news>>ITS at Cal day, april 18 2009

Cal Day 2009
Saturday April 18

Cal Day is UC Berkeley’s biggest annual open house. ITS Berkeley invites the University community, the general public, the transportation community, and prospective students to visit our Cal Day events and exhibits from across the Institute’s nine centers.

McCone Hall Plaza is located between McCone and McLaughlin Halls, overlooking Memorial Glade. Look for the statue of the saber-toothed tiger—we hear he enjoys wearing a hard hat this time of year.

* Indicates the event is appropriate for children and youth.

Berkeley's Transportation Research Hub*

From high-tech transit solutions to traffic safety studies to recipes that make pavement last longer — transportation issues cross the fields of engineering, planning, policy, behavior, and sustainability. Take a look at Berkeley research that does or soon will affect your daily life.
Institute of Transportation Studies staff
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM, McCone Hall Plaza

Cable Car Bell-Ringing Contest*
        
Come to the Transportation tent to try your hand, literally, at ringing the ITS Transportation Library's real cable car bell. Kids and adults, first-timers and professional percussionists — all are invited to tap out some sonic rhythms. Prizes will be awarded at 12:30.
Courtesy of the ITS Library
Noon – 12:30 PM, McCone Hall Plaza

Can Video Games Save Lives?*        

Take the controls of the Work Zone Safety Simulator. Try out your driving skills and play multimedia games that will test your judgment about highway safety — more fun than a driver-ed video!
Technology Transfer Program staff
10:00 AM – noon, McCone Hall Plaza
1:00 – 3:00 PM, McCone Hall Plaza

High-Speed Rail: Changes for California        
What does the passing of the high-speed rail ballot measure mean to cities in California's Central Valley? The project is more than simply a travel alternative; it can re-energize city centers and create alternatives for sustainable living. Hear from researchers who have worked with the California High-Speed Rail Authority to generate design concepts for transit-oriented development in Merced and Stockton.
Manish Shirgaokar, Global Metropolitan Studies
3:00 – 4:00 PM, 100 Wheeler Hall

How Do Cars Fit into a Clean-Energy Future?        
Can car lovers also be planet lovers? How will America's — and increasingly, the world's — favorite vehicle evolve as we also make managing global warming a critical mission?
Professor Daniel Kammen, Director, Transportation Sustainability Center; 2007 Nobel Peace Prize co-recipient as a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
1:00 – 2:00 PM, 105 Stanley Hall

Info to Go: How to Be a Networked Traveler        
How do we get travel information when we're on the go and in most need of it? Hear how "The Networked Traveler" can send transit schedules and updates, vehicle distress signals, work zone alerts, parking availability, speed zone alerts — right to our cell phones. Give your feedback on the user interface and see a live demonstration of the "pedestrian safety alert" feature.
James Misener, Executive Director, California Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways
2:00 – 3:00 PM, McCone Hall Plaza

Make Your Own Green-Power Car*        
If only all cars could be kid-powered! Use recycled materials to make your own balloon-propelled green machine. Along the way, you'll learn a thing or two about the basic engineering that sets machines into motion.
Steve Andrews, California Center for Innovative Transportation
9:30 AM – 2:00 PM, McCone Hall Plaza

Mobile Millennium: Steer Around Traffic with Free Software        
The Bay Area is ground zero for a breakthrough community-based traffic information system. Become an Early Adopter of this developing technology by downloading free software and taking home a bragging-rights "Early Adopter" t-shirt.
1:30 – 3:00 PM, McCone Hall Plaza
Related event: Don't miss "Mobile Millennium Traffic Information System," the College of Engineering’s featured Cal Day lecture: 10 AM, Sibley Auditorium, Bechtel Engineering Center.

Riding a Segway!        
Why are Berkeley researchers studying these unconventional, stand-up scooter gizmos? Learn how Segways were used in research aimed at getting more people onto public transit.
Transportation Sustainability Research Center staff
10:30 AM – noon, McCone Hall Plaza

Twitter Your Way to Work        
How can twittering and blogging help you get from Point A to Point B faster and with less stress? Hear about rider-generated tools that help travelers get instant notices about transit delays, road conditions, and weather warnings. Learn about some of the free information already out there for BART and Caltrain, and find out how to set up your personalized data stream.
Kendra Levine, Institute of Transportation Studies Library
11:00 – 11:30 AM, McCone Hall Plaza