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Messaging UpKeeping Leadership Informed about TRB

TRB State Representatives Business MeetingJuly 28, 2010

Kansas City, Missouri

Leni OmanDirector

Office of Research & Library Services

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Be Creative/Use Every Opportunity• Strategic Implementation Plan reporting• Participation in the TRB Annual Meeting/Report out• Briefings for presentations to TRB meetings• Lists of nominees and selected employees• ROI information for TRB funded activities• State Visits • NCHRP CEO Ballot• Project results• Distributing Critical issues• Triennial Agreement• Budget documents• Issue support (provide recent relevant research)

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Never provide information without stating the value

Facts on File about TRB• What is TRB• How WSDOT is involved with TRB• Lists of WSDOT nominees and fate• Current participants• ROI information for TRB funded activities• The value of the services & products to WSDOT• Problem statements submitted and fate• How we compare

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1863National Academy

of Sciences

1964National Academy

of Engineering

1970Institute ofMedicine

Technical Activities

Studies & Special

Programs Administration & Finance

Cooperative

Research Programs

What is TRB?

TRB Divisions

NRC Divisions

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WSDOT’S TRB FundingWSDOT makes two voluntary contributions to TRB each year

• TRB Core Services: the annual budget is set through the triennial agreement. This cost is prorated across the state DOTs based on the State Planning & Research (SPR) apportionment

• NCHRP: equivalent to 5.5% of the federal SPR apportionment

Other states

WSDOT’s contribution

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ROI for TRB• Unlimited free registration at the TRB Annual Meeting .

– Value: $530 advance registration in 2010. 28 WSDOT attendees = $14,840 • Unlimited access to TRB e-sessions. $500pp (per Annual Meeting year) • Annual Meeting presentation library: $95pp (per Annual Meeting year).• Variable discounts for other TRB conferences and workshops.• Unlimited subscriptions for TRB publications –full hard copy set of all TRB

publications: $4,250. Broadly used at WSDOT• Unlimited access to TRISWorld which provides access to over 700,000

records of international research publications (only available to sponsors)• Unlimited online access to the Transportation Research Records. Over 9300

peer-reviewed papers published since 1996. : $5,700 (current year plus all archived years)

• Unlimited attendance in TRB webinars. $99 per webinar (approx 40 webinars per year = $3,960)

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Continued: ROI for TRB• Tools and events to facilitate:

– Networking with experts from public agency, industry and academic organizations that represent states, federal agencies, local governments, and other countries through the Annual Meeting, mid-year conferences, web meetings and conference calls.  Social networking applications are in development.

– Projects and collaboration in research:  • Research Funding Guide • Research in Progress database• Research Needs Statements

– Without the Core Program initiatives, each state DOT would have to invest and apply its own resources to produce and develop the same kinds of information.

– For every $1 that the average state invests in TRB Core Program activities leverages approximately $101 in research-related.

• WSDOT leverages $105/ per each dollar spent

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Consequences of not Funding

• The impact of reducing our contribution:– May be reduced levels of sponsor benefits listed above.  – Might experience fewer appointments to Committees if experience is

equivalent to DOTs providing full sponsorship. – Reduced funding will restrict the ability for TRB to provide innovations

we’ve requested.  • TRB has not had to face this issue to date and the TRB Executive

Committee might need to consider appropriate action.

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WSDOT Involvement in TRB– WSDOT serves on the TRB Executive Committee– TRB State Representative– 42 employees are on 60 TRB Standing (Technical) Committees

• We Chair six committees– 49 employees on 65 Cooperative Research Project Panels

• We Chair 5 panels– 10 employees on 13 Advisory Committees and Expert Task Groups in

the Strategic Highway Research Program 2 (SHRP2)                    

Participation provides the opportunity to influence the direction of transportation innovation and research in a variety of topics.

Have also provided summary of Washington State involvement in TRB as useful.

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CRP Facts on File• # of Problem Statements submitted and fate of those problem

statements• # of Panel nominees and fate of those nominations

– Request summary of agency employees selected in September                    

Participation provides the opportunity to influence the direction of transportation innovation and research in a variety of topics and shape projects and products to meet the needs of Washington.

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2010 TRB Annual Meeting Facts• 10,100 attendees

– 65 Countries– 1000+ state DOTs attendees – 1000+ Federal agency attendees

• Over 3000 papers and presentations in more than 600 sessions and workshops

• January 10-14, Washington DC

WSDOT Employees involved in TRB Activities

39 employees on 56 TRB Technical Committees 49 employees on 65 Cooperative Research Project Panels 10 employees on 13 Strategic Highway Research Expert

Task Group

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Why Attend?• To inform and influence trends in transportation on a wide

variety of issues. • Gather information on practices in order to extend our

knowledge and improve our products and processes. • Opportunity for new employees trying to learn rapidly about a

topic as well as the veteran employee keeping abreast of innovations in their field.

• To attract partners and funding.

WSDOT employees are frequently requested as presenters, moderators, and committee members because we are developers and early adopters of new practices.

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WSDOT Attendees28 WSDOT employees attended• 5 sponsored and 3 partially sponsored

– Funding provided by FHWA, TRB, AASHTO and EWU-TTAP. • 3 paid their own travel expenses • 18 are members of 28 TRB Division A committees and 2

Committee Task Forces and Subcommittees• 5 chaired 5 TRB committee meetings, 1 Task Force and 1

subcommittee meetings• 12 presented at 14 sessions, poster sessions, and workshops• 4 presided over 3 sessions and 1 poster session

21 other WSDOT staff are members of the 30 other TRB Division A committees and did not attend the meeting.

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Name, TitleOffice

Funding Source: – WSDOT– Sponsored– Self-funded– Augment other travel

Days Attended:Sun Mon Tues Wed Thur

Activities:– Committee Chair– Session Presenter– Session Moderator– Poster Presenter– TRB Committee Member– Attendee

Funding opportunities identified

Policy Alerts/Influence

Research Needs/Influence

Partnerships formed/continued

Actions that will be implemented

Value to WSDOT

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Funding Source WSDOT

Days AttendedSun Mon Tues Wed

RoleMember 2 TRB Committees• Met with developer of design method for pile

supported embankment – will help reduce our design conservatism for SW region project (maybe 60% cost reduction)

• Poster session paper on using shafts to stabilize landslides – learned about new design method plus software that could allow us to increase shaft spacing and reduce costs

• Met with the geosynthetics industry to develop a plan for a geosynthetic manufacturing plant audit program to improve quality and consistency

• Met with FHWA, ASCE, and proprietary wall industry to begin to reestablish a national wall evaluation program -- will save WSDOT staff time in conducting such reviews for WSDOT’s pre-approved proprietary wall program

Tony Allen, State Geotechnical EngineerState Materials Laboratory

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Be Ready

• Use every opportunity• Always add statements of value • Develop a handy resource of facts, refresh it

periodically• Push information out too – through problem

statement solicitations and other research news• Call TRB to help shape your message