UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — As the fall semester winds down for Penn State students and faculty, transportation professionals from around the state, mid-Atlantic region and country will gather for the 24th annual Transportation Engineering and Safety Conference (TESC). Scheduled for Dec. 5-7 at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center and hosted by the Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute, TESC brings together experts in industry and academia to discuss some of the most important issues in transportation.
Divided into five key tracks — safety, operations, planning, design and technology — the 2018 conference is themed “Next Gen Transportation: Preparing Industry for Tomorrow, Today.” Topics to be discussed include intelligent vehicle/highway systems; new/revised state and federal transportation guidelines; public/private partnerships and innovative financing; work zone innovations; and safety improvements.
Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation Leslie S. Richards, who will serve as the keynote speaker, is scheduled to speak between 12:45 and 1:10 p.m on Wednesday, Dec. 5.
The Larson Lecture, an annual speech given in honor of the Institute’s namesake, will be presented by Pete Ruane, president and chief executive officer of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association. Ruane is scheduled to speak between 12:45 and 1:10 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 6.
Featured sessions include:
- Driving Diversity and Inclusion: How Can We Transform Our Culture (Session 1C), moderated by Transportation Secretary Richards, will explore ways in which organizations may embrace and influence the culture of diversity and inclusivity within the workplace.
- Transportation Research and Testing Facilities (Session 2C) will provide updates about the anticipated PennSTART, a state-of-the-art facility that will benefit emergency responders, transportation organizations and research institutions.
- Legislative Perspective on the Transportation Industry (Session 4A) will feature a panel discussion with representatives from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, ACEC/PA and the office of Senator John C. Rafferty, Jr.
- Transportation Design Meets Conservation (Session 4C) will highlight some of the transportation design challenges faced while addressing environmental concerns such as storms, mussels and wetland banking.
TESC is made possible each year thanks in part to a long list of sponsors and exhibitors. This year’s platinum sponsors are AECOM, HNTB, Jacobs, Michael Baker International, Pennoni Associates Inc. and WSP. For more information about sponsors, exhibitors and sessions, visit tesc.psu.edu or follow the conference on Facebook at @transportationconference and Twitter at @LarsonInstitute.
The Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute is Penn State’s transportation research center. Since its founding in 1968, the Larson Institute has maintained a threefold mission of research, education and service. The institute brings together top faculty, world-class facilities and enterprising students from across the University in partnership with public and private stakeholders to address critical transportation-related problems.