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TRB Conduct of Research Committee Newsletter

Winter 2004 — Fourth Issue

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 me.

As an organizational tool, here is how this newsletter is divided:

From the Chair

Survey says...

Last month, I distributed a survey to learn what committee activities the members and friends of our Committee find beneficial. Thank you to all who responded. I am pleased to share that our committee activities appear on target. For six of the eight listed activities, the majority reported the activity to be very beneficial. At the top are the committee meeting and technical sessions during the TRB annual meeting.

Clearly, we want to do all we can as a committee to deliver value through these top activities. At the 2005 TRB annual meeting, members and friends will have the opportunity to attend an unprecedented eight technical sessions sponsored by this Committee. I encourage you to attend as many as possible. They promise to be packed with valuable information and provide chances for exchange with colleagues in the transportation field. Details of each session are provided under the Committee Activities section later in the newsletter. Several sessions have a communication theme, with a focus on communicating from the customer perspective. These session topics were chosen in response to needs expressed through our strategic planning process.

Other activities considered very beneficial to a majority of survey respondents include strategic planning, newsletters, networking with other committees, and workshops. Personally, I was very pleased to see that the strategic planning process is considered beneficial to members and friends. Some great work has gone into creating this plan and we are now poised to move ahead with carrying out the strategies to achieve the goals. I am in the process of contacting committee members to serve as team leaders for each goal. Team leaders will then recruit other members and friends to prioritize and execute the strategies within each goal. At the 2004 Annual Meeting, a number of you volunteered to assist with one or more goal areas. Thank you! To others who may just be getting familiar with the strategic plan, please let me know which teams (goals) are of interest.

The committee mid-year meeting is one of the two activities that the majority of respondents considers only somewhat beneficial. I contend that there is a link between these responses and the factors impacting the decision to attend mid-year meetings. An overwhelming majority indicated that funding limitations are an important or very important factor impacting their decision to attend mid-year meetings. Out-of-state travel limitations also were reported by a majority to be a very important factor. This suggests that we must carefully consider how we maintain momentum and advance the work of the committee throughout the year, given that a significant number of members and friends would not be able to participate in a mid-year meeting.

I look forward to the annual meeting where we can discuss the survey results and their implications in more depth. If you were not able to return the survey to me, but remain interested in responding, I would still like to hear from you before the annual meeting.

Happy Holidays!

Committee Activities

Mid-Year Meeting

By all accounts, the mid-year meeting was highly successful. Over 40 members and friends of the Research and Education Section were in attendance. A draft version of the minutes from the Conduct of Research committee meeting is available at www.mrutc.org/COR/Summer04MeetingSummary.pdf. We will be approving these minutes formally at the 2005 Annual Meeting.

TRB Annual Meeting Plans for Conduct of Research Committee

The Conduct of Research Committee Meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 10, 2005, 1:30 PM - 5:30 PM, at the Hilton. An agenda will be distributed prior to the meeting.

The committee is sponsoring or co-sponsoring a record number of sessions and workshops during the upcoming Annual Meeting. See the complete interactive program for the Annual Meeting at www.trb.org/am/ip. Here is a quick rundown of Conduct of Research sessions:

Workshop 159 : Sunday, January 09, 2005, 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM, Hilton
Communication for Research Managers and Administrators
Workshop speakers will describe the techniques and strategies that influence their interest and ability to use the results of research. The group will have hands-on work with sample research results and developing approaches for different target audiences.

Speakers include: E. Dean Carlson, Carlson Associates, Christine M. Johnson, Federal Highway Administration, John Boffa, Woodward Communications and Jane A. Nichols, University of Nevada, Reno.

Session 227: Monday, January 10, 2005, 8:00 AM - 9:45 AM, Hilton
Creating Dynamic Stakeholder Networks: The Key to Effective Research and Technology Deployment
Transportation stakeholders are networks of "people" that are interested in a wide range of topics and solutions to address specific and system-wide needs. Continual involvement by the stakeholder network is critical to ensure that needed research is conducted, that it is quality research, and that the technologies and innovations developed are deployed in partnership to resolve present and future transportation challenges. This panel will discuss how Federal, State, and private research programs strive to ensure continual stakeholder involvement in all phases of the research and technology life cycle, including peer and merit review processes. The purpose of the panel is to demonstrate how the transportation research community can systematically involve stakeholders.

