News and Events

News | Events

Recent News

Bahar receives a plaque from Dr. Russell Vacante, President, SOLE, for her paper "Technology Fixes for the New Global Risks: Do They Address Asymmetric and Non-linear Threats," at SOLE 2004.

Dr. Bahar Barami Receives Recognition from SOLE - On September 2, 2004, Dr. Bahar Barami of the Economic and Industry Analysis Division, attended SOLE 2004, the annual conference of the International Society of Logistics (SOLE), in Norfolk, Virginia. On the third day of the conference, Bahar presented a paper, "Embedded Technologies to Secure the Supply Chain from End to End," (MS Word, 70 KB) to a panel examining best practices. She also chaired a panel entitled "Sense and Respond: It Is the Destination, Not the Journey" and facilitated a panel on "White Paper Development: The Need to Move from Supply Chain to Logistics Chain Management."

Bahar received recognition at the conference for a paper she wrote in 2003. Entitled "Technology Fixes for the New Global Risks: Do They Address Asymmetric and Non-linear Threats,"(MS Word, 72 KB) the paper appeared in the January - March 2003 edition of Logistics Spectrum. SOLE selected it as the best paper published during 2003. (added 10/05/04)

2004 - 2005 Volpe Internship Recipient Announced - Lisandra Garay-Vega, a Ph.D. candidate in Civil Engineering/Transportation Engineering at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, was recently chosen to participate in the 2004-2005 John A. Volpe Transportation Internship program. Developed four years ago in recognition of the contributions of John A. Volpe, the second Secretary of Transportation, the Volpe Transportation Internship features substantial tuition assistance and paid work opportunities at the Volpe Center for selected outstanding graduate students in engineering, scientific, and social science disciplines who have expressed an interest in working in the field of transportation. Additional information on the Volpe Center Transportation Internship is available at: http://www.volpe.dot.gov/career/intrnshp.html (added 09/27/04)

Volpe Center Hosts Symposium on Balancing Security and Mobility - On May 6, Dr. Bahar Barami of the Transportation Strategic Planning and Programs Development Division organized a one-day symposium at the Volpe Center on Balancing Security and Mobility, the third in a series of recent outreach events sponsored by the Volpe Center to highlight current research and development (R&D;) efforts in innovative transportation technologies. The symposium featured three panels. The first panel examined the different objectives of DOT and Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the challenges of incorporating homeland security requirements into the existing procedures for meeting the nation's transportation safety and mobility needs. The speakers emphasized that the DOT response and recovery operations reinforce the DHS security goals, and that making infrastructures and vehicles safer and more robust would also support the DHS goals as they create a system that is more resistant to catastrophic attacks. The second panel focused on new frontiers in biotechnology, nanotechnology, robotics, remote sensing, and simulation and highlighted the applications of these technologies for traffic monitoring, security surveillance, and the processing of passenger and vehicular traffic at ports and border crossings. The final panel examined the challenges and prospects of integrating security into the global transportation system. Panelists discussed ways to make security countermeasures economically and operationally sustainable, globally enforceable, and conducive to infrastructure resilience and transparent supply chains. The symposium concluded with a plenary session where the attendees and speakers agreed that significant progress had been made in aligning the two agencies' security and transportation mobility objectives, but that challenges remained in ensuring operational feasibility, user acceptance, economic viability and long-run sustainability of many security countermeasures. (added 06/15/04)

Volpe Center Employee Receives Certificates of Appreciation from the ITS America - On April 27, Ms. Jane Lappin of the Economic and Industry Analysis Division was awarded two certificates of appreciation from the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITSA) Information Forum and the Policy, Evaluation, and Advocacy Forum at the ITSA annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas. ITSA is a non-profit organization established in 1991 to coordinate the development and deployment of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) in the United States. Ms. Lappin was awarded the certificates for her ongoing support of ITS in the U.S. and her continued voluntary service to ITSA over the last decade. Ms. Lappin was past chair of the Market Research Task Force and the Car Sharing Subcommittee; she has organized panels and presented papers at every ITSA Annual meeting since 1994. Ms. Lappin’s ITS work at the Volpe Center has included market analyses of advanced traveler information systems, analysis of traveler behavior in the presence of advanced traveler information, evaluations of customer satisfaction with ITS products and services, and a guide to marketing ITS to state and local governments. (added 06/15/04)

Volpe Center Hosts Member of the Eurocontrol Experimental Centre - On May 4-6, the Volpe Center and members of the Environmental Measurement and Modeling Division hosted Mr. Laurent Cavadini of the Eurcontrol Experimental Centre near Paris, France. The visit provided an opportunity for the exchange of information on aviation noise control methods between European and U.S. researchers. Mr. Cavadini provided Center staff with an overview and current status on the Sourdine project, which is a long-term noise reduction program aimed at defining new approach and take-off procedures for all European airports. Mr. Gregg Fleming presented an overview on the Division's work in the area of aircraft noise abatement. Mr. Christopher Roof provided information on various Center activities in support of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Integrated Noise Model (INM). Mr. David Read discussed issues related to aircraft noise measurement instrumentation and procedures, and Mr. Clay Reherman presented a case study of aircraft noise analysis. Ms. Amanda Rapoza gave an overview of the development of aircraft classifications using spectral acoustic data. The occasion provided a forum for a joint FAA-Eurocontrol Research and Development Agreement. (added 06/08/04)

Volpe Center Expert Presents Paper at the International Association for Chemical Testing - On April 25, Dr. Arthur Flores of the Environmental Measurement and Modeling Division presented a paper at the Annual Meeting of the International Association for Chemical Testing titled "Alcohol Concentration Extrapolation." The paper addressed the problem of the accuracy of estimating what the alcohol level was in suspected drunken drivers at the time of their arrest if there was a delay in administering an alcohol test. The study has important implications for trials. An estimate of the time-of-arrest concentration can be made by straight line extrapolation of the test result from the time-of-test to the time-of-arrest, but there is uncertainty associated with the extrapolation. Dr. Flores disagrees with other experts who have concluded that the extrapolation is "usually" accurate to within ±0.01 gm/210L and concludes that the accuracy can be stated more firmly as within ±0.04 gm/210L with 95% confidence. This work is significant because it adds to our understanding of the inherent analytical and physiological variables and potential error rates involved in alcohol testing, particularly when an alcohol test has been delayed. (added 06/08/04)

To view past News, please visit the News Archive

Return to Top

Research and Special Programs Administration