraging innovation. Data accessible through the RDE is quality-checked, well-documented, and available to the public. The RDE can be found on line at here.

Portal Data used in TriMet Ad Verified by PolitiFact • February 2013 A recent ad created by TriMet combined MAX data with Portal freeway data to conclude that "MAX carries 30 percent of evening rush-hour commuters traveling from Downtown on the Sunset and Banfield freeways." The Oregonian's PolitiFact team checked out this claim and verified it as true. See the story here . Thanks to Steve Callas for his data analysis and the link to story and ad.

Kristina Currans wins OTREC Student of the Year Award and Region X Michael Kyte Award. • January 2013 Graduate student Kristina Currans was awarded Student of the Year award by the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium (OTREC) University Transportation Center (UTC). Following a beautiful dinner and ceremony highlighting all the National UTC students of the year in Washington D.C. at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, Kristina was also awarded the Michael Kyte Outstanding Student of the Year award on behalf of the Region X UTCs. Her mother is thrilled.

Another active year at the TRB Annual Meeting for the ITS Lab • January 2013 The TRB Annual Meeting attracts over 11,500 attendees from around the world, covering all topics of transportation. It is held annually in Washington, DC. TRB is a part of the National Academies. Overall, PSU researchers made 36 presentations based upon papers that are subject to a peer-review process. These papers are also considered for publication in the Transportation Research Record: The Journal of the Transportation Research Board. Most of the papers included a graduate student (masters or PhD), and 19 had a student (or recent graduate) as the lead author. Students are indicated as: MURP (Masters of Urban and Regional Planning), Urban Studies PhD, Civil Engineering Masters, or Civil Engineering PhD. Below is a list of just MCECS-related presentations/posters A Methodology to Estimate Bicyclists’ Acceleration and Speed Distributions at Signalized Intersections Miguel Figliozzi, Portland State University FACULTY Nikki Wheeler, Portland State University Civil Engineering Masters Christopher M. Monsere, Portland State University FACULTY Application of Geographic Perturbation Methods to Residential Locations in the Oregon Household Activity Survey: Proof of Concept Kelly J. Clifton, Portland State University FACULTY Steven R. Gehrke, Portland State University Civil Engineering PhD Bicycle-Specific Traffic Signals: Results from State-of-the-Practice Review Sam Thompson, Portland State University Civil Engineering Masters Christopher M. Monsere, Portland State University Miguel Figliozzi, Portland State University FACULTY Consumer Behavior and Travel Choices: A Focus on Cyclists and Pedestrians Kelly J. Clifton, Portland State University FACULTY Kristina Marie Currans, Portland State University Civil Engineering Masters/PhD Christopher Muhs, Portland State University Civil Engineering Masters Chloe Ritter, Resource Systems Group, Inc. MURP Sara Morrissey, Portland State University MURP Collin Roughton, Portland State University MURP Data Cleaning in Activity and Travel Surveys: Methodology Applied to Walk Trips Patrick A. Singleton, Portland State University Civil Engineering Masters Empirical Assessment of Traffic Management Effects of Variable Speed Limit System on German Autobahn: Before and After Simone Weikl, Munich University of the Federal Armed Forces, Germany Klaus Bogenberger, Munich University of the Federal Armed Forces, Germany Robert Lawrence Bertini, Portland State University FACULTY Evaluation of Smart Phone Weight-Mile Tax Truck Data for Supporting Freight Modeling, Performance Measures, and Planning Katherine E. Bell, Portland State University Civil Engineering Masters Miguel Figliozzi, Portland State University FACULTY Evolution of ITE Trip Generation Handbook: Proposal for Collecting Multimodal, Multicontext Establishment-Level Data Kelly J. Clifton, Portland State University FACULTY Kristina Marie Currans, Portland State University Civil Engineering Masters/PhD Christopher Muhs, Portland State University Civil Engineering Masters Exploring Residential Tenure and Housing Type Decisions and Household Activity Engagement Roger B. Chen, Portland State University Civil Engineering Researcher Steven R. Gehrke, Portland State University Civil Engineering PhD Kelly J. Clifton, Portland State University FACULTY Jenny Liu, Portland State University FACULTY Yunemi Jang, University of Arizona Exploring the Effects of Sensor Data Aggregation on Measuring Arterial Performance Michael Wolfe, Portland State University Civil Engineering Masters Christopher M. Monsere, Portland State University FACULTY Robert Lawrence Bertini, Portland State University FACULTY Life-cycle Evaluation of Urban Commercial Electric Vehicles and Their Potential Emission Reduction Impacts Brian Davis, Lancaster Engineering Civil Engineering Masters Miguel Figliozzi, Portland State University FACULTY Marginal Costs of Freeway Traffic Congestion with On-Road Pollution Exposure Externality Alexander York Bigazzi, Portland State University Civil Engineering PhD Miguel Figliozzi, Portland State University FACULTY Pedestrians in Regional Travel Demand Forecasting Models: State of the Practice Patrick A. Singleton, Portland State University Civil Engineering Masters Pedestrians in Regional Travel Demand Forecasting Models: State of the Practice Patrick A. Singleton, Portland State University Civil Engineering Masters Kelly J. Clifton, Portland State University FACULTY Role of Heavy-Duty Freight Vehicles in Reducing Emissions on Congested Freeways with Elastic Travel Demand Functions Alexander York Bigazzi, Portland State University Civil Engineering PhD Miguel Figliozzi, Portland State University FACULTY Statistical Study of Impacts of SCATS Adaptive Traffic Signal Control on Traffic and Transit Performance Courtney Slavin, Portland State University Civil Engineering Masters Wei Feng, Portland State University Civil Engineering PhD Miguel Figliozzi, Portland State University FACULTY Peter J .V. Koonce, City of Portland, Oregon Statistical Study of Variables Associated with Particulate Matter Exposure Levels at Bus Shelters Adam Moore, Portland State University Civil Engineering PhD Miguel Figliozzi, Portland State University FACULTY Study of Emissions Benefits of Commercial Vehicle Lane Management Strategies Alexander York Bigazzi, Portland State University Civil Engineering PhD Miguel Figliozzi, Portland State University FACULTY Testing Strategies to Reduce Pedestrian Delay at Signalized Intersections: Pilot Study in Portland, Oregon Sirisha Murthy Kothuri, Portland State University Civil Engineering PhD Titus Reynolds, City of Portland, Oregon Christopher M. Monsere, Portland State University FACULTY Peter J .V. Koonce, City of Portland, Oregon The Adoption of Complete Streets Policies in Transportation-Disadvantaged Communities: Lessons from U.S. Case Studies Kelly J. Clifton, Portland State University FACULTY Sarah Bronstein, Portland State University MURP Sara Morrissey, Portland State University MURP The Impact of Traffic Signal Timing on Sidewalk Level Particulate Matter Concentrations Courtney Slavin, Portland State University Civil Engineering Masters Miguel Figliozzi, Portland State University FACULTY

