Message from the Director

Samer Madanat: Fall 2005

I would like to extend a warm welcome to our new and returning students and researchers. As many of us at ITS already know—and as our new students will soon discover—this is an exciting time to be working in the field of transportation research. Not only is the field expanding in multiple directions, but opportunities are emerging that call for multidisciplinary approaches. For example, research teams composed of traffic engineers, system engineers, human factor specialists and communications engineers are collaborating to develop wireless communication systems for improving transportation safety and traffic operations. Transportation and environmental engineers are working together to explore innovative solutions aimed at reducing the environmental effects of motorized transportation in urban areas.

At the same time, improved methods of investigation are creating a renewed interest in older problems, such as transit operations and planning and logistics and supply chain management. A new appreciation for the critical role that mobility plays in the quality of life in urban areas is leading planners to study with fresh eyes the interaction of land use and transportation. In addition, the conflicting pressures of security and efficiency are calling for new methods to address congestion at airports, ports and other terminals.

ITS Berkeley researchers, students and faculty are actively engaged in many of these developments through a group of new initiatives, including two new research centers.

The California Center for Innovative Transportation (CCIT) was founded in 2001 in collaboration with Caltrans as a unit within California PATH to support the commercialization of Intelligent Transportation Systems technologies. In 2003, CCIT spun off from PATH to pursue a broader and more ambitious mission: to facilitate the deployment of transportation research results in the field by working with state and regional transportation agencies and private sector vendors. CCIT represents a commitment by ITS to deploy our research in the real world in ways that will make a difference to the traveling public. CCIT’s first group of projects focuses on technologies that were developed at PATH. In the next few years, it will expand its portfolio of projects to include other research results.

If CCIT’s activities are considered “last-mile” research, those of the Berkeley Center for Future Urban Transport, a Volvo Center of Excellence, are located at the other extreme of the research spectrum. Funded by a five-year grant from the Volvo Research and Educational foundations after a tough international competition, this center is a nice addition to the ITS family. The center’s theme is the interplay of policy and technology in solving urban transport problems, and a significant part of its research agenda has been drawn from problems specific to individual cities around the world. By working with international partners in cities in China, Chile, Spain, Japan, France, and possibly other countries in the future, the center’s researchers will develop solutions to problems of accessibility, mobility, sustainability and safety that are specifically tailored to individual cities. This new center represents one of the largest international research collaborations that ITS Berkeley has ever embarked on. Because funding for the center comes through a grant, it allows our faculty and students to explore highly innovative ideas without the constraints of project deadlines and deliverables. Eight ITS faculty members and up to 12 doctoral students will collaborate in these research activities.

In addition to our new research centers, new faculty associates are strengthening our research capabilities.

• Raja Sengupta is an expert in the development of Wireless Networks for Traffic Safety applications. He has a growing research program, funded by automobile manufacturers, and is working closely with the research and development staff at PATH. Links to his research can be found on his Home Page in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
• Alexandre Bayen joined UC Berkeley this year. He is a control expert with emphasis in Air Traffic and an interest in other transportation networks. His addition to the ITS family strengthens our Air Transportation research at NEXTOR. You can learn about his research by following the links on his Home Page in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
• Max Shen adds to our strong programs in Logistics and Supply Chain Management. He joined the IEOR department at UC Berkeley this year after a short stint at the University of Florida. To learn more about his interests, visit his Home Page in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research.

Given these additions to our research activities and collaborators, we are starting this academic year on a high note. If you have suggestions or ideas, feel free to drop me a note at madanat@ce.berkeley.edu.