ATPIO and TRG are jointly hosting a webinar on “Current Trends and Future Prospects for Transportation Systems” on March 31st at 11:00 am CDT (9:30 pm IST).
The webinar will present an overview of the current trends facing the transportation sector in both the developing and the developed countries, how the rapid changes in technology are going to transform the ways we transport people and goods and what needs to be done to meet these challenges. The focus of the discussion will be on surface transportation.
The presenter for the webinar is Dr. Kumares C. Sinha, Edgar B. and Hedwig E. Olson Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering at Purdue University.
USTDA’s South–Southeast Asia Regional Team receive the India Smart Grid Forum’s President Award for Promotion of Smart Grids in India
The U.S. Trade and Development Agency was awarded the India Smart Grid Forum’s President Award for Promotion of Smart Grids in India, in recognition of work to advance India’s grid modernization efforts.
The President Award is presented to an India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF) member that has made the best contribution towards the growth of smart grids in India. Since 2004, USTDA has sponsored ten smart grid activities addressing topics such as distributed energy resources (DER), the viability of solar powered microgrids for two rural villages, and utilizing automated demand side management solutions to manage peak demand. On these activities, USTDA partnered with both public and private sector utilities, as well as U.S. companies, to pilot innovative solutions tailored to India’s unique electricity needs.
The award was presented during India Smart Grid Week in New Delhi. At the inaugural session, USTDA’s Regional Director, Henry Steingass, spoke on the importance of involving the regulator in smart grid development. Mr. Steingass noted, “What is needed is a greater philosophy on how regulatory decisions can be made, taking into account benefits that customers may see in terms of more reliable power and the electric services, what they are able to bring.”
ISGF, which bestowed the award and organized India Smart Grid Week, is a public-private partnership initiative under India’s Ministry of Power. (Visit USTDA for more)
Tata Motors launched the future of mass public transportation at its Pune facility and took another step in the direction of green technology and mobility solutions. The company launched the Starbus Electric 9m, Starbus Electric 12m and the Starbus Hybrid 12m range of buses which are designed, developed, powered by alternate fuels and made in India. The company says will be a good for smart cities. The company also showcased the country’s first Fuel Cell bus (12m), LNG Powered bus (12m), and an 18m Articulated bus.
Dr. Bhat, who directs the “Data-Supported Transportation Operations and Planning” (D-STOP) Tier 1 USDOT Center at the University of Texas at Austin, will be providing, with his colleagues, a symposium on connected and automated vehicles on February 13th. The Symposium will be held in coordination with the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG). Dr. Bhat and colleagues have been studying many facets on the future connected and automated transportation world, including communications considerations, data architecture, processing, and fusion, cybersecurity issues, and how these future paradigms of transportation will transform our society. Information on D-STOP is available at https://ctr.utexas.edu/research/d-stop/, and information on research publications in this space is available at http://www.caee.utexas.edu/prof/bhat/fULL_PAPERS.htm.
Dr. Chandra Bhat recently received the Lifetime Achievement in Transportation Research and Education Award (Academic) from the Council of University Transportation Centers (CUTC). This award is given to “individuals who have had a long history of significant and outstanding contribution to university transportation education and research resulting in a lasting contribution to transportation.” He received the award at the CUTC Banquet in Washington DC on January 7, 2017. CUTC is a national umbrella organization of university transportation centers in the U.S. For more information:
