TRB Conduct of Research Committee Newsletter
January 2008; Issue 8
As always, we are interested in expanding this newsletter to include items of interest to researchers, research administrators, and others. Submit ideas and articles to Jason Bittner at bittner@engr.wisc.edu. If you prefer not to receive this newsletter, please email.
As an organizational tool, here is how this newsletter is divided:
This section features comments from the Chair of the committee, Laurie McGinnis, including her vision for running the committee and other issues.
This section features upcoming events that the Committee has sponsored, meeting information, and other relevant matters to Committee work. Please note the Ambassadors Program – VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
This section looks at a focused special topic or presentation. This month we highlight a column submitted by committee member Ed Johnson.
TRB & Other Important Related News
This section will detail important new publications, opportunities for comment on works, and other related information. This includes items important to the Research and Education SECTION and the Policy & Organization GROUP of TRB.
This section will highlight upcoming Calls for Papers and conferences of interest to the Research community.
This section highlights new (or maybe forgotten) publications of interest to the Research community.
Happy New Year! With the TRB
Annual Meeting right around the corner, there is a corresponding flurry of
activity to re-energize us and help set a course for the coming year. Our committee will be sponsoring several
sessions on partnerships and collaboration to continue our work in this focus
area. In addition, the final session
devoted to the 7 Keys for a Robust Research Program will be held this
year. All these sessions take place on
Monday, so please plan to attend. The
Conduct of Research Committee will meet on Tuesday afternoon and the agenda
includes discussion on several interesting initiatives that we will work on
during 2008.
Thank you all for your ongoing support of the Conduct of Research
Committee. I look forward to our
continued efforts in the coming year.
Laurie
* TRB Annual Meeting Committee Meeting
The Conduct of
Research Committee will meet on Tuesday, January 15, 2008, 1:30 PM - 5:30
PM, in Hilton
* TRB Annual Meeting Sessions Sponsored by Committee
The Conduct of
Research Committee is sponsoring a series of spotlight sessions on research
partnerships. The focus on research collaboration has been increasing
world-wide due to numerous factors, including resource shortages, environmental
concerns, ever-expanding demands for improved transportation systems, and broad
recognition of the multidisciplinary nature of transportation problems. This
three-part session will provide access to new organizations and initiatives
bringing together diverse partners to collaborate in innovative ways. Speakers
will describe examples of collaboration in action and the organizational
structure needed to support their success.
Session 284
Innovative Research Partnerships: Charting New Territory, Part 1 (Part 2,
Session 314; Part 3, Session 369)
Monday, January 14, 2008, 10:15 AM - 12:00 PM, Hilton Lincoln East
O.A. Elrahman, New York State Department of Transportation, presiding
Sponsored by: International Activities Committee (A0010) and Conduct of Research
Committee (ABG10)
The
European Commission's 7th Framework Program (P08-0435)
Luisa Prista, European Commission,
ERA-NET
Transport (P08-0453)
Sieds Halbesma, ERANET Transport
Anne Charreyron-Perchet, French Ministry of Ecology, Development and
Sustainable Planning
Cal-France
Research Collaboration (P08-0438)
Régine Brehier, French Ministry of Ecology, Development and Sustainable
Planning
Randell H. Iwasaki, California Department of Transportation
European
Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) (P08-0454)
Cristina Pronello,
===============================================================================
Session 314
Innovative Research Partnerships: Charting New Territory, Part 2 (Part 1,
Session 284; Part 3, Session 369)
Monday, January 14, 2008, 1:30 PM - 3:15 PM, Hilton Georgetown West
George Giannopoulos, Hellenic Institute of Transport, Greece, presiding
Sponsored by: International Activities Committee (A0010) and Conduct of
Research Committee (ABG10)
World Road
Congress (PIARC) (P08-0468)
Jean-François Corté,
European
Conference of Transport Research Institutes (P08-0467)
Guy Bourgeois, INRETS and ECTRI
Joint
OECD/International Transport Forum Research Centre (P08-0469)
Stephen Perkins, International Transport
============================================================================
Session 369
Innovative Research Partnerships: Charting
Monday, January 14, 2008, 3:45 PM - 5:30 PM, Hilton
Debra S. Elston, Federal Highway Administration, presiding
Sponsored by: Conduct of Research Committee (ABG10) and International
Activities Committee (A0010)
TERRA:
Advancing Innovations in Road Engineering Through a Dynamic Partnership
(P08-0472)
Fred Corrigan, Aggregate and Ready Mix Association of
Experts
Collaborate to Develop an Advanced Research Roadmap (P08-0668)
Kornel Kerenyi,
Forum of
Steve Phillips, Forum of European National Research Laboratories
The Conduct of
Research Committee is also sponsoring:
Session 232
Policy Research to Address Our Aging Infrastructure: Keys to Robust Research
Programs
Monday, January 14, 2008, 8:00 AM - 9:45 AM, Hilton International East
Gary A. Frederick, New York State Department of Transportation, presiding
Note: The session presents the rationale for including policy research within a
research program portfolio and provides several examples of how the results of
policy research have assisted transportation agencies in their handling of
aging assets.
