CEE Student Presents at Annual TRB Meeting

February 10, 2023

From January 8 to 12, 2023, the Transportation Research Board (TRB) held its 102nd Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C, where policy makers, administrators, practitioners, researchers, and representatives of government, industry, and academia alike confer to share research in the transportation field. We would like to congratulate Leo Gamez, a Class of 2024 undergraduate student and fellow of the CEE Undergraduate Research Initiative, for his work in this conference.

Leo is currently pursuing a dual degree in Civil Engineering and Latino & Latin American Studies, as well as a minor in Urban & Community Studies. His work, which was focused on transportation equity and how it is associated with metrics of derivation in Latin America, was especially aligned with this year's conference theme: Rejuvenation Out of Disruption: Envisioning a Transportation System for a Dynamic Future, which emphasized that transportation is a substantial enabler or barrier to social exclusion and that adequate access to opportunities (health, education, jobs, among others) is critical to reducing inequity in urban areas. This culminated in Leo's presentation topic of "Assessing the Association of a Metric of Transport Equity and Social Deprivation: A case study in Peru."

Leo's work is also part of the Engineering for Human Rights Initiative in collaboration with Ashley G. Benítez, Ph.D. student in Geography, and under the direction of Profs. Davis Chacón Hurtado (Assistant Research Professor in CEE and Human Rights Institute) and Shareen Hertel (Professor of Political Sciences). As next steps, Leo will continue working with them to develop a multi-dimensional index of social deprivation and transportation equity for different cities in Peru and co-author a manuscript with the results.

"Transportation infrastructure is a substantial enabler or barrier to social inclusion. However, few established metrics assess the effect of transportation on social outcomes, such as social deprivation in the context of small-size cities in Latin America," Prof. Chacón Hurtado said. "Leo is collaborating on a project to develop a metric of transportation equity and how it is associated with broader economic and social outcomes in cities."

About The TRB:

The Transportation Research Board (TRB) is a division of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and aims to provide "leadership in transportation improvements and innovation through trusted, timely, impartial, and evidence-based information exchange, research, and advice regarding all modes of transportation." (Source: https://www.nationalacademies.org/trb/about  )

The Annual Meeting convenes thousands of people (transportation administrators, practitioners, policymakers, and researchers). This year, Secretaries of Transportation, Buttigieg,  and Energy, Granholm, were part of the conference (See more: https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/2023/01/secretaries-of-energy-and-transportation-discuss-getting-to-net-zero-in-u-s-transportation-during-trbs-2023-annual-meeting )

About CEE Undergraduate Research and Innovation Program:

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering's Undergraduate Research and Innovation Program provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to gain valuable work experience while exploring their areas of interest in research. Learn more about it here: https://cee.engr.uconn.edu/undergraduate/undergraduate-research-and-innovation

About Engineering for Human Rights Initiative: The Engineering for Human Rights Initiative (EHRI) is a collaborative venture between UConn's School of Engineering (SoE) and the Human Rights Institute (HRI) that addresses human rights implications of the most significant challenges in engineering and technology in six key research areas: 1) Water, Health & Food Security; 2) Product Design, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain Management; 3) Community Planning, Resilience and Justice for a Changing Environment; 4) Engineering Education and Accessibility Rights; 5) Engineering Substances and Process Sustainability; and 6) Cybersecurity, Privacy, and Human Vulnerability. To learn more, please click here: https://engineeringforhumanrights.initiative.uconn.edu/