Stakeholder Involvement Is How We Do Business (P05-0861)
Paul DeCotis, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
Stakeholder Networks Contribute to Revolutionary Science (P05-0878)
Jesus de la Garza, National Science Foundation
Customer and Stakeholder Involvement; A Critical Element in Successful Research for the Construction Industry (P05-1025)
James E. Hill, National Institute of Standards & Technology

Poster Session 241: Monday, January 10, 2005, 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM, Hilton
Topics in Data and Information Technology for Transportation

Introductory Guide to Systematic Reviws and Meta-analysis (05-0142)
Rune Elvik, Institute of Transportation Economics, Norway

Session TBD

Monday, January 10, 2005, 3:45 PM - 5:30 PM, Marriott
RITA and the Report to Congress on Research Activities of the Department of Transportation
The Norman Y. Mineta Research and Special Programs Improvement Act of 2004 establishes a new organization, the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), in the Department of Transportation. Section 4(g) of this Act requires the RITA Administrator to report to Congress on research activities of the Department. It also calls for stakeholder input into the preparation of that report. In this session, which will be chaired by Samuel Bonasso, Deputy Administrator of the Research and Special Programs Administration, the research community will be invited to share their thoughts on setting strategic directions for transportation research.

Session 584
Tuesday, January 11, 2005, 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM, Hilton

Bringing Research into Practice: Implementing Research Results and Market-Ready Technologies
This session aims to describe and promote implementation efforts from the national, state, local, and industry perspectives. After brief presentations, the intent is to engage the audience in a discussion of implementation activities that transfer knowledge and technology to the end user, all in an attempt to expedite the introduction of research innovations into practice.

NCHRP Synthesis of Highway Practice 35-12: Transportation Technology Transfer Successes, Challenges, and Needs: Setting the Stage for Implementation (P05-0302)
Barbara Thomas Harder, B T Harder Inc.
Partnering for Successful Technology Deployment (P05-0301)
David Pamphlin, Federal Highway Administration
Product Demonstration Showcases: Fast Track to Research Implementation (P05-0297)
Gibson Peaslee, University of Florida
Overcoming Existing Barriers to Introduction of New Technologies into the Highway Market (P05-0937)
David A. Reynaud, Civil Engineering Research Foundation

Session 619: Wednesday, January 12, 2005, 8:00 AM - 9:45 AM, Hilton
Communication Patterns of Engineers
This session will use a series of presentations to look at the challenges engineers face when communicating their messages.

Communication Patterns of Engineers (P05-1085)
Carol Tenopir, University of Tennessee
Comments and Reactions from an Editor (P05-1086)
Martha Soneira, Federal Highway Administration
Comments and Reactions from a Research Director (P05-1087)
David L. Huft, South Dakota Department of Transportation

Session 667: Wednesday, January 12, 2005, 10:15 AM - 12:00 PM, Hilton
Marketing to the Customer: One of the Seven Keys to a Robust Research Program
This session brings together three different perspectives of marketing research to the customer, the second of the seven keys to building a robust research program. "Research managers must become effective advocates for their program. Marketing is needed at every stage of the process: in soliciting problems, in anticipating research needs, in justifying the time and budget required, in persuading others to test the product, in arguing for deployment, and in advertising successful products. A strong focus on the customer and the customer's needs is at the heart of the process."

Customer Focused Research and Deployment — The New Frontier (P05-0448)
Lawrence H. Orcutt, California Department of Transportation
The Power of Persuading the Policymakers (P05-0441)
Barbara L MacGregor, Iowa Department of Transportation
What's in it for me? Promoting your Ideas and Projects (P05-0445)
Kathleen Frankle, I-95 Corridor Coalition

Committee Papers

In the fall of 2003, the Conduct of Research Committee received 4 papers for review as a result of TRB's annual call for papers. TRB was only able to publish about 25% of all the papers received in the Transportation Research Record. Since we felt that other papers reviewed by our committee included valuable information that could be useful to our readers, our newsletter will be used to disseminate these papers. The first of these papers was distributed in last quarter's newsletter. Below is a summary of another paper that was submitted. The full paper can be viewed through our website at http://www.mrutc.org/COR/McDonnell.pdf. A longer, more detailed version is available through TRB's website at http://docs.trb.org/00974799.pdf.