Seven Keys
to Building a Robust Research Program: Overview (P08-0165)
Barbara Thomas Harder, B T Harder Inc
Why Policy
Research? (P08-0208)
Thomas B. Deen, TRB Executive Director (retired)
Embracing
Policy Research (P08-0480)
Neil J. Pedersen,
Decision
Making: Results of Policy Research at
David S. Ekern,
and
Session 367
Findability of Transportation Information
Monday, January 14, 2008, 3:45 PM - 5:30 PM, Hilton
Frances D. Harrison, Spy Pond Partners, presiding
Sponsored by: Data and Information
Systems Section (ABJ00, Library and Information Science for Transportation
Committee (ABG40), Geographic Information Science and Applications Committee
(ABJ60), Statewide Transportation Data and Information Systems Committee
(ABJ20), and
Conduct of Research Committee (ABG10)
Note: This
session will bring together providers and users of both structured datasets and
unstructured information related to transportation to discuss strategies for
improving our ability to find information when it is needed. First, we will
hear from representatives of information sharing initiatives. Then, we will
facilitate a discussion with the audience about their unsuccessful attempts to
find transportation information, and what is needed to improve findability.
One-Stop
Shopping for Regional Transportation Data: iNYMTC Information Gateway Vision
and Progress (P08-0822)
Kuo-Ann Chiao, New York Metropolitan Transportation Council
Making
Information Findable: State Department of Transportation Experience (P08-0916)
Ellen Oman, Washington State Department of Transportation
Making
Information Findable: National Initiatives (P08-0961)
Amanda J. Wilson, Research and Innovative Technology Administration
Improving
Access to Transportation Documents: Roles of Repositories, Thesauri, Metadata,
and Automated Keyword Generation (08-1064)
Marcus Ramsay Wigan,
Visit the online meeting interactive search
for all your TRB Annual Meeting planning needs.
* Mid-Year Meeting 2008 will be in Woods Hole!
Stay tuned for more details at the Annual Meeting but mark your
calendars for September 10-12, 2008 for the Midyear Conduct of Research
Committee meeting back in Woods Hole,
* Help Needed – Be an Ambassador!!!
TRB is pilot testing an Ambassador's program at the Hilton Hotel during
the 2008 Annual Meeting. The program has been designed in response to
feedback from first-time attendees who feel a bit overwhelmed and uncertain how
to most effectively participate in the meeting. The details are explained below.
TRB is seeking about 60 volunteers to serve as Ambassadors. Each person
will staff a table for an hour during one of the Planning and Environment
Poster Sessions, and wear an "Ask Me" button during the remainder of
the conference to identify themselves as resources for first time attendees or
others seeking information about TRB or the conference.
People willing to participate should sign up for an hour slot
during one of the following sessions, and e-mail their choice to Linda Girard
at lgirard@ch2m.com by January 4. Linda
will follow up with a schedule confirmation and information about where to
pick up "Ambassador" buttons and instruction sheets.
