The Center for Urban Transportation Research hosted the 2021 Transportation Achievement Awards on Tuesday, November 9, 2021. We were honored to present several student scholarships and awards throughout the evening and listen to remarks from FDOT Secretary Kevin J. Thibault.
The National Institute for Congestion Reduction presented its first Student of the Year Award to Carly Venditti from Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI). Carly is a second-year master of urban planning student at Texas A&M University with a focus on housing and community development.
CUTR presented three CUTR Transportation Scholarships to outstanding transportation students. This multi-disciplinary scholarship provides funding for students studying transportation-related issues outside of engineering.
Saeid Soleimaniamiri
PhD Recipient
Connor Baird
Master’s Recipient
Quincy Dorneval
Undergraduate Recipient
CUTR also presented the Georgia Brosch Memorial Transportation Scholarship to three exceptional transportation engineering students.
Rakesh Rangaswamy
PhD Recipient
Myat Thiri Lwin
Master’s Recipient
Emalia Tack
Undergraduate Recipient
1st Keke Long, 2nd Hualong Tang, 3rd Rama Kolla
Student research posters were presented to judges before the awards ceremony. The posters covered various topics in transportation.
The 2021 ELEMENT Engineering Group Transportation Scholarship was presented to Trang Luong.
Partnering with WTS, ITE, and COMTO, we were proud to present the 3rd annual New Voice in Transportation Award to Alejandro Motta. Alejandro Motta is an engineer with FDOT District 6 and in charge of freeway operations. He started as an FDOT intern in 2008 and was named TSM&O Engineer for freeways in 2016. As the TSM&O Freeway Engineer, Mr. Motta oversees the district’s express lanes operations in Miami-Dade County. This young engineer has transformed the way District Six TSM&O Office manages and operates, and his combination of vision and discipline has been the formula that has kept the District 6 TSM&O Office at the forefront of innovation and technology.
CUTR honored recent retirees in a short tribute: Rob Gregg, Steve Polzin, and Dennis Hinebaugh. Together, the three researchers have over 70 years of experience at CUTR. Watch the video.
The Florida Transportation Hall of Fame Award was designed in 2003 for the CUTR Advisory Board to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to Florida transportation. Recipients are nominated by the CUTR Advisory Board in the Spring of each year and are honored at the Awards event in the Fall that recognizes their significant transportation leadership, insight, and innovation throughout their distinguished careers.
Sylvan (Sonny) Holtzman, a powerhouse with more than 60 years of service as a lawyer and public servant, has been selected as the 2021 Florida Transportation Hall of Fame inductee by the Center for Urban Transportation Research. We are honored to presented this award at the 2021 CUTR Transportation Achievement Awards on Tuesday, November 9, 2021. Read more about Sonny Holtzman and his dedication to the transportation industry.
We would like to thank Maddy Richards and Tim Murphy (USF Engineering Development), Ryan Wakefield (USF Engineering), Debbie Schultz, Jodi Godfrey, Pam LaPaugh, Latoyia Fipps, Lizette Charriez, Melissa De Leon, Kiryanna Stanley, Lisa Staes, Fred Mannering, Ph.D., Cong Chen, Ph.D., and Pei-Sung Lin, Ph.D.
We would also like to thank the sponsors for this year’s event. These generous companies and their contributions allow us to provide scholarships to deserving transportation students. These sponsors support the next generation of transportation professionals by supporting academic courses, transportation conferences, technical workshops, and other experiences enriching their professional experiences before entering the workforce or higher degree programs.
President’s Level
Dean’s Level
Director’s Level
Green & Gold Business Level
Silent Auction Donors
