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March Message
I would like to thank all of you who participated
in the LED survey last issue. The survey shows that most in
California are just getting ready for LED conversion. Some
of the smaller agencies are just finding out from their traffic
signal maintenance contractors that incandescent light bulbs
can no longer be purchased for traffic signals. Also, many
agencies are now starting a multi-year program to replace
all incandescent bulbs with LED modules.
District 6 has devoted countless hours and substantial
financial resources over the past three years in support of
programs that encourage talented students to become transportation
professionals. These incentives include reduced registration
fees for students and their advisors at our annual meetings,
waiving District 6 dues for students and advisors, and financial
support that covers much of the expenses of the student chapters
(such as dues to ITE International, costs of student competitions,
books for student chapters, and financial support to allow
students to attend key ITE meetings and other important activities).
Even though the program is still in its early stages, it has
been hugely successful; many former ITE Student Chapter members
have become energetic transportation professionals. The bulk
of these early student initiatives have been funded through
current programs and operate at a loss that is offset by proceeds
from the annual meetings. To continue to expand on these programs
that have already demonstrated their worth, the District 6
Board of Direction wants to develop a long-term and stable
way of funding these student initiatives, like establishing
a District 6 endowment fund. So that we may have your valued
input on how to best develop funding for student initiatives,
please respond to a survey you will receive in your email
next month.
Student advisors play a critical role in the
success of the student chapters. The chapter advisor is what
keeps the student chapter intact. We have found when there
is a student chapter liaison from the local ITE section, it
benefits the student chapter tremendously. The Southern California
and Riverside-San Bernardino sections are fortunate to have
a student chapter advisor like Professor Peter Clark. Professor
Clark has introduced hundreds of students to the field of
transportation engineering over the past 26 years. I had the
pleasure of recognizing Professor Clark with the Southern
California Section president, Glen Pedersen, and the Riverside-San
Bernardino Section president, Jim Harris. We declared February
17, 20005 as Professor Peter Clark Day.
We have launched a new Professional Mentoring
Program for District 6 members. The Mentoring Program is an
informal, one-on-one program dedicating to building long-term
relationships. I encourage all to use the mentoring program
to further your personal growth and career development. Mentoring
is a partnership between two individuals, both sharing full
responsibility for communication, growth and feedback. Additional
information about the mentoring program and applications may
be found at: www.westernite.org/membership/mentoring.htm
As transportation engineering professionals,
we always look for ways to enhance our professional abilities.
The District has received the latest ITE training CD-ROM,
titled "Strategies to Reduce Traffic Congestion."
ITE and FHWA joined to develop this CD to illustrate successful
congestion reduction practices around the country, which contains
a 10 minute video plus extra footage from the interviews that
were conducted. The CD discusses three key strategies that
can be used to combat traffic congestion: Traffic incident
management, traveler information, and traffic signal timing.
You can get your copy of this CD from www.ite.org/bookstore.
Together we are the best
Zaki Mustafa
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