Monday - 9:30 to noon - Data and Management Poster
Session
Monday - 2:30 to 5:00 - Planning Poster Session
Tuesday - 9:30 to noon - Energy, Environment Poster
Session
Tuesday - 2:30 to 5:00 - Transit, Management, Social
and Economic Considerations Poster Session
Wednesday - 2:30 to 5:00 pm - Network Modeling Poster Session
Why does TRB have an Ambassador program? Feedback from recent TRB conferences suggests that first time attendees, as well as some of those that are returning, can feel isolated or unsure of how to get the most out of the meeting. The data further suggest that many attendees are seeking networking opportunities – but are unsure as to how to reach out to others in the field. The Ambassador program is one way we are addressing these issues.
What are the qualifications of an Ambassador? Ambassadors have attended at least three TRB conferences. They are outgoing and ready to meet new people and answer questions about the TRB organization and the conference.
What do Ambassadors do? Ambassadors volunteer for a one-hour shift during a P&E Group poster session. They are positioned at the Ambassador’s table to be available to answer questions of first time attendees (or anyone else with questions about the organization or the conference).
What do Ambassadors do the rest of the time? Ambassadors wear “Ask Me…I am a TRB Ambassador” buttons throughout the conference. They are willing to answer questions at any time. During the newcomers orientation, attendees will be encouraged to seek out Ambassadors should they have any questions. Ambassadors are looking for ways to help attendees get involved in TRB and the conference. They may encourage them to attend committee meetings or exchange business cards for follow-up after the conference. Great Ambassadors take a moment to stop and chat with new attendees in the elevator or while waiting for a session to begin. Great Ambassadors connect attendees with each other – introducing newcomers to TRB leaders or others in their field who might be interested in their work.
* Collaborative
Edward Johnson
President, ABC Coding Solutions[1]
Introduction. From the perspective of a relative
“newbie” in transportation research, I note that the general Conduct of
Research literature has a distinct emphasis upon building research programs and
internal teams within an organization
or a single vertical structure like a state transportation department (“The
Seven Keys” and “Seven Keys to Building a Robust Research Program”). I will define “collaborative team”, discuss
its inception, “extrapolate and externalize” the seven keys, and present a
federal government perspective.
Before I
start, I must admit that describing someone as a “collaborator” brings to my
mind too many WWII movies and Iraq War newscasts; being called a collaborator
is not a good thing. Others have named the person with the skill set to
collaborate the “Connector”.[2] I opt to say, “Collaborative Team”; a group
of people from independent organizations, who add individual elements of
capability and capacity to complete a “whole”, working together on a task that
could not be done independently. Independent, forming a whole, working
together.
The
life of the collaborative team.
Let’s start with an opportunity that cannot be successfully “taken” by one
institutional group by itself and that through collaboration amongst the many,
mutual goals can be reached, and mutual reward shared. Therein lay the basic
reasons to build a collaborative team – attain
a goal you cannot attain alone and be rewarded.
Don’t
form a collaborative team just to do so! Answer the questions, “What is missing
to ‘take’ the opportunity and what will raise my chances of selection?” If the answer is nothing, or if there is an
internal fix such as hiring to fill the gap, then you don’t need to
collaborate.
How
do you address the collaborative opportunity? Personally, I break it down into
elements and then think about my ability to fulfill the requirements of each
element (requirement analysis). I
follow a structure that is a merge of a business plan, a program management
plan, and systems engineering; through that structure, I determine capability,
capacity, and “political” gaps which are best filled through collaboration.
Capability – can I do it? Capacity – how much can I do and how fast? Political
– is it smart to hook up with an institution so the collaborative team gains
connections, power, and an advantage?
When
do you start the “collaborative dance”?
If you wait until you first discover the opportunity, you are already
too late. It takes time to develop
mutual respect and trust and if you have already screened your potential
collaborative team members, you already have a collaborative team in waiting
with many more contacts, “eyes and ears”, and brains to find the opportunity,
market robustly, and influence policy (“The Seven Keys”).
To whom do you
look to fill the gaps and do you form a collaborative team that is the best,
the optimal, or the cheapest? Your business plan may help answer these
questions. Your collaborative team may
be drawn from federal, state, local, or tribal agencies; academia; and,
industry (large and small businesses including women, minority or veteran
owned). Often the “opportunity” you are analyzing tells you about the mix you
need. Usually, a request for proposal or procurement guidance dictates teaming.
Often, realities of capability and capacity mandate teaming. As an aside, the
collaborative team is a living and changing creature. As time goes by, the project matures and the collaboration
composition will naturally shift in that some contributors may leave (having
successfully completed their tasks) and some new ones may step in. The program
management and systems engineering plans lay out the path of team change.
