Stephen
Popkin, PhD, is Volpe’s new deputy director for Research and Technology. In
this role, Popkin will lead and manage Volpe’s suite of multimodal
transportation research programs and will work with Director Anne Aylward on
Volpe’s strategic vision.
As part of
the Cambridge Science Festival, come and hear a series of short, live talks
direct from Volpe team members working on emerging transportation issues such
as maritime security, nonmotorized transportation, or advancing the flow of
aviation traffic.
The talks will conclude with a tour of the Volpe’s
simulators (how to drive a train, fly a plane, navigate an airfield),
showcasing how Volpe is advancing transportation innovation for the public
good.
The
new NOVA documentary Why Trains Crash
features Volpe’s David Tyrell, a principal technical advisor for train
crashworthiness and safety. The documentary, which aired February 22 on PBS,
explores recent rail tragedies and technological advances that can help prevent
train crashes. Read
more and watch the video.
General
McDew commands USTRANSCOM, which delivers global defense logistics anyplace,
anytime, and for however long is needed. He recently came to Volpe to discuss
the nation’s most pressing military and civilian transportation challenges, and
the new thinking required for new solutions. Read the full
story.
When
disasters hit, U.S. DOT deploys a team of emergency transportation representatives
to coordinate large-scale transportation responsibilities that come with
massive emergency response efforts. One of these representatives is Volpe’s
Terry Sheehan. Read the full story.
When
a car hits a pedestrian, the pedestrian takes the full brunt of the severe and
sometimes fatal injuries. Vehicle-to-pedestrian communications can help avoid
impacts or reduce the consequences when light vehicles collide with pedestrians.
Read the full story.
The
Volpe community helped spread the love this past Valentine’s Day by putting
together care kits full of toiletries, water, snacks, socks, and handmade
scarves for the homeless. Volpe employees created 100 personal care kits to
donate to the Pine Street Inn and Rosie’s Place. Read the full story.
Volpe Staff at U.S.
and International Events
Volpe staff were featured at the following events in January and February:
Stephen
Popkin facilitated the U.S. DOT
Safety Council Meeting in Washington, D.C., on February 24.
Michael
Dinning participated in a workshop focused on cybersecurity in the Internet
of Things and smart cities, and multimodal payment systems to improve mobility.
He led discussions on transportation payments and gave a presentation on
payments for multimodal mobility. The workshop was sponsored by the Smart Card
Alliance and hosted at the Utah Transit Authority February 1-2 in Salt Lake
City, Utah.
Karen Van
Dyke, Stephen Mackey, and Hadi Wassaf presented “DOT GPS Adjacent
Band Compatibility Assessment Test Results” at the Institute of Navigation’s International Technical Meeting, held January
30 to February 3 in Monterey, California. The DOT GPS Adjacent Band
Compatibility Assessment evaluates adjacent radiofrequency band power levels
that can be tolerated by GPS and Global Navigation Satellite System receivers
to better understand how such power levels impact transportation safety
devices.
Gregg Fleming
and David Pace participated in the Committee on Aviation Environmental
Protection (CAEP) Modelling and
Databases Group, part of the International Civil Aviation
Organization, in Denpasar, Indonesia, from January 30 to February 2. Fleming
chaired and led the meeting and Pace presented a series of papers on modelling
fleet evolution and how the economic environment can influence aircraft
delivery and retirement trends.