WTSEXPRESS
July/August 2011
In this issue...
Membership Campaign
Notes from WTS International
Transportation YOU Kick-Off
Member Spotlight: Jackie Dylla
Summer Social at Minnehaha Park

2012 WTS Leadership Program

WTS is now accepting applications for the 2012 WTS Leadership Program! This prestigious opportunity is designed for mid-career transportation professionals who have demonstrated strong leadership potential in both their professional and personal lives. Click here for more information. 

 

New Members 

WTS Minnesota welcomes the following new member:

 

Rose Ryan

Hennepin County

 

Welcome, Rose!

 

Visit the

Transportation YOU Facebook page!

   

The Transportation YOU initiative now has its own Facebook page! Click here to check it out, "Like" it, and share it with everyone you know in transportation... and everyone you know who would be a great asset to the transportation industry in 5-10 years!

 

Follow us on Twitter
Upcoming Events

**********************

Corridors of Opportunity: Met Council Chair Susan Haigh presents on the initiative to promote sustainable, vibrant, and healthy communities using the transitway system as a development focus.  

 

Wednesday, September 21

11:30am - 1pm

 

Hilton Garden Inn

Town Square Ballroom B 

411 Minnesota Street
St. Paul, MN  55101
 

Click here for more

information. 

 

**********************

 

Minnesota Go: Crafting a Transportation Vision for Generations 

Philip Schaffner, MnDOT

 

Friday, October 28, 11:30am

Location TBA

 

Has your email address changed?

Please email Andrea Arnoldi with your new address and don't forget to update your email address with WTS International as well.

Join Our Mailing List
2011 WTS Minnesota
Board of Directors


President
Kristin Thompson

Vice President
Katie Roth

Secretary
Joy Miciano

Treasurer
Christina Miller

Past President
Amber Nord

Scholarships & Recognitions Director
Fay Cleaveland

Programs Director
Molly Stewart

Membership Director
Andrea Arnoldi
 
Marketing Director
HunWen Westman

::

2011 WTS Minnesota
Advisory Board


Donna Allan
WTS Past President

Laura Amundson
Parsons Brinkerhoff

Gina Baas
Center for Transportation Studies

Biz Colburn
WTS Past President

Sandy Cullen

University of Minnesota


Judy Hollander

Hennepin County


Ann Johnson

University of Minnesota


Connie Kozlak

Metropolitan Council


Jessica Laabs

Kimley-Horn & Associates


Stephanie Malinoff

Center for Transportation Studies


Laurie McGinnis

Center for Transportation Studies


Dan Meyers

URS


Sam O'Connell

Dakota County


Kristin Asher-Osberg

City of Richfield


Lisa Raduenz

Iteris


Kate Sanderson

URS


Dawn Spanhake

Center for Transportation Studies


Amy Vennewitz

Metropolitan Council


Charleen Zimmer

Zan Associates
 

 
Kristin Thompson

President's Column

Kristin Thompson 

 

Dear WTS Minnesota Members & Friends,

 

Labor Day has come and gone -- can you believe summer is almost over? It's been a busy time for WTS. The summer social in early August was a great success. Attendees got a chance to get to know one another better and enjoyed some friendly competition as they careened around Minnehaha Park on surrey bikes!

In May, WTS International and USDOT joined forces to launch Transportation YOU, an initiative to expose girls aged 13-18 to transportation careers. WTS Minnesota launched our local Transportation YOU efforts in July, when we sponsored two lunchtime career panels the U of M's Exploring Careers in Engineering and Physical Science day camps. Read more about these fun outreach events below. Does reaching out to high-school aged girls interest you? WTS Minnesota is considering pursuing a Transportation YOU mentorship program. Look for a short survey in the coming weeks to help us get a sense of member interest.

 

The board has been working on a stellar lineup of fall programs: Our September luncheon will feature Metropolitan Council Chair Susan Haigh, who will speak on the Corridors of Opportunity initiative. At our annual student program in late October, Phillip Schaffner of MnDOT will join us to present about MinnesotaGO, the visioning process underway for the state's transportation system. I hope you will be able to join us for one or both of these events.

 

In an effort to reach out to public sector and aviation industry employees, this fall, WTS International is offering two fantastic membership initiatives. Read on for more information, and encourage your friends and colleagues to take advantage of the bargain!

