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General Transportation Research at TRB

The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to provide leadership in transportation innovation and progress through research and information exchange, conducted within a setting that is objective, interdisciplinary, and multimodal. This page highlights recently released TRB reports, meeting announcements, requests for proposals, and other announcements related to general transportation research activities. In addition, it includes links to selected research activities taking place at the federal and state levels, and within the academic and international transportation communities. Finally, this page also highlights and provides links to TRB programs and activities, which are the source of most of TRB’s general transportation-related products.

What's New

TRB General Transportation-Related Programs and Activities

2013 TRB 92nd Annual Meeting and Transportation Research Record Call for Papers2013 TRB 92nd Annual Meeting and Transportation Research Record Call for Papers
May 18, 2012
TRB standing committees have issued  calls for papers for the TRB 92nd Annual Meeting, January 13-17, 2013, in Washington, D.C, and the Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board (TRR). While papers addressing any relevant aspect of transportation research will be considered, some committees are soliciting papers in specific subject areas to help potential...
2012 TRB 91st Annual Meeting Highlights: Transportation: Putting Innovation and People to Work2012 TRB 91st Annual Meeting Highlights: Transportation: Putting Innovation and People to Work
May 16, 2012
The March-April 2012 issue of the TR News includes a photo essay that documents sessions, workshops, special events, poster presentations, awards, exhibits, committee meetings, and other highlights of TRB’s 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., January 22-26, 2012.
2013 TRB 92nd Annual Meeting: Spotlight Theme2013 TRB 92nd Annual Meeting: Spotlight Theme
May 9, 2012
The spotlight theme for the TRB 92nd Annual Meeting, January 13-17, 2013, in Washington, D.C., is Deploying Transportation Research—Doing Things Smarter, Better, Faster. These uncertain times are also exciting times for the transportation community, which looks to build on its successes as never before. Spotlight sessions, workshops, and discussions at the TRB 92nd Annual Meeting will highlight...
A National Authority on RoundaboutsA National Authority on Roundabouts
April 17, 2012
Roundabouts have seen unprecedented growth across the United States, from just a handful a decade ago to more than 2,000 and counting. National guidance had to keep pace with the needs of states and communities planning and implementing roundabouts, and NCHRP took a lead role.
Better, Safer Bridges For When the Earth ShakesBetter, Safer Bridges For When the Earth Shakes
April 9, 2012
In regions across the nation, bridge engineers know that the next major seismic event is coming—maybe tomorrow, maybe centuries from now. DOTs have the critical charge of designing for earthquakes and protecting the lives of travelers.
Leading in Lean Times: Findings from the Transportation Research Board's 2011 State Partnership Visits ProgramLeading in Lean Times: Findings from the Transportation Research Board's 2011 State Partnership Visits Program
March 14, 2012
Each year, TRB’s Technical Activities Division staff visit state departments of transportation, as well as selected universities, transit and other modal agencies, and industry organizations, to determine the issues they are facing and how TRB can help in addressing those issues. In their annual state partnership visits in 2011, TRB senior program officers found that state departments of transp...
Bruce B. Darling Named Executive Officer of the National Academy of Sciences and National Research Council
March 5, 2012
Bruce B. Darling, currently vice president for laboratory management at the University of California, will soon join the National Academy of Sciences and National Research Council as executive officer. His transition from the university to NAS will occur over the next several months. He will succeed E. William Colglazier, who now serves as science and technology adviser at the U.S. Department o...
American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act
February 3, 2012
The U.S. House of Representatives’ Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has released its version of a transportation bill that would authorize approximately $260 billion over five years to fund federal highway, transit, and safety programs.
Transportation Research Board 2011 Annual ReportTransportation Research Board 2011 Annual Report
January 11, 2012
The 2011 Annual Report provides a summary of the Transportation Research Board's (TRB's) programs and activities over the last year and an overview of the individual divisions within TRB. The mission of TRB is to provide leadership in transportation innovation and progress through research and information exchange, conducted within a setting that is objective, interdisciplinary, and multimodal.
TRB 92nd Annual Meeting
January 1, 2012
The 2013 TRB 92nd Annual Meeting will be held January 13-17, 2013, in Washington, D.C. The theme for the 92nd Annual Meeting is "Deploying Transportation Research - Doing Things Smarter, Better, Faster." Please mark your calendar now and plan to attend.

Cooperative Research Programs
TRB's Cooperative Research Programs Division manages several cooperative research programs that frequently produces reports that have relevence to issues outside of the program's core focus areas.
Technical Activities Standing Committees
TRB's Technical Activities Division provides a forum for transportation professionals in all modes and functions to identify research needs and to share information on research and issues of interest. The Division's staff of specialists in each mode and discipline work with a network of volunteers to carry out activities on behalf of TRB sponsors and the transportation community, including the TRB Annual Meeting, conferences and workshops, publications, visits to each state, and responses to inquiries. This network includes members and friends of over 200 standing committees, supplemented by designated TRB representatives in each state, over 150 universities, and 35 transit agencies.
Research in Progress in this Subject Area
TRB's Research in Progress (RiP) Database now contains more than 11,900 current or recently completed transportation research projects. Most of the RiP records are projects funded by federal and state departments of transportation. University transportation research is also included. The RiP Database also serves as a clearinghouse of University Transportation Centers ongoing research.
Research Needs in this Subject Area
An important function of TRB is to stimulate research that addresses concerns, issues, or problems facing the transportation community. In support of this function, TRB Technical Activities standing committees identify, develop, and disseminate research need statements (RNS) for use by practitioners, researchers, and others.
Research Completed in this Subject Area
TRB's TRID is integrated database that combines the records from TRB's Transportation Research Information Services (TRIS) Database and the OECD's Joint Transport Research Centre’s International Transport Research Documentation (ITRD) Database. TRID provides access to over 900,000 records of transportation research worldwide.

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