Alex Bigazzi and Miguel Figliozzi win Best Paper award • January 2013 Graduate student Alex Bigazzi and his advisor Dr. Miguel Figliozzi won a blue ribbon Best Paper award from the TRB Transportation and Air Quality Committee at this year's annual meeting. The paper, entitled "The Emissions Benefits of Commercial Vehicle Lane Management Strategies" was presented at the Transportation Research Board's 92nd Annual Meeting in January in Washington, D.C. and has been recommended for publication in the Transportation Research Record.

Annual Report Released! • December 2012 We've posted our annual report describing for the last academic year. Read the report here

Katherine Bell Awarded the First Annual Gail Achterman Leadership Scholarship from Portland WTS Chapter • November 2012 ITS Lab student, Katherine Bell (advisor Dr. Miguel Figliozzi), won the first annual Gail Achterman Leadership Scholarship from the Portland Chapter of WTS in the amount of $6,000. The scholarship honors Gail Achterman, one of Oregon's foremost leaders in natural resources, environmental law and policy, and transportation. The scholarship is competitive and based on the applicant's specific transportation goals, academic record and transportation-related activities or job skills. The purpose of the award is to motivate and reward women who demonstrate leadership in the transportation industry. Katherine is a second year M.S. student in Transportation Engineering. She works as a Graduate Research Assistant with her advisor, Dr. Miguel Figliozzi. She is currently working with Dr. Figliozzi on a research project for ODOT/OTREC titled, The Application of Smart Phone Truck Data to Develop Freight Performance Measures and Support Transportation Planning.