 

Best regards,

 

Kristin Thompson

President, WTS Minnesota

  

Membership Campaign! 

 

Interested in joining WTS and work in the Aviation industry or Public Sector?  New members receive half off their membership rate when they apply.  See below for details:
  • To receive the Aviation new member discount, apply by September 30th, 2011.  Discount only applies to employees of aviation specific employers and agencies.
  • To receive the Public Sector new member discount, apply between Oct. 1st-31st, 2011
  • Apply online here
  • Questions? Please email Andrea Arnoldi at andrea.arnoldi@kimley-horn.com
Nadine Lee

Notes from WTS International

Nadine Lee, WTS International Director, Region 6

  

Greetings!

 

As another season draws to a close, many of you are enjoying the last of the summer vacations and soaking up as much of the remaining sunny days by venturing outdoors. When I consider all of the options we have for moving beyond our humble dwellings, I begin to think about the broad reach of transportation and how it affects so many facets of our lives.

 

Consider freight transport and its importance in the local and global economy. Given the effects of congestion and energy prices, do we pay the true cost of our goods transport, and if not, what would change if the actual costs were reflected in the prices we pay at the cash register?

 

What does mobility independence mean to a disabled person in terms of freedom and equal access? How can access to reliable transportation open up new opportunities for disadvantaged populations?

 

What does congestion relief mean to the environment and public health?

 

It is critically important for transportation professionals to acknowledge that our work extends beyond just the environmental evaluation or engineering design our projects.

 

As a member of the transportation industry, what is your role, and what part do you want to play?

 

Not that long ago, WTS decided to dedicate its efforts to "Transforming transportation through the advancement of women." Through this mission, WTS chose to focus on one singular effort that would make the biggest difference in improving its contribution to the transportation industry. The advancement of women, after all, could change the way we look at transportation and bring new ideas and creative energy to the conversation. The strategic involvement of women at all levels could challenge the industry to set new precedents in establishing transportation policy and delivering infrastructure projects to the benefit of all people. And, it has.

 

Now, WTS International and the WTS Foundation have initiated the MOVE project, a research effort that will establish a benchmark for women's position in the transportation industry. This research will help us identify where our work has been the most effective and it will help us focus our efforts on areas where women need more of our help.

 

The fundamental theory is simple:

  1. Determine the best practices in advancing women more effectively and successfully.
  2. Employ those practices to advance more women, thus promoting diversity of voice in policy and implementation.
  3. Through this presence and diversity in the higher levels of the industry, WTS will bring innovation to the transportation industry in delivering transportation services to the public.

Now, what was your role again?

 

Transportation YOU Kick-Off Events

Christina Miller

 

At this year's Annual Conference in San Francisco, WTS International and the US Department of Transportation kicked off a national initiative for girls and young women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).  This initiative, called Transportation YOU, will introduce younger girls ages 13-18 to the broad array of transportation careers through hands-on interactive activities, mentoring programs, field experiences and a national "virtual" community.

 

To kick-off the Transportation YOU initiative in 2011, WTS Minnesota partnered with the University of Minnesota's Center for TransTransportation YOU logoportation Studies (CTS) and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Institute to participate in the U of M's Exploring Careers in Engineering & Physical Science workshops. WTS Minnesota hosted two career panels and assisted with several activities. The career panels provided the 11th and 12th grade campers a glimpse into careers related to aviation, engineering, and planning. Panel moderator Jill Hentges, Metro Transit, kept the discussion lively and encouraged campers to text message questions to the panel. The students also got a preview of a new video developed by the ITS Institute, designed to attract potential students to a future in transportation technology. 

 

Additionally, campers tested their transportation engineering skills while playing the Gridlock Buster traffic control game. The game seeks to teach high-school students what is involved in traffic grid management and make transportation interesting and relevant. Campers also had the opportunity to pilot the ITS Institute's new Distraction Dodger game in which they were tasked with delivering pizzas while encountering distractions from a cell phone, GPS, food, friends, and customers. The game reinforces that to be safe, one must pay attention to driving and not to surrounding items.

 

A special thanks to Shawn Haag, CTS, for inviting WTS Minnesota to participate in the workshops, and to those members who volunteered: Beth Bartz, Jamie Buss, Xuan Di, Nikki Farrington, Jill Hentges, Christina Miller, Lisa Rasmussen, and Kristin Thompson.

