METRANS Transportation Center is proud to announce that all five of the Railway Association of Southern California 2016 Scholarships were awarded to students associated with the two partner Universities: University of Southern California Ph.D. candidate Nathan Hutson; California State University, Long Beach Bachelor of Business Administration student Michelle Morales; University of California, Irvine Ph.D. candidate and former METRANS Student Assistant, Gabriel Jangbo Yu; and two undergraduate students from USC: Braulio Hoyos Monti of the Sol Price School of Public Policy, and Thomas Check of the Viterbi School of Engineering. The students were awarded their scholarships during a reception and dinner held by the Railway Association at the Disneyland Hotel on Wednesday, April 27th.

The Railway Association of Southern California (RASC) is dedicated to promoting the diverse professions within the railroad industry and sponsoring fellowship among railroad professionals in the Southern California area. They award two undergraduate scholarships and three graduate scholarships each year to students interested in a professional in the rail transportation industry such as engineering, planning, and operations.

Nathan Hutson is a second-year Ph.D. candidate in Urban Planning and Development at the USC Price School of Public Policy. Prior to joining the Ph.D. program, Nathan worked as a freight analyst for Cambridge Systematics and also as a researcher in freight policy for the University of Texas focusing on many aspects of rail policy. Nathan shares, “I study the connections between infrastructure and international economic development and I believe rail is an essential tool for development.” He is very thankful to the Rail Association of Southern California for providing the scholarship and he was very impressed by their leadership at the awards dinner.

Michelle Morales is a student at CSULB majoring in business administration with double options in management and operations, and supply chain management. She comments, “Meeting RASC professionals and motivated college students at the RASC Scholarship Awards Dinner was incredible. The future of the railway industry, as Mr. Clarke mentioned, hinges on the increased dedication and unrelenting work of young people today, young people who dare to think differently. When I graduate, I hope to utilize my work experience and classroom knowledge in OSCM to provide lean services for businesses and create more sustainable solutions in the transportation and logistics industry. I'd like to thank the RASC for the scholarship they have awarded me as well as the Society for Advancement of Management, of which I am president at CSULB, for helping me get to where I am today. Go Beach!”

Gabriel Jangbo Yu is currently working on a Caltrans-funded project for integrating ridesharing service with LA Metro Rail while completing his PhD. He is proud to share, “I am completing my Ph.D. dissertation focusing on modeling travelers' and operators' perceived uncertainty and information under a consistent framework. The applications following the framework include quantifying information provision of travel demand management strategy, multi-criteria dynamic traffic assignment incorporating perceived uncertainty, and multi-stakeholder decision analysis under risk for transportation investment,” he shares.

University of Southern California undergratuate students Thomas Check and Braulio Monti also won scholarships.

Thomas Check, who received an undergraduate scholarship for $5,000, is completing a co-terminal degree program that combines a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering at USC. He is a regular attendee at Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) events, a participant in the CTF’s 2015 symposium, and has recently completed an internship with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.

Braulio Hoyos Monti, also awarded an undergraduate scholarship, is a Junior pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Policy, Planning, and Development, with a focus on sustainable planning. He is heavily involved in transportation issues around campus and in the broader community. Braulio helps out with the USC Bike Coalition, and is currently performing GIS spatial analysis research with Professor Michael Kodama, the Chairman of Eco-Rapid Transit, a joint governmental advocacy group,. He currently works for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation Bike Share Program and he volunteers for several CicLAvia events.