2011 is a year with another first for me. This was my first trip to an International ITE Meeting. Having attended Southern District Annual Meetings for several years now, I had an idea of what to expect in St. Louis. But I also had the same trepidation that I felt when attending my first ALSITE meeting in 1987 or my first Southern District meeting in 1999 - I won't know anyone there. Fortunately, my experience in St. Louis was just what I expected and also far from what I expected. The program content was just what I expected from the ITE organization. And I didn't feel like a stranger in a strange land. We had good representation from Alabama, including Becky White from Sain Associates (and Vice President of the Southern District ITE) and several from our Alabama ABD, including Blake Temple, Blair Temple, David Griffin and Mike Vickery (please forgive me if I have omitted your name). We missed Tommy and Sandra Lee this year, due to the death of Tommy's father. And there were many in attendance from across the Southern District that I have come to count as friends over the past few years - Craig Hanchey, Bob Stammer, Rick Day, Martin Bretherton, Troy Peoples and Jim Westmoreland, just to name a few. And the people that I work with on an International level with the Student Traffic Bowl immediately became new friends, particularly Zaki Mustafa from Los Angeles, Jennifer Dugan from St. Louis, and John Davis from Waukesha, Wisconsin.

One of the highlights of the meeting was being present when Hibbett Neel, Jr. was presented the Burton W. Marsh Distinguished Service Award, which is the highest honor given by the Institute of Transportation Engineers. I have come to the conclusion over my almost 25 years with ITE that it is more about the people you meet rather than the knowledge you gain. That being said, the keynote speakers and the technical program were informative. A particularly excellent session involved accessibility issues, which was relevant seeing that the new Public Rights of Way Access Guidelines was published for public comments by the U.S. Access Board on July 31, 2011. Tuesday was fully occupied with traffic bowl activities. Our SDITE team from North Carolina State University made it to the final round (way to go for Zach Bugg and team) but fell to BYU on the final question.

The International ITE meeting schedule left time for some relaxation in the midst of the typical conference grind. I enjoyed visits to the St. Louis Museum of Art, St. Louis Zoo, the Arch, and an evening at Busch Stadium, even though the Cardinals got beat. And of course, I didn't get out of St. Louis without eating some St. Louis-style ribs and a piece of traditional St. Louis gooey butter cake. But most of all, I enjoyed time with old friends and meeting new people and making new friends.

The 2012 International ITE Meeting and Exhibit is in Atlanta next year, on August 12-15. I plan on being there. Make your plans to be there too.

Submitted by Dr. Steven Jones

The University of Alabama student chapter began its fall 2011 semester with 10 members. After a Welcome Back BBQ for the civil engineering department and the first general meeting, membership increased to 15 members. At the first general meeting, City Planner John McConnell and City Engineer Joe Robinson from the City of Tuscaloosa came to speak about Tuscaloosa Forward, the plan to rebuild Tuscaloosa after the devastating April 27 tornado.

Plans for the fall semester were also discussed at this meeting. UA ITE members look forward to attending the Fall ALSITE meeting in Auburn and the GRITS conference in Montgomery. A field trip is in the works to visit the Birmingham Airport and a Saturday bicycle outing is also being planned. Team members are being assembled for the upcoming Traffic Bowl and some UA ITE members will be attending TRB in January 2012.

Elections will also be held near the end of the semester for new officers. Although the student chapter for The University of Alabama is fairly new, members are excited about the plans for this year and the growth of the chapter.