The
Seven Keys To repeat,
during the inception of the team, think opportunity,
process, gap analysis, and gap filling. Our “Seven Keys” to building a
Robust Research Program are valid to building a multi-institutional
collaborative team:
1) Found it on trust … upper management
and the research program. Trust and its companion respect are
fundamental in all relationships. The collaborative team obviously adds
complexity and the trust is between different upper managements and different research programs. Unless you are a program manager with broad
powers defined in a contract, do not: task other researchers without going
through their management, disparage another team member in front of anybody,
point fingers when with the customer. As
an aside, in a team situation have you heard, “Well, our researchers get along
great, but upper management does not.”
Although the comment is meant to show true collaboration where it
counts, this is not a good sign!
2) Market boldly – at every stage of the
process, soliciting, anticipating, selling the need, justifying budget,
deploying, and advertising. A strong
focus on the customer needs is at the heart. Amen, but market
as a collaborative team, do it seamlessly and in a coordinated fashion. No one receiving your marketing pitch wants
your ego to come through or for you to identify the weak member of the team.
Remember – united you stand, divided you fall.
3) Root it in economics. Be sensitive to rationale.
Amen, but now you have introduced the weakness of all scientists and
engineers – we don’t want to be constrained by anything and we know our work is
the most important work the nation, and even the world, must do NOW! This
economic root is the fundamental building block of the 6th key,
policy. A policy make with cost, impact
and return on investment options can then make sound policy decisions. A collaborative
team has economic options that an individual agency does not. Specifically, a
team may be set up to offer a range of options from: “cheap” and good enough to
“expensive” and highest quality; an individual agency has its labor cost,
fringe, GNA, and profit to lock in its “price” (a few individual agencies have
different pools and they can package options).
In any event, the business plan drives the selection of team economic
options.
4) Make deals unabashedly. This is the heart of collaboration –
the deal must be struck unabashedly within the collaborative team and only then
can the collaborative team make deals unabashedly. Oh, the sticking point? Sometimes the deal favors one element of the
collaborative more than another. You
better have thought this out ahead of time and solved the issue of share of
reward ahead of time!
5) Insist on accountability. Accountability is basic program management and leadership
101! It is even more important when you, the collaborative team leader or
element leader are coordinating teams from different groups and communicating
results. Good contracts between
collaborative team members avoid pitfalls in running the team – be clear about
accountability, communications, and managing problems. Insert controls and
expectations up front in the contract. In
God we trust, in all others we verify.
6) Embrace policy research.
Tie your work into broad policy guidance. Ok, I am not sure about
this one, but I note that often a collaborative team is able to do this better
than the individual institution because the team typically has more contacts,
more connections, more voting power, and thus more impact than an individual
agency. Take a strategic break once in a while with your collaborative team and
think about your collective connections. Then, formulate the policy you
collectively would like to see implemented and present it to the policy
makers. Keep in mind, your presentation
must be good for all, open, fair, truthful and rooted in economics (3rd
key). If it is not, you will lose your
credibility! Solve big problems to your advantage and you will have an
easier time adhering to or executing the ensuing policy because you had a hand
in creating it.
7) Empower the staff.
Well, yeah, scientific and engineering researchers cross institutional
lines all the time – doing so is part of the culture. Aha, this IS
collaboration at its most fundamental.
Where do we learn
The
federal government requires all of its Senior Executives to have skill in
building coalitions/communications (aka
in our parlance, collaborative team building). As an aside, the Senior Executive Service (SES) is a separate
personnel system covering more than 7000 positions throughout the federal
government. Selection into the Senior Executive Service is the result of a
rigorous competitive process[3]. Five other skills make up the Executive Core Qualifications for SES
candidates. The others are: Leading People, Leading Change, Business
Acumen, and Results-driven. These are
mapped out in the following table.