CONNECTICUT'S EXPERIENCE WITH SHRP: A RETROSPECTIVE

Anne-Marie H. McDonnell, P.E.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) has been a stakeholder in the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) from the design and planning phases to its execution and field verification studies. Extensive work was conducted at the State level in attempts to implement SHRP research and results. Considerable effort has also been conducted to continue participation in the Long Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) aspect of SHRP, continued under the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The lessons learned are summarized for consideration. This retrospective look at SHRP will help to guide our involvement in future national transportation research programs, such as the proposed Future Strategic Highway Research Program (F-SHRP). Many states shared similar experiences to those of personnel at ConnDOT, but changes in both personnel and administration make it not possible for them to document the lessons learned. It is hoped that those new to the transportation community can benefit from the documentation of our experiences and learn from this information for future efforts.

Member Profile: Wilf Nixon, University of Iowa

Wilfrid Nixon is a Professor and Research Engineer at the University of Iowa. He has served on the Civil Engineering faculty since 1987. His responsibilities include teaching at the undergraduate and graduate level, and conducting research into winter highway maintenance. Wilf is also serving as Director of the Center for Teaching at the University of Iowa. Professor Nixon has conducted numerous research projects relating to winter maintenance. He conducted research under the Strategic Highway Research Program, and has served on the AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) Lead States Team for Road Weather Information Systems (RWIS) and Anti-Icing. He has performed work for a number of State Departments of Transportation relating to winter maintenance and RWIS. Dr. Nixon received his Bachelor's and Doctoral degree from Cambridge University, England, in 1981 and 1985 respectively. He is the author of more than 90 articles, papers and reports and is registered as a Professional Engineer in the State of Iowa.

Wilf currently serves as a member of the Winter Maintenance Policy Coordinating Committee, a steering committee for the AASHTO SICOP (Snow and Ice Cooperative Pooled Fund) program. He serves on the Transportation Research Board committees on Winter Maintenance and Conduct of Research. In 2000, he was one of two FHWA representatives to travel to Argentina and Chile for a three week visit to provide help and guidance on winter maintenance issues in the Andes.

Particular areas in which Dr. Nixon is conducting research at present include the effects of anti-icing chemicals on pavements and maintenance equipment, the use of living snow fences to mitigate snow drifting on highways, and the development of improved ways of placing abrasives on highways, so as to maximize the impact of the abrasives on safe driving. In addition, Nixon is examining how information flows affect winter maintenance decision making, and how such flows can be improved so that better strategic and tactical decisions can be made both by road users and by those charged with keeping roads free of snow and ice in winter.

Wilf is also President of Asset Insight Technologies, L.L.C. (AIT), a service company for the winter highway maintenance industry specializing in training, consulting, and expert witness services.

Wilf indicates that there is a clear issue with research, "in that a lot gets done, but only a bit gets implemented." He adds, "It is my hope that the committee can address the implementation challenge (I believe it has been doing a great job of this, by the way) and I'd welcome the chance to contribute to that challenge."

On a personal note, the last six months have been very challenging for Wilf. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer at the end of February, had surgery and radiation treatment, and is now cancer free. He has set a goal for the coming year to bring himself back to a condition of good health, slowly and surely, without having unreasonable expectations. He adds that these unreasonable expectations may be one of his major failings!

Outside of work, Wilf has two hobbies. He enjoys golf, albeit "very badly". He and his wife also like to ballroom dance, in particular the Argentine Tango. Wilf attends dance sessions most weeks. He also asserts, "Plus, ballroom dance is one of the only places in society today where it is acceptable (in fact required) for men to tell women what to do (that last is tongue in cheek!)."

Subcommittee Report - Communications

Communications subcommittee chair Jason Bittner is always looking for items of interest for inclusion in this newsletter. Please forward comments and suggestions.

Subcommittee Report - Membership

Two new members have joined our ranks, Gary Frederick is the Director of Transportation Research and Development Bureau for the New York State Department of Transportation and Leni Oman is the Director of the Washington State DOT Research Office.

Subcommittee Report - Strategic Planning

There is much to report on the Strategic Plan -- we have basically divided the strategic plan into key areas. They are as follows:

Goal 1: Provide Information and programs on critical issues related to the conduct of research

Goal 2: Promote the seven keys to building a robust research program as identified in NCHRP Synthesis 280.

Goal 3: Utilize communications strategies that deliver appropriate information to TRB & other members of the research community in a timely manner.

Goal 4: Improve research networks, partnerships, and liaison relationships.

Goal 5: Coordinate research agendas, processes, and activities.

Goal 6: Ensure a qualified, diverse, and active committee.

Laurie McGinnis is recruiting team leaders for each of these goals. The complete draft of the strategic plan is available on the committee website at http://www.mrutc.org/cor/strategicplan.pdf. More work and assignments are forthcoming.