Alex Bigazzi Wins Best Student Paper Presentation at PNWIS Conference • November 2012 ITS Lab student Alex Bigazzi won the Best Student Paper Presentation award at the 2012 PNWIS conference in Portland (Pacific Northwest International Section of the Air & Waste Management Association). Alex's presentation was titled Heavy-Duty Vehicle Emissions Effects of Congestion, based on research performed with his adviser, Dr. Miguel Figliozzi. An award of $400 was given along with the prize at the awards banquet. Alex is a Ph.D. student in Transportation Engineering and an NSF Graduate Research Fellow.

ITS Lab Students Present at PNWIS Conference • November 2012 ITS Lab Graduate Students Alex Bigazzi, Adam Moore, and Courtney Slavin presented their research at the 2012 PNWIS-A&WMA conference in Portland, Oregon (Pacific Northwest International Section of the Air & Waste Management Association). All three are advised by Dr. Miguel Figliozzi and presented work related to motor vehicle emissions and traveler exposure to traffic-generated air pollution.

Clifton and Students Active at 53rd Annual ACSP Conference • November 2012 PSU faculty member Dr. Kelly Clifton and graduate students recently presented research at the 53^rd annual conference for the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning in Cincinnati, Ohio, November 1-4, 2012. The conference was well represented by PSU Civil & Environmental Engineering students. Dr. Clifton and Kristina Currans participated in a roundtable discussion, “New Approaches to Estimating Trip Generation.” Steven Gehrke presented research in his presentation “An Exploration into the Influence of Geographic Scale and Land Use Mix on Nonmotorized Travel.” Christopher Muhs presented recently published work, “Capturing and Representing Multimodal Trips in Travel Surveys.” Patrick Singleton gave a presentation titled “Pedestrians in Regional Travel Demand Forecasting Models.” The conference was a different audience than most, comprised of mainly planning academics and doctoral students. The discussions were thought provoking and stimulating, and autumn in Ohio provided some sunshine and a nice break from the rain in the Northwest.

ITS Lab Kicks Off Another Year • October 2012 The ITS Lab held a kick off to another exciting year of courses, research and social activities. The lab welcomes the return of founding director Dr. Robert Bertini, who returned from sabbatical following his time as the Deputy Director of USDOT, RITA administration. About 30 graduate and undergraduate students are supported by research grants of the faculty.

ITS lab students Eric Albright, Adam Moore, Courtney Slavin, Wei Feng and faculty Dr. Miguel Figliozzi presented at the 12th Conference on Advanced Systems of Public Transportation (CASPT12) in Santiago, Chile • July 2012 PSU faculty member Dr. Miguel Figliozzi and four of his students were very active at this year's CASPT (top public transportation conference in the world, held every three years on average), held July 23-27 in Santiago, Chile. The four presentations are: 1. Adam Moore "An empirical study of particulate matter exposure for passengers waiting at bus stop shelters in Portland, Oregon, USA"; 2. Wei Feng "Bus fleet type and age replacement optimization: A case study utilizing King County Metro fleet data"; 3. Eric Albright "Analysis of the impacts of transit signal priority on bus bunching and performance"; 4. Courtney Slavin "An evaluation of the impacts of an adaptive coordinated traffic signal system on transit performance: a case study on Powell Boulevard (Portland, Oregon)". Find more details at conference website

Monsere presents at VeloCity Global Conference in Vancouver BC • June 2012 Dr. Monsere gave a presentation comparing research results from two recent projects titled "Evaluating Innovative Bicycle Infrastructure: Some Comparisons of Portland, OR and Washington, DC (USA)" at the VeloCity Global conference in Vancouver BC. The international conference brings together cycling advocates, planners, health researchers, and engineers to discuss issues related to urban cycling. Find more details at the conference site

