Our recent committee meeting

I just wanted to share some of my observations and ideas about our recent committee meeting at the TRB Annual Meeting (minutes have been posted on the committee’s wiki). I am naturally cynical about life but even I got my enthusiasm on by the energy displayed at the committee meeting. (And, the next week’s celebration of democracy also helped.)

For this blog, I’d like to mention some of the reasons for the decrease in my ADC (average daily cynicism). So, let’s get started.

• Leap Not Creep: Accelerating Innovation Implementation is a two-day course sponsored by FHWA’s National Highway Institute. Its origins harken back to discussions around the T2 Committee campfire about a T2 Toolbox, which would create a T2 implementation plan for anyone. I felt that the toolbox lacked one component – training the user in the tools and techniques specified in the plan. Committee member Laura Melendy did a great job of representing the committee on the course’s steering group, adding her “in the trenches” experience to the effort. Kathleen Bergeron of FHWA’s Highways for LIFE also added her expertise and coordination. My ADC levels were lowered when Laura and Kathleen both noted during our “definition of T2” discussion that their group had also dealt with these issues. Sounds like we’re on the same pages. Now that we’re starting to see some courses on technology transfer, the next step may be a certificate program in technology transfer. My ADC levels would really go down if that happened!

• The sharing of best practices also affected my ADC levels. It was great to hear about the National Transportation Training Resources (NTTR) database, New Jersey DOT Research Implementation Studies, and Road Safety Assessments. We hope to have some guest bloggers add more detail about the process of developing their best practices as well new ones. We will also post the presentation on the wiki. If you want to decrease your own ADC levels and share a best practice, let me know.

• Also, another way to decrease your own ADC levels is to get involved with the committee. The committee is due for member rotation this year, so if friends are interested in membership please contact the co-chairs. We’re also seeking volunteers to plan annual meeting sessions, update the committee’s wiki and report on news in technology transfer in the committee’s blog. We’ve already gotten some new members and friends involved in the strategic planning process being spearheaded by co-chair Larry Orcutt.