We'd like to congratulate two Portland State University individuals who received 2020 awards from the Western District of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE).

Dr. Christopher Monsere of Portland State University was awarded the 2020 Outstanding Educator Award from ITE. Monsere is Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the Maseeh College of Engineering & Computer Science at Portland State. His primary research interests are in design and operation of multimodal transportation facilities including user behavior, comprehension, preferences, and the overall safety effectiveness of transportation improvements.

The Outstanding Transportation Educator Award recognizes an individual who demonstrates extraordinary creativity in teaching, takes exceptional measures to spark student interest in the transportation profession, and provides unwavering encouragement for student endeavors.

Sara Urbina, a graduate teaching assistant in urban studies and planning at Portland State, was awarded ITE's 2020 Student Paper Award for her paper "Influence of Autonomous Vehicles on Travel Behavior of 50+ years Population." Sara holds two M.Sc. degrees in Civil Engineering with a Major in Traffic and Transportation and System Engineering with a major in operation research from the Southern Methodist University. She is currently proceeding with her Ph.D. in Urban Planning from Portland State University. Her research focus is on the impact of autonomous vehicles on cities and people.

The Student Paper Award encourages student members of the ITE Western District to conduct and to report on independent research and investigation of transportation engineering subjects and to provide a means for recognizing outstanding accomplishments in this area. 

The Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University is home to the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI), and other transportation programs. TREC produces research and tools for transportation decision makers, develops K-12 curriculum to expand the diversity and capacity of the workforce, and engages students and professionals through education.