PSU and ITS Lab Active at 2012 ITE Western District Annual Meeting • Santa Barbara, CA, June 24-27, 2012 • June 2012 PSU faculty and students were very active at this year's ITE Western District Annual Meeting, held June 24-27 in Santa Barbara, California. 9 students and 1 faculty member (Prof. Figliozzi, ITE student chapter advisor) from PSU attended, with more than 9 presentations. See a complete list of the ITS Lab participation below or browse the titles of the 9 papers presented at the 2012 ITE Western Annual Meeting: 1. Leveraging AVL/APC Bus Data to Determine Factors InGluencing Transit Signal Priority Effectiveness, Eric Albright (co-author Prof. Figliozzi) 2. Do Congestion-Based Roadway Performance Measures ReGlect Emissions Trends? Alexander Y. Bigazzi (co-author Prof. Figliozzi) 3. The Impact of Traffic, Bus Fleet Characteristics, and Atmospheric Conditions on Particulate Matter Exposure: a Case Study in Portland, Oregon, Courtney Slavin (co-author Prof. Figliozzi) 4. Handheld Tablet Technology in an EstablishmentIntercept Survey, Christopher Muhs (co-author Prof. Clifton) 5. Evaluating the Cost and Environmental Implications of Commercial Electric Vehicles in the LTL Delivery Industry, Brian A. Davis (co-author Prof. Figliozzi) 5. A Smart Phone Truck Data Application to Develop Freight Performance Measures and Support Transportation Planning, Katherine E. Bell (co-author Prof. Figliozzi) 6. Air Quality and Multimodal Evaluation of an Adaptive TrafGic Signal System: a case study on Powell Boulevard (Portland, Oregon), Courtney Slavin (co-author Prof. Figliozzi) 7. Student Travel Mode Choice and Air Pollution Exposure: A Case Study at an Urban High School in Portland, Adam Moore (co-author Prof. Figliozzi) 8. Automated Bicycle Data Collection: A Case Study from Portland, Oregon, Sirisha M. Kothuri (co-author Prof. Monsere) 9. Developing a bus service reliability evaluation framework using archived AVL/APC Data, Wei Feng (co-author Prof. Figliozzi)

PORTAL Bluetooth and Ped/Bike Pages • June 2012 Check out the new Bluetooth and Pedestrian and Bicycle Counting pages on the PORTAL demo site. The Ped/Bike page shows Pedestrian actuations at six locations along 82nd Avenue. The Bluetooth page shows arterial performance metrics including trip distance, average speed, and average, 85th and 95th percentile travel times for Bluetooth detectors on the Powell Blvd and 82nd Ave corridors.

ITS Lab Faculty at NATMEC 2012 • June 2012 Lab faculty Monsere and Tufte presented recent work at TRB's NATMEC: Improving Traffic Data Collection, Analysis, and Use Held in Conjunction with International Conference on Weigh-in-Motion (ICWIM) in Dallas, Texas June 4-7, 2012. The biennial conference brings together data practitioners, researchers and vendors to discuss new trends in travel monitoring. Our participation continues a tradition of active involvement with this conference. Monsere presented "A Framework for Multimodal Arterial Data Archiving" and "Toward Automated Bicycle and Pedestrian Data Collection" (showcasing work by PhD student Sirisha Murthy Kothuri. Tufte presided over the TRB ADUS Joint Subcommittee [ABJ35(1)] and presented "Performance Reporting Using the PORTAL Transportation Data Archive". NATMEC photo credit: IRID.

Courtney Slavin receives 2012 PSU Outstanding Community Engagement and Commendation Award • June 2012 Courtney Slavin (advisor Prof. Figliozzi) received the 2012 PSU Outstanding Community Engagement and Commendation Award. In the photo Courtney is receiving the two awards from PSU president Wim Wiewel.

ITS lab students Eric Albright, Adam Moore and Wei Feng presented at the 2012 Bus and Paratransit Conference, Long Beach, CA, May 5-9, 2012. • May 2012 This conference is hosted by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). This is the first time PSU students (Eric Albright, Adam Moore and Wei Feng, advisor Prof. Figliozzi) presented at this conference. The conference includes over 30 specialized educational sessions, technical training workshops, interactive presentations, special events, tours, and also a bus display and exhibitor showcase featuring the latest bus and paratransit vehicles, products, and services. The presentations are: Eric Albright: "Analysis of the Impacts of Transit Service Priority Events on Late Buses and Bus Bunching" Adam Moore: "Bus Stop Air Quality: An Empirical Analysis of Exposure to Particulate Matter at Bus Stop Shelters" Wei Feng: "Optimal Bus Fleet Replacement Decisions Under Uncertainty: A Case Study Utilizing King County (Seattle) Fleet Data"

