USC Student and METRANS Team Lead Namitha Nixon and CSULB CITT Research Associate Angelina Carballo presented at the 2021 WTS Virtual Conference in early May. Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) is an international organization centered on building the future of transportation through the advancement of women around the world. With the mission to advance both the transportation industry and the involvement of women professionals who are a growing part of it, WTS offers access and advancement opportunities as well as education and training for its members. Held virtually from May 10-14, the 2021 conference centered around “Our Future in Transportation,” including topics such as:

• Ingraining Equity and Inclusion in Workplace Culture;
• The Future of Innovation in Transportation;
• Evolving Transportation Through Creative Innovation; and
• Riding the Wave Toward the Workforce of the Future.

Carballo and Nixon, who were first-time presenters at the WTS International Annual Conference, shared their exciting research collaboration on creating the poster, “Make Way for the Next Generation: Attracting and Training the Transportation Workforce of the Future.” In the poster, they elaborated on practical programs and trainings to educate and inspire K-12 students to pursue transportation-related careers, especially those in the STEM field where women are underrepresented. Through the poster, Carballo and Nixon also highlighted the significance of a skilled workforce in creating the transportation future that industry professionals envision.

Nixon presented on "Transportation is All Around Us," a series of educational presentations and interactive activities for middle-school classrooms which has received positive outcomes and feedback from both middle school participants and their teachers.

Carballo demonstrated the merits of CITT’s education and career exploration programs using Geographic Information System (GIS) applications in K-12 and beyond. Such education and career exploration programs included CITT’s curriculum development project, “Mapping E-Commerce Locally and Beyond: A K-12 Middle School Initiative;” GIS sessions at the Port of Long Beach Academy of Global Logistics at Cabrillo High School; and the Transportation in Geographic Information System (GIS) Pilot program developed under a grant from the Federal Highway Administration in conjunction with LA Trade Technical College.

“I was excited to be a part of the SB1 K12 Mapping E-Commerce Locally and Beyond Project,” Carballo commented when asked about her experience. “Not only does this project introduce GIS curriculum to middle school students, which helps develop spatial reasoning skills at an early age, but it also teaches students about e-commerce and its environmental impact within their community and globally. I think introducing this topic through the application of GIS can be very beneficial for middle school students, who can then become more conscious consumers, think about their future careers, and help them make an impact!”