Lee Schipper Memorial Scholarship – Application deadline December 19, 2012
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When Swarms Talk to Drones – Evolution of Robotics Is Approaching Scary Levels (And It is Awesome)
There are many exciting developments in the world of robotics and here is one from the European Union, funded under the EU’s 7th Framework Programme. The video below shows how a drone can take over command and control responsibilities of a swarm on the ground, without any external communication channels like GPS (i.e., Spatially Targeted Communication and Self-Assembly). Some of the example applications shown here are cool, i.e, moving chairs, bringing snacks to a guy watching TV, pushing the water container, etc. But this one has far more devastating implications when deployed for the military in remote battlefields.
Northwestern University Transportation Center offers Infrastructure Pricing Executive Program (focus: Highway Infrastructure Pricing)
On Sept. 10-12 the Northwestern University Transportation Center will again offer its Infrastructure Pricing Executive Program – this year focusing on Highway Infrastructure Pricing.
Don’t miss the opportunity to participate in this highly relevant and timely program aimed at transportation professionals who manage private and public fee paying facilities; engineers and project managers who oversee maintenance and new construction; and consultants and advisors to infrastructure providers and those who finance infrastructure projects.
Topics to be covered will include dynamic and congestion pricing, demand forecasting, private/public partnerships, infrastructure investments decision-making based on projected revenues, network demand prediction tools and more.
20% Discount for Government and Academic Registrations; Early Bird rate available until Aug. 17th.
Please contact Ms. Diana Marek if you have any questions.
For more information and to Register see: Pricing Highway Infrastructure Executive Program
Job Alert: Program Director, Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office @ USDOT – Washington, DC
JOB SUMMARY:
Come on board with us and take a journey that will challenge your mind and develop your career. The quality of our lives, the shape of our communities and the productivity of our Nation’s economy depend on our transportation systems. We recognize and value the importance of our workforce and the diversity of backgrounds and ideas that each employee brings.
The Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Program uses advanced computer systems and telecommunication technologies to improve the efficiency and safety of our Nation’s surface transportation system. The Department of Transportation (DOT) established the ITS Joint Program Office in 1994 to serve as DOT’s primary advocate and national leader for the ITS Research Program. It coordinates program components with the other DOT organizational elements (the Federal Highway Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Federal Transit Administration, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) to ensure that the Nation’s traveling public and the economy benefit from technology advancements that increase mobility and safety, i.e., faster, safer, and more reliable transportation.
Application deadline: August 22, 2012
KEY REQUIREMENTS:
- You must be a U.S. citizen
- Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date
- Provide all required documents by closing date
DUTIES:
The Program Director will influence the future of the nation’s ITS program. The selectee uses expert knowledge and experience with the application of advanced computer information and/or telecommunications technologies to the delivery of surface transportation to establish the strategic direction for the ITS program; advises the Research and Innovative Technologies (RITA) Administrator and the ITS Management Council on ITS policy, program strategy, and budget allocation; and represents the Department’s ITS program interests. As an advocate for the Joint Program Office’s Department-wide role in administering the ITS program, the selectee maintains contact and coordinates with the technology industry, automobile industry, and transportation interests, both public and private, and exhibits independent innovation in leading the ITS program. The Program Director oversees Federal ITS research and development, operational tests, and deployment projects and activities being conducted by DOT modal administrations and directs the development and maintenance of the National ITS Architecture and standards.
Click here to learn more and to apply
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Affirmation via Infograph – Long commutes are deadly; cutting 20mins of your commute cuts heart attack risk by 300%
(Source: Collegeathome via LifeHacker)
This data-laden infograph shows some scary stat.. Good news is that shortening your commute by 20 minutes might lower your risk of neck and back pain by 14%, obesity by 20%, and heart attack by 300% . Now if you will excuse me, I’ve to go find a job near my home or find a home near my job.
Image Courtesy: Collegeathome via LifeHacker
Job Alert: Supervisory General Engineer (Chief of the Energy Analysis and Sustainability Division) – Volpe Center, USDOT @ Cambridge, MA
Application deadline: Monday, May 7, 2012
The Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) is seeking an Supervisory General Engineer, GS-0801-15 to serve as Chief of the Energy Analysis and Sustainability Division at the John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center). Located in the Kendall Square area in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Volpe Center plays a unique role in looking across the transportation enterprise by applying its multi-disciplinary capabilities to anticipate future transportation issues and challenges across all modes of transportation. This position is based in Cambridge, MA.