ITS Lab Students and Faculty Active at TRB 2012 - 20 Papers • February 2012 Go Vikings! PSU ITS Lab Civil and Environmental Engineering faculty and students were very active at this year's TRB Annual Meeting, held January 21-26, 2012 in Washington, D.C More than 30 students, shown in the photo with others from Region 10, were funded by STEP, OTREC, PSU AAA and other grants. The following is an impressive list of the 20 papers presented at the 2012 TRB Annual Meeting 2012: Exploring Traffic Safety and Urban Form in Portland, Oregon. Authors: Gladhill, Kristie; Monsere, Christopher M. Bus Stop Air Quality: An Empirical Analysis of Exposure to Particulate Matter at Bus Stop Shelters. Authors: Moore, Adam; Figliozzi, Miguel A.; Monsere, Christopher M. Preliminary Development of Methods to Automatically Gather Bicycle Counts and Pedestrian Delay at Signalized Intersections. Authors: Kothuri, Sirisha M.; Reynolds, Titus; Monsere, Christopher M.; Koonce, Peter. A Framework for Multimodal Arterial Data Archiving. Authors: Olson, Carl S.; Kothuri, Sirisha M.; Monsere, Christopher M.; Koonce, Peter; Tufte, Kristin A. Multiuser Perspectives on Separated, On-street Bicycle Infrastructure. Authors: Monsere, Christopher M.; McNeil, Nathan; Dill, Jennifer. Context-Based Approach for Adjusting Institute of Transportation Engineers Trip Generation Rates. Authors: Clifton, Kelly J.; Currans, Kristina M.; Cutter, April; Schneider , Robert. Framework for Applying Data Masking and Geoperturbation Methods to Household Travel Survey Data Sets. Authors: Clifton, Kelly J.; Noyan, Nebahat. Capturing and Representing Multimodal Trips in Travel Surveys: Review of the Practice. Authors: Clifton, Kelly J.; Muhs, Christopher D. Modeling the Effects of Congestion on Fuel Economy for Advanced Powertrain Vehicles. Authors: Bigazzi, Alexander Y.; Clifton, Kelly J.; Gregor, Brian J. The Development of a Decision Tool for Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Strategies: The Role of NHTS Data in GreenSTEP Model Development. Authors: Clifton, Kelly J.; Gregor, Brian J. Mode Choice and Consumer Spending: Examination of Grocery Store Trips. Authors: Clifton, Kelly J.; Morrissey, Sara; Ritter Chloe. Traveling in Comfort: Investigating Weather Ranges for Travel. Authors: Chen, Roger B.; Clifton, Kelly J. An Integer Multi-Commodity Flow Model with Recourse for the Capacitated Freight Online Network Assignment with Transportation Disruptions. Authors: Unnikrishnan, Avinash; Shahabi Mehrdad; Figliozzi, Miguel A. Model to Evaluate Cost Competitiveness and Limitations of Electric Delivery Trucks in Less-Than-Truckload Deliveries. Authors: Davis, Brian A.; Figliozzi, Miguel A. A Statistical Study of Commodity Freight Value/Tonnage Trends in the United States. Author: Shabani, Kaveh; Figliozzi, Miguel A. Model and Study of Key Variables Affecting Bus Replacement Age and Life-cycle Costs. Author: Boudart, Jesse; Figliozzi, Miguel A. Electric Commercial Vehicles: Study of Economic and Technological Factors Affecting Their Competitiveness. Author: Feng, Wei; Figliozzi, Miguel A. A Study of the Factors that Influence Transit Signal Priority Effectiveness and Late Bus Recovery at the Signalized Intersection Level. Author: Albright, Eric; Figliozzi, Miguel A. An Empirical Study of the Impact of Freeway Traffic on in-Vehicle Exposure to Ultrafine Particulate Matter. Author: Bigazzi, Alexander Y.; Kendrick, Christine; Figliozzi, Miguel A. Commuter Cyclists' Sensitivity to Changes in Weather: Insight from Two Cities with Different Climatic Conditions. Author: Ahmed, Farhana; Rose Geoffrey; Figliozzi, Miguel A.; Jakob Christian. Do Mobility-Based Performance Measures Reflect Emissions Trends? Author: Bigazzi, Alexander Y.; Figliozzi, Miguel A. User Needs and Enhancements to PORTAL. Author: Tufte, Kristin A.; Matthews, Spicer; Colish, Daniel.

