Event Calendar
Past Event
NUTC Seminar Series - Dr. Deb Niemeier| University of Maryland | October 26, 2023
Northwestern University Transportation Center
4:00 PM
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Ruan Conference Center, Chambers Hall
Details
Dr. Deb Niemeier
Professor
University of Maryland
Social Media and Community Engagement: The Bike Lane Wars
Abstract:
Most research agrees that while social media promotes community engagement, it can also increase the spread of misinformation. To examine the role of social media in urban design, I use recent dialogue on the addition of a bike lane in Washington DC. Not unexpectedly, the anti-bike lane complaints revolve around the economic impacts to adjacent businesses, increased safety hazards, and the loss of parking. The pro-bike lane contingents argue that bike lanes bring improvements in safety, significant beneficial health effects, and help with decarbonization. Consistent with other bike lane wars, the rhetoric becomes increasingly incendiary over time. This signals more than a simple dispute over design benefits, suggesting that opinions are deeply rooted in culture and ideology. In this talk, I will explore how the use of a moderated listserv amplified differences in opinion and increased misinformation about the design features of a proposed bike lane project in a wealthy, white, highly educated and almost exclusively Democratic community. More fundamentally, this talk will show that while the use of social media promotes civic engagement, it also can also increase the spread of misinformation even in a largely homogeneous community. This has important implications for the ways in which we can engage with community in designing a more equitable built environment.
Bio
Prof. Niemeier studies how formal and informal governance processes in urban planning shape community resilience. Her current research examines constraints to equitable technology adoption across aspects of the built environment. Her work in vehicle emissions shaped next generation state and federal policy in the early 2000s. In 2014, she was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for “distinguished contributions to energy and environmental science study and policy development.” In 2015, she was named a Guggenheim Fellow for foundational work on pro bono service in engineering. In 2017, she was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. More recently, she was elected to the American Philosophical Society (2021); received the Perry McCarty AEESP Founders’ Award (2022), and in 2023, she received the Franklin Institute’s Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science, the first to a civil engineer. She completed her Ph.D. at the University of Washington. She holds the Clark Distinguished Chair and is a Professor in the Dept of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and an Affiliate Professor in the College of Information Studies and the Dept of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science at the University of Maryland. She directs the Center for Community Disaster and Resilience.
Time
Thursday, October 26, 2023 at 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Location
Ruan Conference Center, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern University Transportation Center
NUTC Seminar Series | "A Mega Project: Road/Bridge from Finland to Sweden" - Antti Talvitie
Northwestern University Transportation Center
4:00 PM
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Ruan Conference Room, Chambers Hall
Details
Abstract
TBD
Bio
Mr. Talvitie is a transportation consultant and certified psychoanalyst. He resides in Chicago, IL, USA. He is Professor (Emeritus) at Aalto University, Finland. Previously, Mr. Talvitie was a Senior Transport Specialist at the World Bank, served as Director of Highway Construction and Maintenance in the Finnish Road Administration, and was Professor and Chairman of the Department of Civil Engineering at the State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY-Buffalo). Mr. Talvitie graduated from Aalto University, Espoo, Finland. He has an MSc and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. He is a Certified Psychoanalyst (Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis).
Time
Thursday, May 15, 2025 at 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Location
Ruan Conference Room, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern University Transportation Center
NUTC Seminar Series | "Recent Advances in Transit Operations Analysis" - Nigel Wilson, MIT
Northwestern University Transportation Center
4:00 PM
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Ruan Conference Room, Chambers Hall
Details
Abstract
For the past thirty years, the MIT Transit Lab has been engaged in long-term research collaborations with a range of large urban public transport agencies including London (Transport for London), Boston (MBTA), Chicago (CTA), Washington DC (WMATA), San Juan (PRHTA) and Hong Kong (MTR). Much of this stream of research has focused on the role that automatic data collection systems can play in improving transit performance including tackling fundamental problems such as passenger origin-destination matrix estimation and measuring service reliability, using data from automated fare collection systems and automatic vehicle monitoring systems. This seminar will focus on recent MIT initiatives in transit operations analysis, much of which builds on the earlier work but also includes use of newer data sources and more advanced analysis methods.
