Latest Blogs

COVID-19: One Year Later

By Mr. Jeffrey Paniati P.E posted 19 days ago
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It is hard to believe we have been at this for a year—and yet what a long year it has been. As I reflect back to just before the pandemic, I was at a Washington Nationals Spring Training game, blissfully unaware of what was about to hit our organization, country, and the world. While it is encouraging to see vaccines roll-out and COVID-19 rates dropping, we have a ways to go to return to a life even close to the one we knew. But it finally feels like we are on the way. The past year was a time of challenge and loss, but it has also been a year of creativity and innovation. At ITE, as throughout our industry, we have adapted on the fly to a virtual world, successfully ...
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Las Vegas as a Microcosm

By Ms. Alyssa Rodriguez P.E., PTOE posted 19 days ago
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It’s difficult to project the long-term effects of the pandemic on transportation and our communities. While Las Vegas, NV, USA is a rather unique place, with its primary reliance on gaming and hospitality, there are trends and factors that may be relatable to other communities as we emerge from the pandemic. Despite an unemployment rate well above the national average, the Las Vegas housing market is on fire. Inventory is low and prices continue to climb. According to a January 2021 article in Forbes, Zillow reports more than 60 percent of searches for Las Vegas homes come from outside the valley, and of those, about a third come from the southern California ...
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Old School, New School

By Mr. Jeffrey Paniati P.E posted 03-06-2021
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This month, ITE will either be reviving our prior tradition of hosting Spring Technical Conferences or bringing you our first-ever virtual Spring Technical Conference. I guess both are true. For a number of years, ITE regularly convened conferences in the spring, often with a technical focus. They were typically held in Florida or California, USA to provide those from cooler climes the opportunity to enjoy some warmer weather. As District meetings have filled up the spring months, the Spring Technical Conference fell by the wayside. However, the desire for learning among ITE members and the industry remains strong. One of the takeaways from our very successful ...
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Innovating the Organization

By Ms. Alyssa Rodriguez P.E., PTOE posted 03-06-2021
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A colleague and I recently completed a webinar for city supervisors focused on innovation. The City of Henderson, NV, USA has been working to document employees’ efforts during the pandemic, capture successes and lessons learned, and maintain momentum. Necessity prompted a lot of change, not only to adopt technology, but to revamp processes. Possible parallels exist to ITE as an organization, as well as similar potential for innovative transformations. As the world emerges from the pandemic, organizations will not be returning to pre-COVID status quo, and it is possible to harness the crisis-mandated energy and flexibility. Virtual is likely here to stay. Audiences ...
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From a Childhood Fascination with Tunnels and Bridges to a Career as a Transportation Professional (National Engineers Week 2021)

By Mr. Adam Greenstein PE, PTOE posted 02-24-2021
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The highest reward for me in transportation engineering is being able to provide services that directly help communities.  Almost all of the projects in which we participate originate from a need directly affecting the traveling public, often stemming from a request from an individual citizen, community group, business owner, or elected official.  Our projects can solve many problems that people experience in transportation, whether it is related to safety, congestion, accessibility for pedestrians and bicyclists, or environmental issues.   The transportation network is the backbone of a working economy.  Transportation professionals, including engineers, have ...
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Follow Your Passion (National Engineers Week 2021)

By Mr. Anthony Mariani P.E., PTOE, RSP1 posted 02-22-2021
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I grew up as a “normal” kid.  I spent my childhood going to school, doing my best to get good grades (especially in math), and playing with my friends.  Pretty standard stuff for any kid raised in the New Jersey suburbs. One thing that I can distinctly remember most from my childhood though was my love for toy models. I spent hours building, dissembling, re-building, and trying to different ways to assemble these models.  So, naturally, when I grew up, I wanted to be an…..ARCHITECT! Wait a second…what?  You must be wondering how the heck I ended up being a Transportation Engineer.  Well, as I got older, a few key events helped to really shape my ultimate ...
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Keeping Your Dog Safe While Walking Him in the Park