ITS Lab / CEE Department Announce Study Abroad "Multimodal Transportation Engineering Applications and Innovations in the Netherlands" • February 2012 The course program presents an introduction to transportation engineering applications in the European context. The course will build on earlier courses with a special emphasis on differences between U.S. and Dutch standards. The curriculum will feature material that provides a contrast between engineering principles and policies focusing on the standards presented in both the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices and the Highway Capacity Manual. Furthermore, specific emphases on engineering principles and practice will be explored through field trips and in guest lectures both while abroad and in Portland. Students completing this course will have a greater understanding of the contrast in policies from the Portland area with communities in the Netherlands. Link to Info

Active Participation in the Northwest Transportation Conference, Corvallis, OR • February 2012 • February 2012 ITS Lab students and faculty were active at the NW Transportation Conference, held in Corvallis, Oregon, February 7-9, 2012. Students and faculty presented a total of 7 presentations and participated in different sessions. Eric Albright: "Leveraging AVL/APC Bus Data to Determine Factors Influencing Transit Signal Priority Effectiveness" (co-author Prof. Figliozzi) Courtney Slavin: "The Impact of Traffic, Bus Fleet Characteristics, and Atmospheric Conditions on Particulate Matter Exposure: A Case Study in Portland, Oregon" (co-author Prof. Figliozzi) Courtney Slavin: "The Impact of Traffic, Bus Fleet Characteristics, and Atmospheric Conditions on Particulate Matter Exposure: A Case Study in Portland, Oregon" (co-author Prof. Figliozzi) Alex Bigazzi: "Do Congestion-Based Roadway Performance Measures Reflect Emissions Trends?" (co-author Prof. Figliozzi) Alex Bigazzi: "An Empirical Study of the Impact of Freeway Traffic on In-Vehicle Exposure to Ultrafine Particulate Matter" Sirisha Kothuri: "Towards Automated Bicycle and Pedestrian Data Collection" (co-author Prof. Monsere) Wei Feng: "Electric Commercial Vehicles: A study of economic and technological factors affecting competitiveness" (co-author Prof. Figliozzi) For more information visit NW Transportation Conference website.

FHWA Test Data Set Published • December 2011 The PORTAL FHWA Test Data Set submission has been published on the PORTAL web site. The data set consists of freeway, transit and arterial data for the I-205 Corridor in Portland, OR and documentation for that data. The data set is under review by the FHWA; the data set may be updated in response to their comments.

PORTAL NATMEC Presentations • December 2011 Three PORTAL-related presentations and posters will appear at NATMEC 2012. Performance Reporting using the PORTAL Transportation Data Archive, Towards Automated Bicycle and Pedestrian Data Collection, and A Framework for Multimodal Arterial Data Archiving.

PORTAL TAC Meeting • December 2011 A PORTAL TAC Meeting was held Dec 19, 2011 at the ITS Lab. Meeting Agenda and Materials.

PORTAL Demo Site • December 2011 A demo site for PORTAL is now available. This site shows the latest features in development and provides for agency and user review before the features are published to the main PORTAL web site.

ITS Lab's Alex Bigazzi wins Pikarsky Award • December 2011 Alex Bigazzi Civil and Environmental Engineering graduate student (advisor Dr. Miguel Figliozzi), won the prestigious 2011 National Student Pikarsky Award in the Science & Technology-MS category. These awards are given annually to graduate students in Transportation for the best PhD Dissertations, MS Theses and MS/ME Reports”. More information about the awards in can be found here

Three PORTAL Papers to be presented at TRB • November 2011 Three PORTAL-related papers will be presented at TRB 2012. The papers are: User Needs and Enhancements to PORTAL, Preliminary Development of Methods to Automatically Gather Bicycle Counts and Pedestrian Delay at Signalized Intersections, and A Framework for Multimodal Arterial Data Archiving.