Reporting to the Director of the Center for Environmental and Energy Systems, you will be responsible for developing, planning, and overseeing the performance of all the work within the Division’s portfolio of projects. The Division is responsible for providing analytical, regulatory and policy support related to transportation-related energy use and environmental sustainability in support of multiple agencies and organizations. The Division performs a broad range of analyses and evaluations pertaining to alternative energy sources and sustainability. This may include technical work in the environmental sciences, energy efficiency and renewable energy financing, mechanical engineering, electronics and chemical engineering, systems engineering, and economic, industry, and rulemaking analysis. The Division provides planning and management support for programs that promote improved energy-related technologies and practices in the transportation sector and improved transportation-related technologies and practices in the energy supply system. You will be responsible for managing the operation of the Division, including directing and supervising staff.
The ideal candidate will have experience developing, managing, and leading engineering research projects in order to develop transportation-related technologies, solutions, and policies in areas related to sustainability, alternative energy, and/or alternative fuels. To succeed in this position you must have an entrepreneurial outlook, with the ability to translate working relationships within your professional network into business and new program opportunities. Ability to travel 20% is required.
This announcement is posted to the Public and to Merit Promotion eligible applicants on www.usajobs.gov. Please know that Merit Promotion announcements are the vehicle through which Federal employees generally apply for Federal positions.
PUBLIC (RITA.VOLPE-2012-0064): http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/314705100
MERIT PROMOTION (RITA.VOLPE-2012-0063): http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/314704500
Job Alert: Division Chief, Technology Innovation and Policy – USDOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA)
U.S. DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) announces New Career Opportunity: Division Chief, Technology Innovation and Policy
The Research and Innovative Technology Administration seeks a senior Transportation Industry Analyst to serve as the Chief of the Technology Innovation and Policy Division (RVT-91) of the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center).
The application deadline for this position is February 15, 2012
Located in Kendall Square area in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Volpe Center plays a unique role in looking across the transportation enterprise by applying its multi-disciplinary capabilities to anticipate future transportation issues and challenges across all modes of transportation. This is a permanent position based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
As Chief of the Technology Innovation and Policy Division, you will be responsible for developing, planning, and overseeing the performance of all the work of the Division’s portfolio of projects. This Division provides technical and analytical support for research initiatives and decision-making at all levels of government and industry to (1) identify, assess, and deploy advanced technologies and innovative system concepts to reduce the frequency and consequences of transportation-related crashes, improve transportation operations, personal mobility, environmental sustainability, and/or energy conservation; and (2) assess alternative policy approaches for overcoming institutional, financial, technical, and other barriers to the deployment of advanced technology or innovative concepts at the local, regional, and national level.
In this role, you will develop the Division’s portfolio of work, and ensure the expansion of the Division work to meet high priority transportation needs; you will manage programs and projects in accordance with Volpe Center policies and procedures and best industry practices; and, establish and maintain effective working relationships with customers, industry experts, management, peers, and other public/private sector interest groups and stakeholders. You will also manage the operation of the Division, including directing and supervising staff.
To succeed you must have transportation experience related to the work done by the Division, and an entrepreneurial outlook with the ability to translate working relationships into business and new program opportunities. You must also have experience managing resources, and leading multi-disciplinary technical team(s). Strong planning and communication skills are required as is the ability to work as part of a collaborative management team. Some travel (2-3 days per month) will be required.
The announcement is posted to the Public and to Merit Promotion eligible applicants on www.usajobs.opm.gov. Please know that Merit Promotion announcements are the vehicle through which Federal employees generally apply for Federal positions.
Public Announcement: http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/308212300
Merit Promotion Announcement: http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/PrintPreview/308212600
Funding Opportunity for Transportation Research at Mineta Transportation Institute @ San Jose State University
Please see below for information about a funding opportunity from the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) for research on a variety of transportation topics, including transportation finance. As the director of MTI’s National Transportation Finance Center, Asha Agrawal will be assisting researchers with questions about submitting finance-related proposals. So if you have questions, please feel free to get in touch with Asha at asha.weinstein.agrawal@sjsu.edu.