By Frederick Tartt posted 02-18-2021
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Walking man’s best friend isn’t only good for your pet, it’s therapeutic for you too to get out into the fresh air. A good walk offers lots of health and social benefits for you and your pet, lowering blood pressure, decreasing stress, and strengthening both muscles and heart.    Resolutions for pets   Obesity in pets is associated with a host of health issues, and exercising your pet can ward off obesity and keep him healthy in body and mind. Of course, if you go for a walk in the park, he’ll need to be on a leash.    A leash is both a walking- and a training tool and something that you will use every day for your pet. You don’t want ...
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Overcoming Mental Health Setbacks from a Car Accident

By Frederick Tartt posted 02-15-2021
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After being involved in a motor vehicle accident, the immediate concern lies with your physical health. You may have sustained injuries from the impact, including whiplash, spinal injuries, or cuts and contusions to your face and body.  What few people consider is the mental and emotional toll an accident can take on those who were involved, whether or not they caused it or sustained any physical injuries. Here are some of the mental health consequences of a car accident and how to deal with them: PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) Few people will want to label their experience as traumatic, thinking this term is only reserved for sexual assaults, ...
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The Top Human Foods that Your Dog Can Eat

By Frederick Tartt posted 02-15-2021
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Your 4-legged member of the family is your best buddy. Sometimes you forget that he’s just a dog because he is your best friend after all.    Sometimes when he looks up at you with his beautiful brown eyes and wags his tail because he loves you so, it is so easy just to pop a piece of chocolate or a piece of pizza into his mouth. But should you be doing that? Are human foods alright for your canine friend?   Human foods safe for your canine friend   Most of us have at some time or other fed our pets the scraps of food leftover from our meals. While it can be a delicious treat for your dog, the truth is that some of these human foods can ...
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What are The Perfect Gifts for Wine Lovers?

By Frederick Tartt posted 02-08-2021
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Most people buy their wine-loving friends a bottle of the nectar of the gods. However, there are several other gift options that you could give wine enthusiasts for their birthday, over the holidays, or another special occasion. Each wine lover has a preference, and the wine you buy might not suit your friends or family members. Instead of giving them a bottle that will find its way to the back of a cupboard, why not try some alternative gift ideas? Pets and accessories Many wine lovers might choose   booze dog names   for their canines, such as Rosé. Why not get their pooch a personalized jacket or sweater with their name on it? Alternatively, consider ...
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ITE SLS is next Friday! Check out more about our AI and Transportation Technology Session!

By Xiaoyu "Sky" Guo posted 02-08-2021
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TAMUite will host a panel session on Feb 19 (Fri), 3-4pm EST in the ITE International Virtual Student Leadership Summit. We will talk with panelists, Prof. Sherif Ishak, Ph.D., PE , Dr. Taylor Lochrane Ph.D., P.E. , Dr. Xiaosi David Zeng , Dr. Ziran Wang , on AI and Transportation Technology . Don't miss it by register here ( Registration Link ) . Please also let us know your questions to our panelists via here ( Google Form ) . Learn more about other wonderful sessions ( https://www.itestudentleaders.org )! Keywords: #datascience #artificialintelligence #deeplearning #machinelearning #cav  #selfdrivingcars Panel ...
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For Students, By Students

By Mr. Jeffrey Paniati P.E posted 02-07-2021
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This month the first ever International Student Leadership Summit (SLS) will be held virtually, engaging student members from across ITE. The concept of SLSs originated in the Western District when students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo had the idea of holding a conference organized exclusively “for students, by students.” With the support of ITE professionals—most notably, ITE International Past President, Zaki Mustafa—the first SLS was held February 15-17, 2014, with 85 students attending from 11 universities. Over the last six years, the idea has spread throughout ITE, with SLSs being held regionally around the United States as well as in Canada and Australia. ...
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Big Data, Big Picture

By Ms. Alyssa Rodriguez P.E., PTOE posted 02-07-2021
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“Combine a ton of data with some analysis for grand results”—that’s the promise of big data, according to Jonas P. DeMuro in a December 2019 article in TechRadar.com. In the transportation realm, the ability to provide context to travel data seems like one of the greater opportunities of big data and analytics. However, big data can be nebulous, and our members have numerous questions as summarized in the article on ITE’s Big Data Listening Sessions on page 24 . To illustrate the concept, my philosophy for workout tracking and contribution to a large pool of activity data is: if it’s not on Strava, it didn’t happen. Strava is one of many GPS-based exercise ...
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Mentoring The Next Generation of Transportation Professionals

