UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Back in-person for the first time since 2019, the annual Transportation Engineering and Safety Conference (TESC) gives industry leaders a chance to connect while having a positive impact on the local economy.
More than 700 transportation experts and professionals from around the country are attending the event at The Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center Dec. 7 through Dec. 9.
Lindsay Miller, director of Penn State Conferences and Institutes, said she is excited to have attendees returning to campus after two years of hosting a virtual conference due to COVID-19 concerns.
“The hallways of the Penn Stater are really energized with people who work in similar positions in this field who are going to be sharing knowledge and connecting in a way that they haven’t in a few years,” Miller said.
With people traveling to the area for the conference, staying in hotels and visiting shops and restaurants, Fritz Smith, president and chief executive officer of The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, said he estimates that conferences of this size generate $400,000 to $500,000 for the local economy. He said that kind of economic impact has been missed during the pandemic.
“While the tourism industry in the region rebounded quickly, business travel and conferences have been slower to pick back up,” Smith said.
He added that over the past four months the area has seen the return of some conferences — including TESC — that bring professionals into the region, helping Happy Valley move closer towards a full recovery.
“Since conferences are coming back, that is giving hotels and restaurants a reason to start staffing up during the weekdays and getting back to full staffing,” Smith said.
Since 1995 TESC has brought public and private sector professionals together with the educational community to discuss research, new projects and emerging technology.
“I feel that for professionals working in transportation throughout the region, we are providing a forum where folks can learn about new things that they can implement in their day-to-day jobs or generate new ideas for research and innovations that can be implemented in Pennsylvania,” said Eric Donnell, director of the Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute.
TESC is a Transportation Institute program, housed within the College of Engineering’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Noteworthy topics on the TESC agenda include:
- Autonomous vehicles
- Connected vehicle data
- Alternative intersections and interchanges
- Digital delivery for highways and turnpikes
- “Smarter” work zones
- Automated enforcement
- Equity, resilience, and sustainability in transportation
Penn State Conferences and Institutes is a service of Penn State Outreach.