Feature

The MTKN is a network of transportation libraries in the Midwest. It was founded in December 2001, through the efforts of the National Transportation Library, Midwest transportation libraries—both at state DOTs and universities—and numerous concerned professionals in the region. For a detailed listing of contacts and library descriptions, please visit the member directory.

The ten states currently participating in the network include:

Iowa Minnesota
Illinois Missouri
Indiana Ohio
Kansas South Dakota
Michigan Wisconsin

These states are building and maintaining strong transportation collections, including the services of fulltime transportation librarians who are dedicated to serving transportation researchers and practitioners.

The mission of the Midwest Transportation Knowledge Network is to increase collaboration among the region's transportation libraries and information centers so managers, engineers and planners are better able to find and apply the most recent, credible, validated technical information to their current projects.

One of MTKN's major initiatives has been the creation of an online "union catalog" of transportation materials in the Midwest region and nationally in cooperation with the OCLC Online Computer Library Center. This resource makes finding pertinent reports and documented transportation research much quicker and more efficient. This new database is called The Transportation Libraries Catalog. The National Transportation Library (NTL) spearheaded this effort.

The MTKN has also helped the NTL and the National Highway Institute (NHI) develop online training to educate customers on topics such as finding transportation information on the Internet and using transportation information databases. The two-hour Web-based course is called "Working Smarter," and is available from the NHI's Web site.

TRB & Other Important Related News

Section News

The Research and Education section of the TRB had a very successful mid-year meeting during August in Irvine. Using the theme "how can we better serve our customers as transportation research and education professionals? -- it's not business as usual" the summer meeting identified ways to listen to the customers, respond to customer needs and expectations, provide better value and service, and plan how organizations and the trb can address customer issues. highlighting the event was a panel of customers. their input provided the framework for the concurrent and joint committee meetings. details on the agenda for the mid-year meeting can be found at http://www.trb.org/conferences/research/.

AASHTO RAC Meeting Scheduled for Sunday at TRB

The AASHTO Research Advisory Council will meet from 6:00pm until 9:00pm on Sunday January 9th at the TRB Annual Meeting. For more information, please see http://www4.nas.edu/trb/scor/SCORMAIN.nsf/.

Senate Passes USDOT Research and Special Programs Administration Reorganization

The U.S. Senate has approved legislation that reorganizes the U.S. Department of Transportation research and development program, and expands oversight of pipeline safety and hazardous materials. The Norman Y. Mineta Research and Special Program Reorganization Act (H.R. 5163) will realign the current Research and Special Programs Administration, creating two new entities—the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and the Research and Innovative Technologies Administration (RITA). The legislation, which was already approved by the U.S. House of Representatives, now goes to the President for signature.

Ohio Department of Transportation conducts liaison training

The Ohio Department of Transportation Office of Research and Development has been conducting training for technical liaisons. So far, two sessions have been held with a total of thirty liaisons receiving training. The focus of the training is to familiarize the liaisons with the research process and clarify their role and responsibilities. Feedback from these sessions has been positive. Training designed for researchers and support staff will be offered at the next Cooperative Research Seminar in August. Ohio organizations can request specialized training at any time by contacting the office of research and Development at research@dot.state.oh.us.

The Fall 2004 Newsletter for the Office of Research and Development with ODOT is now available on the web at http://www.dot.state.oh.us/divplan/research/newsletter/newsletters.htm

Reauthorization update

Reauthorization of the federal transportation programs will not occur until the seating of the next Congress. The current continuing resolution will expire in May 2005. However, several appropriations did pass to ensure continued operation of transportation programs. These appropriations included $20,000,000 for transportation planning, research and development instead of $10,800,000 as proposed by the House and $15,000,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Upcoming Events

Transportation Research Board 2005 Annual Meeting

January 9-13, 2005 Washington, District of Columbia.

Transportation Research Forum Annual Meeting

March 6-8, 2005 Washington, District of Columbia.

Scientific Approaches to Transportation Research (National Highway Institute Course 123002A )

June 14-17, 2005 Concord, New Hampshire.

National Research Advisory Council (RAC) Meeting

August 1-5. Wilmington, North Carolina.

For Your Bookshelf

"Highways and Byways to Stakeholder Involvement: Establishing a Network of Connections to Highway Research," A featured article in the September-October 2004 issue of TR News offers successful examples of federal and state efforts that address issues associated with involving local and regional transportation agencies and practitioners in highway research decisions, activities, and implementation to the benefit of researchers and practitioners alike.