By Dr. Beverly Kuhn P.E posted 01-25-2021
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As we start 2021, I am certain that each of us is wondering what the new year will hold for us.  Will we return to something resembling “normal” in the coming months?  Will we have the opportunity to visit family and friends, dine indoors, and travel with the seemingly carefree abandon of pre-COVID-19 life?  Will the definition of “normal” change forever?  How will our organization be impacted in the coming months?  It is difficult to say, but hope is on the horizon.  We are looking for a bellwether to chart the path forward.   Within our organization, we are charting a new path through the One ITE initiative to help our students transition to full members ...
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Pandemic timestamp daily Trip/person Changes & %working from Home in the USA

By Seyed Farhad Razmyar E.I.T posted 12-16-2020
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Pandemic daily timestamp Trip/person Changes & %working from Home in the USA I have created a timestamp that visualizes Trip/person and other important information including %of working from home employees. As indicated  %of working from home employees from 4.9% before pandemic to 33.7% now. A 28.8% increase means a 28.8% decrease in HB-W /Office trips which is a great deal. There are also other attractive metrics that you can explore Please share your ideas with me.  The question: I s there any Correlation between Person/Trip and Spread of Covid-19 ?    Please express and share your thoughts with me and I am really grateful if you supply ...
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How to Build Your Own Water Fountain

By Frederick Tartt posted 12-09-2020
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One of the best ways to add interest and beauty to any outdoor space is to include a tranquil water feature such as a fountain.  The best part is that you can make your own DIY water fountain by following a few key steps.  In fact, here’s an easy-to-follow guide that you can use to make your own DIY water fountain today!  Seal All Drainage Holes The first thing you need to do is to get an outdoor pot made from ceramic, with dimensions of 19-1/4-inch. Put it face down and use a file to smooth the rough edges in preparation for the rubber plugs. Speaking of which, you also want to cover each plug with silicone caulk before you push the ends into ...
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Challenge and Change

By Mr. Jeffrey Paniati P.E posted 12-07-2020
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In selecting the tagline for this issue of ITE Journal, we settled on “A Year of Challenge and Change” to capture the range of emotions and responses that we have been through  in 2020. The year started so innocuously in January with the annual gathering for the Transportation Research Board Meeting and all the ITE events that surround it. As February turned to March, it started to become clear that this might not be a normal year. From there— everything was turned on its head, with remote operations, virtual everything, and Zoom-time filling up the calendar. Many challenges presented themselves—from assuring the well-being of our staff and their families, to ...
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6 Ways to Light a Water Feature

By Frederick Tartt posted 12-04-2020
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What’s the use of having an outdoor water feature if you can’t show it off? After all, you have to put in either a lot of money or a lot of work to create a water feature in the first place. That’s why you want to install colored lights, downlights, uplights, spotlights, and submersible lights to make your water feature stand out day and night. Read on for the best ways to light your water feature all year round: Pond Downlighting A downlight is a great way to cast a diffused glow on its surface to create a focal point in your outdoor area.  We recommend lower Kelvin lights at an angle to create the best downlight pond.  ...
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Hallelujah! 2021 is Coming

By Mr. Ransford McCourt P.E., PTOE posted 12-02-2020
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December is a time of reflection, family gatherings, and contemplation of the past year as we ready ourselves for what comes next. Frankly, most of us would like to put 2020 in our rearview mirror as quickly as possible. It seems to have been the year that careened from one unusual event to the next far too rapidly. I think we all want to change lanes  and get right to 2021. I have witnessed far too many families impacted by 2020 in ways that no one would have imagined a year ago. Our hearts and prayers go out to so many people that have had to endure unimaginable hardships this year. Yet in what has felt at times like one insurmountable crisis after another, ...
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New Analysis Tools Measures Transportation Health Impacts

By Mr. Todd Litman posted 11-25-2020
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The   Healthy Mobility Options Tool   is a new health impact analysis model that quantitatively answers the question of   “How much benefit or harm to human health can we expect by changing the mix of active and motorized travel across a county, region, or the entire state?”   The tool calculates the change in deaths, years of life shortening and disability, and costs due to changes in air pollution, physical activity, and traffic injuries associated with changes in active transportation levels (i.e., walking and cycling) on a population level.   This is a web-based version of the  California Integrated Transport and Health Impact Model (ITHIM) . ...
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