 

[The video produced by the ITS Institute is now available on their website: http://www.its.umn.edu/Education/careers/video/ ]  

WTS Career Panel

Jill Hentges moderated the lunchtime panel discussions introducing 11th and 12th graders to careers in transportation.

member spotlight
This month's member spotlight highlights one of the unique and valuable features of our organization - the diversity of our membership.

Jaclyn (Jackie) Dylla, CHMM

Jackie Dylla
Title:  Associate Principal/Senior Scientist Company/Agency:  Braun Intertec Corporation WTS Member Since:  2009

Your job title is unique among our chapter membership.  What does your job entail?

I provide consulting services to owners, developers, and contractors to minimize environmental liability, mostly on large-scale transportation-related projects. Many transportation corridors traverse through areas that have been contaminated from previous property use. I work with my clients to investigate areas of contamination during the design process to minimize the amount/types of contamination that may be encountered during construction. I also help prepare plans and specifications for handling and mitigating contaminated soil and groundwater or other regulated wastes (asbestos, solid waste, etc.) during construction. Lastly, I perform Asbestos and Regulated Waste Assessments on bridges that are scheduled to be replaced or renovated so that the identified materials (asbestos, lead paint, etc.) can be removed prior to bridge demolition in a manner safe for the environment.

Recent projects I have worked on and roles I have performed include:

  • Environmental Project Manager for Metropolitan Council as part of the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit (CCLRT) Project.
  • Environmental Project Manager for Minnesota Department of Transportation as part of the I94 Traffic Improvements Project between Minneapolis and St. Paul.
  • Environmental Project Manager for Flatiron-Construction as part of the I35W St. Anthony Falls Bridge Project.
  • Environmental Project Manager for the Minnesota Department of Transportation as part of the Emergency TH280 Improvements after the I35W bridge collapse.

What is your educational background and how did you get into the transportation industry? 

I have a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Science from the University of Minnesota. I am that person that doesn't buy anything unless it's serves a purpose. I believe that transportation is so crucial to our lives and I enjoy working on something that you can travel on afterwards with a sense of pride.

 

What do you enjoy most about your job?   

I truly enjoy large-scale, high profile projects because they include such unique time sensitive challenges. For example, on the 35W project, a drilled shaft encountered contaminated artesian groundwater that required handling, treating, and storing thousands of gallons all during the coldest week of the year. My job was to mitigate this contaminated groundwater in a manner so as not to create giant contaminated "ice cubes" and so that the contractor could continue to the work on the project  

 

How have you been involved with WTS over the years? 

I have attended several events over the last few years, but honestly I haven't been involved with WTS as much as I would like. 

 

Why is continued involvement in WTS important to you? 

I enjoy meeting all types of people involved in the transportation industry and learning how so many different components go into these projects. At one event I sat with someone who works at the Minnesota Department of Transportation and is in charge of choosing which restaurant, gas station, hotel, etc. gets their name on signs near the off-ramps. It was interesting to hear what type of effort and process goes into these signs!

 

What was the highlight of your summer? 
I just finished taking a one-week "staycation" and visiting every tourist attraction in town with my family. I loved having all the comforts of home while going someplace close by that I haven't been to in years.

 

What do you wish you had more time for? 
I wish I had more time to spend with my kids (5-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son) and work on my golf game.

 

  

Summer Social

 

On August 10th, a dozen WTS Minnesota members and friends gathered at Minnehaha Park to enjoy a perfect summer evening. In teams of four, the group explored the park on Surrey bikes in search of cannons, oversized masks, and construction signs. With cooperative pedaling and creative navigation, all attendees were able to make it back to the starting point for ice cream sundaes and time to focus on friends.

 

Summer Social Attendees

Front row, left to right: Karen Allen, Andrea Arnoldi, Fay Cleaveland, Molly Stewart, HunWen Westman

Back row: Lisa Rasmussen, Melissa Barnes, Ann Johnson, Betsy Stewart, Kim Zlimen, Christina Miller, Kristin Thompson.

Summer Social - And they're off!

And they're off!

 

Summer Social - Team Book It with Chief Little Crow

Team Book It finds Chief Little Crow.

 Summer Social

 

 

Summer Social