|
Executive
Core Qualifications |
||||
|
Leading Change |
Leading People |
Results Driven |
Business Acumen |
Building Coalitions/ Communication |
|
Creativity and Innovation |
Conflict Management |
Accountability |
Financial Management |
Influencing/ Negotiating |
|
Continual Learning |
Leveraging Diversity |
Customer Service |
Human Resources Management |
Interpersonal Skills |
|
External Awareness |
Integrity/Honesty |
Decisiveness |
Technology Management |
Oral Communication |
|
Flexibility |
|
Entrepreneurship |
|
Partnering |
|
Resilience |
|
Problem Solving |
|
Political Savvy |
|
Service Motivation |
|
Technical Credibility |
|
Written Communication |
|
Strategic Thinking |
|
|
|
|
|
Vision |
|
|
|
|
Building
coalitions/communication (collaborative team building) is the ability to build coalitions
internally and with other federal agencies, state and local governments,
nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or
international organizations to achieve common goals. To be specific, the
government needs executives who can provide strategic leadership and whose
commitment to public policy and administration transcends their commitment to a
specific agency mission.
In closing. Why is it that many talk the
collaborative talk, but do not walk the collaborative walk? I humbly propose that sharing is hard and
contrary to a basic human trait – greed.
In some regards, the institutions involved follow Maslow’s theory on the
hierarchy of needs in two ways: some institutions need collaborative teams to
survive (team with strength) and others have reached the level of security so
that they can truly reach out to others (team for the greater good).
* UTRAC: Using Collaboration to Enhance
Research
State Departments of Transportation face an annual challenge of
deciding how to prioritize research funding among the many needs within the
industry. Research managers around the nation
frequently discuss the process and seek insights and improvements. The
prioritization process used by the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is
based around a collaborative, annual workshop, organized by the UDOT Research
Division. This workshop has come to be known as “UTRAC”, the acronym for the
Utah Transportation Research Advisory Council.
The UTRAC Workshop was initiated in 1993, and has been a very successful
process. It involves key players in the
research process from inside and outside of the Department, and allows for
brainstorming, open evaluation, and interaction. The process has been modified several times
to meet changing needs, and underwent some significant revisions in 2005. This revision garnered an AASHTO President’s
Award for the process. This paper
describes the key steps in the UTRAC process and a discussion of the resulting
benefits.
Read the full paper at: http://www.mrutc.org/COR/resources/whitepapers/UTRACLeonard.pdf
TRB & Other Important Related News
* Workforce Workshop Planned at TRB
Plan Now to
Attend the 2008
Creating a National Strategy on Thursday, January 17. A critical issue facing the transportation
industry is having a workforce that can meet the needs of the 21st
Century. These workforce needs includes
having enough people with necessary management and administration, policy,
planning and engineering, construction, and operations and maintenance skills
required to serve the ongoing and emerging transportation system. This workshop and associated breakout sessions
build on a 2007 TRB Workshop on the same topic, and will be the starting point
for a year of opportunities to establish a community interested in building a
transportation workforce. At the end of
the year, we expect to have the community established that will move ahead on
specific items considering policies and programs for the upcoming SAFETEA-LU
reauthorization and new administration.
The USDOT
engaged a number of groups, including several participates in last year’s
workshop, in the developing a set of strategies to address the workforce
issue. These strategies are intended to
provide insights to stimulate a shared view of possibilities and stimulate the
coalescence of groups to further advance the concepts. We invite prospective workshop participants
to review the set of six action strategies which should stimulate your thinking
in advance of the workshop and produce fruitful discussion during the breakout
sessions. These strategies and
associated documents can be easily accessed by going to: USDOT/FHWA Highway
Community Exchange community of practice site at: http://knowledge.fhwa.dot.gov/cops/hcx.nsf/home?OpenForm&Group=Working%20Together%20for%20Highway%20Workforce%20Development&tab=WIP
We look
forward to seeing you at the workshop!
* Comprehensive Transportation Search Developed
http://www.dot.state.mn.us/library/transportation_search_engines.html. Several transportation search engines have
been created by a multitude of librarians and research administrators (many on
this committee and from LIST!!).
* Research Needs Statements Database Available
TRB’s
new Research Needs Statements (RNS) database is now available. The
database contains some 700 transportation research needs statements that have
been prepared and approved by 125 of TRB’s technical activities standing
committees. While TRB standing committees have long been responsible for
maintaining a collection of research needs statements, the new database
provides a central location that allows easy searching and sharing of the
statements. Organizations, agencies, universities, students, consultants,
and others who fund and conduct transportation research can now quickly and
confidently identify where the focus of their critical resources is most
needed. The database will be updated continuously by TRB’s standing
committees. The RNS database can be accessed at http://rns.trb.org.
