Event Calendar
Past Event
NUTC Seminar Series / Sandhouse Rail Group Event | BNSF Railway Industry, an Innovation Leader after 175 Years
Northwestern University Transportation Center
4:00 PM
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Lower Level, Chambers Hall
Details

Northwestern University Transportation Center Hagestad Sandhouse Rail Group and the TC Academic Seminar Series presents:
BNSF Railway Industry, an innovation leader after 175 Years
MATT IGOE, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer
JON GABRIEL, Vice President, Service Design & Network Strategy
Program Description:
After 175 years in existence, made up of more than 400 predecessor companies, BNSF Railway remains an innovator in the supply chain space. Offering the most environmentally friendly mode of surface transportation, railroads have the opportunity to capture significant growth in the coming decades by moving traffic from the highway to rail. Learn how BNSF is investing in capacity expansion, levering A.I. and technology to offer customers tailored supply chain solutions; and more about the industry’s role in safely delivering critical goods that feed, power and make every day life what it is across the globe.
Speaker Bios:
Matt Igoe was appointed executive vice president and chief operations officer in 2021 and leads BNSF’s entire Operations organization. Following his career as an officer in the U.S. Army, Matt joined BNSF in 1998 as a management trainee. He later worked in a variety of positions with increasing responsibility within the Marketing and Transportation organizations. Matt served as general manager for the Chicago Division from between 2010 and 2012, and was later appointed to general superintendent, Transportation. In 2013, he was promoted to serve as regional vice president for BNSF’s Central Region. In 2016, Matt was named vice president, Service Design and Performance, and served in that role until being promoted to vice president, Transportation in 2017.
Jon Gabriel is vice president, Service Design & Network Strategy, responsible for all of BNSF’s business unit operations in addition to the industry’s largest expansion capital planning program, operations research and intermodal innovation. Prior to this role, Jon served as vice president, South Region where he was responsible for operations across the Chicago, Kansas, Red River, Southwest and California divisions. Jon began his career at BNSF in Consumer Products Marketing. He then held several positions in service design, including director, Merchandise Service Design, for the North Region. Jon has held several operations jobs since 2012, including assistant terminal superintendent at Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition, he held the roles of corridor superintendent and general director of transportation for the Powder River Division. In 2017, Jon was named general manager of the Montana Division before moving onto general manager of the Northwest Division and General Superintendent of BNSF’s Network Operations Center in Fort Worth.
Time
Thursday, April 11, 2024 at 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Location
Lower Level, 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
NUTC Hagestad Sandhouse Rail Group | Do I Ship Products by Truck or Rail?
Northwestern University Transportation Center
12:00 PM
Details
When: Thursday, June 19, 2025 @ 3pm CDT
Where: via Zoom Meeting
Topic: Robert Granatelli’s presentation will be a tutorial on the decision-making process of deciding if a new facility will be served by rail, truck or both means of shipping. You will learn the significant difference in doing business with rail and trucking transportation.
Speaker Biographies:
Robert Granatelli
Bob Granatelli has 49 years of management experience in the management of transportation and logistics. Between 1976 and 2008 he had senior management positions in the forest products and chemical industries. He negotiated rates and terms of service, evaluated carrier performance, testified before Congress on rail and internation shipping deregulation and is qualified to practice before the Interstate Commerce Commission and the Surface Transportation Board. Since 2008 Bob has been an independent consultant retained as an expert witness and most recently retained by the STB as an advisor on railroad matters. He educates his clients on emerging issues and advising on negotiation strategy and execution.
Martin J. Oberman
Former STB Chairman Martin J. Oberman retired from the Board on May 10, 2024. Marty was designated Chairman of the STB by President Biden on January 21, 2021, and was sworn in as a Board member on January 22, 2019.
Marty has had an extensive career in both the public and private sectors. His first public position was serving as the first General Counsel to the Illinois Racing Board from 1973 to 1974, where he worked closely with the Board’s chairman to bring long needed reforms to the Illinois horse racing industry. From 1975-1987, Marty served on the Chicago City Council as Alderman of the City’s 43rd Ward where he earned a reputation as a reform leader, committed to promoting transparency in key governing processes while also working to reduce government corruption and profligate spending. Following his departure from the Council, the Mayor of Chicago appointed Marty as Chairman of a special commission to fix Chicago”s eroding shoreline, which required collaboration with an extensive set of stakeholders, and resulted in the publication of formal recommendations, many of which have since been implemented.
In 2013, Marty was appointed to the board of Metra, the Chicago region’s commuter railroad, the second largest in the U.S. In 2014, he was unanimously elected Metra chairman and served until the end of 2016. While at Metra, he gained approval for the agency’s first long term fare program aimed at tackling the agency’s multi-billion dollar state-of-good-repair backlog, and led the Board’s effort to institute transparency and professional management in an effort to overcome an historic culture of politics and patronage abuses at the railroad.
Since 1975, Marty also maintained a successful practice in Chicago as both a trial and appellate lawyer.
Marty graduated from Yale University and the University of Wisconsin Law School, cum laude, and served as a Note Editor of the Wisconsin Law Review. He has been married to his wife, Bonnie, since 1971, and has two children, and three grandchildren. Marty is a native of Springfield, Illinois.
Time
Tuesday, June 24, 2025 at 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
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
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