FYI, I have not included the attachments, since they don’t go through well on email groups like this one, but all the forms are available at http://www.transweb.sjsu.edu/MTIportal/research/RFPForms.html
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Dear Colleagues,
MTI is pleased to announce the release of the 2011-2012 Request for Proposals (RFP). Attached you will find the RFP, the proposal form, and the budget template. These forms may also be downloaded from the MTI web page:http://www.transweb.sjsu.edu/MTIportal/research/RFPForms.html.
As you may know, MTI conducts an open, broad-based process for soliciting and selecting policy research projects. High-quality proposals that best match the results of the needs assessment and the objectives and research emphasis areas of the institute will be selected for funding. MTI supports research projects staffed entirely by San José State University (SJSU) faculty or by SJSU faculty collaborating with researchers from outside the university.
We invite you to submit a proposal in response to this request! All proposals are due on MONDAY, MAY 16 2011 at 5:00 p.m. PDT.
Job Alert: Transportation Specialist – ITS Joint Program Office @ USDOT
The Research and Innovation Technology Administration (RITA) is looking for a highly talented Transportation Specialist with a passion for transportation data and analysis to join the Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) as the IntelliDrive Data and Weather Program Manager. This is an opportunity to work on one of the most exciting multimodal programs at the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT). Located at the U.S. DOT headquarters in Washington, DC, the ITS-JPO manages, coordinates and supports research programs focused on applying advanced technologies to transform the performance of our Nation’s surface transportation system.
The vacancy announcement closes on Tuesday, September 13, 2010.
The USDOT is seeking a talented transportation leader who can work with all levels of the ITS-JPO staff, high-ranking officials, and others outside the agency to explore the innovative methods of data collection and use of advanced data applications in the transportation environment. A self-starter with expert knowledge of data capture and proven program management principles is a must. Strong coordination and leadership capabilities are needed to be successful in this important role. A mix of strong creativity combined with institutional and technical knowledge is a must. Ability to identify strategic program needs and develop objectives based on Administration and U.S. DOT policy, Congressional direction, and knowledge gained through the national ITS program planning process is required.
The ITS-JPO IntelliDrive Data and Weather Program Manager will manage multimodal programs such as congestion relief, road weather management, and data capture and data management applications to provide technical leadership for state-of-practice and state-of-the-art data collection methods for continuous improvement of our nation’s surface transportation system.
If you know someone interested in this Washington, DC based position that has the experience and proven results in the above requested areas, please encourage them to apply under the attached vacancy announcement. The USDOT is looking for a diverse pool of qualified candidates.
Please keep in mind that the new hiring reforms recently announced by President Obama will shorten the hiring timeline and will eliminate essay-style questions during the initial application submission. Therefore please spread the word about this exciting opportunity and encourage anyone interested to apply quickly.
To review the job qualifications and salary details and to apply, please click here.
NASA’s GRIP hurricane airborne research mission set for “shakedown”
The first flight of NASA‘s hurricane airborne research mission is scheduled to take off from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 17. NASA’s DC-8 research aircraft will be making a planned five-hour flight along the Gulf Coast from western Florida to Louisiana primarily as a practice run for the many scientific instruments aboard.
Image Courtesy: NASA.gov - The NASA DC-8 airplane on the tarmac at the Fort Lauderdale International Airport in Florida on Aug. 15 as preparations continue for its part in the GRIP hurricane experiment. Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers
The target for Tuesday’s “shakedown” flight is the remnants of Tropical Depression 5, a poorly organized storm system whose center is currently hugging the coasts of Mississippi and Louisiana and moving westward. While forecasters do not expect this storm system to strengthen significantly before it reaches landfall in Louisiana, the system offers the DC-8’s seven instrument teams an opportunity to try out their equipment on possible convective storms. Rainfall rates, wind speed and direction below the airplane to the surface, cloud droplet sizes, and aerosol particle sizes are just some of the information that these instruments will collect.
Read more on NASA’s GRIP mission website.
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- NASA satellites investigate: Tropical Depression 5 may rise again (eurekalert.org)
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- Warnings up for Tropical Depression 5 in the eastern Gulf of Mexico (physorg.com)