* Online Access to Transportation Research Records
TRB’s
newest web-based information dissemination service provides 24/7 electronic
access to more than 7,600 peer-reviewed papers that have been published as part
of the Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research
Board (TRR) series since 1996. This powerful new electronic format for the TRR
includes the latest in search and analysis technology so that you can quickly
locate the expert advice to address your customers’ needs or advance the state
of the practice. For more information, see the online order form or
contact Jessica Wu, 202-334-3072, or e-mail TRBSales@nas.edu.
* FHWA-UTC Joint Meetings Held for Research Collaboration and
Coordination
In
2006, several UTCs were invited to meet with FHWA to establish regular
interaction among those researchers and organizations investing in
national-level research on urban / suburban mobility and congestion mitigation.
The workshop in June 2006 established contacts and promoted communications
among mobility/congestion research experts; developed an awareness and
understanding of the rich variety of current research activities; and explored
opportunities for partnering and collaboration between FHWA and the UTCs. A
second was held on Transportation Safety November 30-
* Transportation Research Forum
March 17-19, 2008.
* 2008 MidContinent Transportation Research Symposium
August 13-15, 2008.
* MidYear Meeting
September 10-12, 2008. Woods Hole,
For your Bookshelf and Other
* Reports from the Transportation Research Board's 2006 Field Visit Program--Transforming Transportation Institutions, Finance, and Workforce: Meeting the Needs of the 21st Century
http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/trnews/trnews248fieldvisits.pdf. This report reviews ways that state transportation agencies are addressing the challenges, defining the needs for innovation, and implementing some of the latest solutions for workforce and institutional issues.
* Preserving and Using Institutional Memory Through Knowledge Management Practices
http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_syn_365.pdf.
This NCHRP report
explores practices preserving and using institutional memory through the
knowledge management practices of
* Transportation: Invest in Our Future (Part I): The Future of
the
http://www.transportation1.org/tif1report/. Congress created the National Surface
Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission to examine future surface
transportation needs, demographic trends that will shape traffic demand, the
future of the Interstate System and the potential for expansion, upgrades, and
other changes to the surface transportation system to meet the nation's
needs. This report is the first of six
developed by state transportation officials to provide information and policy
recommendations to the Commission. To obtain copies of the report visit the
AASHTO Publications Bookstore at http://bookstore.transportation.org.
Chair: Laurie McGinnis, Associate Director, University of
Minnesota
Secretary: Bonnie Osif, Engineering Librarian,
TRB Staff Representative: Mark Norman, Director/Technical Activities
Emeritus Member: Denis Donnelly,
Research Engineer, Colorado
Alberto Albahari, Researcher,
Universidad de Malaga
Jason Bittner, Deputy Director, National Center for Freight
and Infrastructure Research and Education, UW-Madison
Michael Bonini, Program Manager, Bureau of Planning and Development,
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
Nancy
Chinlund, Chief,
Research Program Development Branch, Caltrans
Debra Elston, Research/Financial Services Team Leader,
Monique Evans, Admin-Research & Development, Ohio
Department of Transportation
Gary Frederick, Director
of Transportation Research and Development Bureau, New York State Department of
Transportation
Hau Hagedorn, Research Program
Manager,
Barbara Harder, Principal, BT Harder, Inc.
Kathryn Harrington-Hughes, President, Harrington-Hughes & Associates, Inc.
J. Edward Johnson, Chief Scientist, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Richard Long, Director, Florida Department of Transportation
Josef Mikulik, Director, Transport
Research Centre (CDV),
Wilfrid Nixon, Professor of Civil Engineering, University
of Iowa
Leni Oman, Director Research Office, Washington State Department of
Transportation
Ed Seymour, Assistant Director and head of the Transportation Operations Group, Texas Transportation Institute
Susan Sillick, Chief, Research Bureau, Montana Department of Transportation
Amy Starr, Research Engineer and Section Manager, Nebraska Department of Roads
Conduct of Research Committee TRB Homepage