Bio
Professor Nigel Wilson, director of the MIT Transit Research Program, has more than 30 years experience dealing with operations, management and planning issues associated with transit systems worldwide. His research and teaching focus on urban public transportation, including topics related to the operation, analysis, planning and management of transit systems. Specific research activities he has directed include using automated data systems to improve planning and operations, workforce planning in the transit industry, short-range transit planning methods, the role of private operators in public transportation and the potential for computers and communication systems to improve the performance of transit systems. During two leaves from MIT, he worked directly in three large transit agencies, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (1985-86), London Transport (1992-93) and Metro Transit (2008-2009) and has also consulted to a number of other North American transit authorities. Additional information about Professor Wilson can be found on MIT's Civil and Environmental Engineering website.
Time
Thursday, May 22, 2025 at 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Location
Ruan Conference Room, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern University Transportation Center
2024-2025 Commencement Ceremony
University Academic Calendar
All Day
Details
2024-2025 Commencement Ceremony
Time
Sunday, June 15, 2025
Contact
Calendar
University Academic Calendar
Northwestern Engineering PhD Hooding and Master's Degree Recognition Ceremony
McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
9:00 AM
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2705 Ashland Ave
Details
McCormick School of Engineering PhD Hooding and Master's Degree Recognition Ceremony. The most up to date information can be found on our graduation webpage.
Time
Monday, June 16, 2025 at 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Location
2705 Ashland Ave
Contact
Calendar
McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
Northwestern Engineering Undergraduate Convocation
McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
2:00 PM
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2705 Ashland Ave
Details
McCormick School of Engineering Undergraduate Convocation. The most up to date information can be found on our graduation webpage.
Time
Monday, June 16, 2025 at 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Location
2705 Ashland Ave
Contact
Calendar
McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
2025 ITEA Summer School
Northwestern University Transportation Center
All Day
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Ruan Conference Center, Lower Level, Chambers Hall
Details
The aim of the ITEA Annual School is to provide young researchers with a high-quality introduction to academic research on transportation economics, including many recent advances in the field. The School’s program consists of a series of lectures and tutorials conducted by some of the most prominent researchers in transportation economics. In addition, the students are given the possibility to present their own work at the Conference.
Time
Monday, June 23, 2025
Location
Ruan Conference Center, Lower Level, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern University Transportation Center
2025 ITEA Summer School
Northwestern University Transportation Center
All Day
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Ruan Conference Center, Lower Level, Chambers Hall
Details
The aim of the ITEA Annual School is to provide young researchers with a high-quality introduction to academic research on transportation economics, including many recent advances in the field. The School’s program consists of a series of lectures and tutorials conducted by some of the most prominent researchers in transportation economics. In addition, the students are given the possibility to present their own work at the Conference.
Time
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
Location
Ruan Conference Center, Lower Level, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern University Transportation Center
2025 ITEA Summer School
Northwestern University Transportation Center
All Day
//
Ruan Conference Center, Lower Level, Chambers Hall
Details
The aim of the ITEA Annual School is to provide young researchers with a high-quality introduction to academic research on transportation economics, including many recent advances in the field. The School’s program consists of a series of lectures and tutorials conducted by some of the most prominent researchers in transportation economics. In addition, the students are given the possibility to present their own work at the Conference.
Time
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Location
Ruan Conference Center, Lower Level, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern University Transportation Center
2025 ITEA Annual Conference
Northwestern University Transportation Center
All Day
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Kellogg Global Hub
Details
The aim of the ITEA Annual Conference is to promote scientific excellence in the field of transportation economics and to provide a forum for scientific exchange. Research presented at the conference covers both theory and empirical work, including all transport modes and a wide range of research methodologies.
Time
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Location
Kellogg Global Hub Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern University Transportation Center
2025 ITEA Annual Conference
Northwestern University Transportation Center
All Day
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Kellogg Global Hub
Details
The aim of the ITEA Annual Conference is to promote scientific excellence in the field of transportation economics and to provide a forum for scientific exchange. Research presented at the conference covers both theory and empirical work, including all transport modes and a wide range of research methodologies.
Time
Thursday, June 26, 2025
Location
Kellogg Global Hub Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern University Transportation Center
2025 ITEA Annual Conference
Northwestern University Transportation Center
All Day
//
Kellogg Global Hub
Details
The aim of the ITEA Annual Conference is to promote scientific excellence in the field of transportation economics and to provide a forum for scientific exchange. Research presented at the conference covers both theory and empirical work, including all transport modes and a wide range of research methodologies.
Time
Friday, June 27, 2025
Location
Kellogg Global Hub Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern University Transportation Center