Thursday, September 1: Women in Transportation Seminar – The Future of Transportation

Location: The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center

This all-day event (preceded by a poster dash and dinner on Wednesday evening, Aug. 31st) is hosted as a joint effort by the Virginia Tech student chapter of WTS and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI). The event will feature panels and lecture sessions surrounding the theme of the future of transportation. Future transportation innovators and leaders throughout the country will speak on topics involving where we currently are in the state of transportation and where we are headed by discussing technology implementation and policy implications, as well as studies involving human factors. The event will promote professional development activities for students such as a poster competition and a mentoring session featuring guests in attendance.

7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.	Registration
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.	Keynote #1: Five Leadership Lessons - How You Learn From Crashes, Collapses and Chaos Deborah A.P. Hersman, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Safety Council
9:30 a.m. – 10:40 a.m.	Session #1: Where We Are Now – Technology Implementation Since its inception, the transportation industry has been pushing the envelope of technological advancement. From Henry Ford¡¯s Model T to autonomous vehicles, transportation experts are innovators. Experts in this session are on the leading edge of tech implementation and will discuss the current state of technology in transportation, how we achieved this level of implementation, and what their next steps are. Moderator: Jane Lappin, Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs, Toyota Research Institute Reates Curry, Technical Expert and Human Factors Specialist, Ford Motor Company Jane Macfarlane, Head of Research, HERE Catherine McGhee, Associate Director for Safety, Operations and Traffic Engineering, Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Carol Tan, Highway Research Engineer, Federal Highway Administration
10:40 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.	Break – Stretch and Greet Exercise
10:50 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.	Session #2: How to Get There – Human Factors Human factors is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system. Driver behavior is at the root of the majority of crashes, so human factors play a crucial role in designing efforts that enhance transportation safety and reduce crashes. This session will explore the human factors applications within the field of transportation; panelists are among the top experts in the domain of human factors and come from diverse educational backgrounds including psychology, engineering, biomechanics, and physiology. Moderator: Lisandra Garay-Vega, Accident Investigator/Project Manager, National Transportation Safety Board Linda Angell, Human Factors and Safety Specialist, Touchstone Evaluations, Inc. Yi Glaser, Human-Machine Interface Engineer, General Motors Joanne Harbluk, Human Factors Specialist, Transport Canada Julie Kang, Research Psychologist, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.	Lunch Keynote #2: Doing Great Things: Myths, Partial Truths, and What it Really Takes Ann M. Brach, Director of the Technical Activities Division, Transportation Research Board
1:30 p.m. – 2:20 p.m.	Speed Mentoring Exercise The Speed Mentoring Session will be a fun, fast-paced event, where attendees have the opportunity to participate in brief, directed, mentoring sessions with our keynote speakers, panelists, and industry professionals.
2:30 p.m. – 3:40 p.m.	Session #3: Where We Are Heading – Technology and Policy Implications This session will explore the research of future technologies and the implications to current policies. It addresses how industry leaders are making a strong impact in shaping transportation policy and influencing the future of the field. Discussions will include, but not be limited to, human-digital interface design in automated and connected vehicles. Subject matter experts will discuss the nuances of governmental affairs for advanced technological systems and the pivotal roles effective policies and legislation play in making cutting-edge technology safe and accessible. Moderator: Nicole Barranco, Director of State Government Relations, Volkswagen Group of America Janet Brooking, Executive Director, Drive Smart Virginia Ana Meuwissen, Director of Federal Government Affairs, Bosch Deborah Thompson, Technology Lead – Human Factors, Volvo Group North America Barbara Wendling, Testing & Regulatory Affairs, Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America
3:40 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.	Closing Remarks