OCS Conference Funding Submission

Event Photo:

Natasha Timmons, a transportation planner, and myself (Henry) standing in front of the TRB logo at the conference entrance.

Attendance at a session titled 'understanding demand, revenues, and costs of electric car sharing in underserved rural and suburban areas'.

Name: Henry Hoffmann

Degree Program: MASTER OF URBAN PLANNING

Specialization: MUP-City and Community Planning

Conference Host Organization/Institution: National Academy of Sciences

Conference/Competition Name: Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting

Conference Term: January Conference Start Date: 2025-01-06 Conference End Date: 2025-01-07

What were your takeaways from this conference/case competition?
This conference was packed with sessions discussing wide-ranging transportation research across various subjects and geographies. One of my key takeaways from the conference was that there a number of ways in which transportation professionals are attempting to understand transportation supply and demand, particularly when it comes to transit deserts. Professionals were examining a variety of transportation methods, including micromobility, light rail, and car sharing programs to understand their viability in various contexts. Another takeaway from this conference was how community perspectives, utilizing historical research in a given context, can be effectively brought into transportation planning discussions to build community resilience.

How will your participation in this conference/case competition support your professional development?
This conference provided me with an incredible foundation not only for my urban transportation planning course this coming semester, but also allowed me to network with transportation professionals to understand what kinds of job opportunities are in the field. Not only was I able to speak with individuals from various government agencies and private firms who provided me with important insight into the transportation planning profession, but I also got to see how much innovation and creative thinking there is in this field, which excited me about the possibility of obtaining a job in this field.

What are some next steps or action items this conference/case competition inspired?
One of the most inspiring components of this program was seeing the diversity of transportation research and implementation work that is being conducted across the country. As a next step, I hope have some follow up conversations with some of the connections I made at the conference to hear more about their work and the organizations they work for. In addition, I want to learn more about the IBX (Interborough Express) and will ask about this in my urban transportation class. I am curious about what the professional opinions are around this project and hope to have a class discussion.

What are some tips or best practices that you would like to share with other Wagner students who attend a conference/case competition?
I would let students know that at conferences as big as this one (100s of sessions across multiple days), don't feel pressure to try to see everything. I think it was much more valuable to stay in one section to listen to the speakers than it was to try to jump around and see everything I was interested in.

Wagner Areas of Impact: Cities, Transportation