Communications 

Committee Communications Coordinator 

Deepak Raghunathan: ICF International  deepak.raghunathan@icf.com

Scope: The Communications task group is responsible for communicating committee activities to the Research Innovation Implementation Committee members, friends, the TRB community and transportation industry through the use of this website, email communications and social media.

Work Underway:  The group manages the RIIM website, which was launched in late 2020. Content and image updates were made following the TRB 2022 Annual Meeting. The group will continue to share relevant Committee, Subcommittee, and other messages through the MY TRB platform. The Guideway monthly newsletter that debuted in March of 2021 ceased publication in April of 2023. View archived issues of the newsletter.

Role:

• Email updates to members and friends on RIIM Committee’s activities, using myTRB platform.

• Review and update RIIM website content, links, and images.

• Collect and analyze RIIM website traffic data using Google Analytics.

• Coordinate with RIIM leadership team on committee and related TRB activities to be communicated.

Meets: 1st Thursday or every month, 12-1pm Eastern Time

Meeting Link: RIIM Communications Task Force Monthly Call

Paper Review 

Paper Review Coordinator
Shenghua Wu: University of South Alabama  shenghuawu@southalabama.edu

Scope: The Paper Review task group is responsible for coordinating paper review and related activities for the TRB ABJ35 Standing Committee on Research Innovation Implementation Management. This task group identifies qualified reviewers from a select reviewer pool, assigns reviewers to each paper, collaborates with the committee to make paper review decisions, and submits the paper review decision recommendations to the TRB staff officer and editorial board. 

Work Underway: The RIIM Paper Review Task Group launched both a Call for Papers and a Call for Posters for presentation during the 2024 TRB Annual Meeting.  

Research Needs

Committee Research Coordinator

Evelyn Bromberg, Wisconsin DOT   evelyn.bromberg@dot.wi.gov

Scope: This group’s primary responsibility is to solicit feedback from committee members and friends and identify areas where additional research may be needed to support research, innovation and implementation.

Work Underway: This administrative task group identifies areas where additional research may be needed to support the research and innovation life cycles which include problem/needs identification, selection of projects, conduct of research, tech transfer and implementation. We hold periodic meetings to discuss potential research topics and maintain a standing survey to collect new ideas from members and friends of the committee. Presently we are considering the optimum use of research roadmaps as a topical issue on which to focus.  

Research Needs Group Tracking Mechanism: This document contains the latest status on volunteer actions carried forward by the research needs group.

The group conducted a survey to help prioritize research needs. Visit this link to access findings collected through April 2021.   

The group just prepared an updated research needs survey, committee members and friends may provide research needs as they arise. 

Download the Synthesis of State DOT Research Program Marketing Practices and Communication Strategies for Successful and High Value Research across Intra-Agency and General Public Perspectives project statement.

Download the Synthesis of State DOT Social Media Practices to Support Research, Innovation, and Implementation Across the Research Lifecycle project statement. 

Service to TRB/Back to Basics

Committee Research Coordinator Council Chair

Joe Horton, Caltrans  joe.horton@dot.ca.gov

Scope: When the need arises, RIIM provides service to TRB. These initiatives can be identified by TRB, such as the Technical Activities Council or TRB committees, such as RIIM. The two currently active such initiatives are the Ahead of the Curve Training Program: Mastering the Art of Transportation Research Program Management and the Back to Basics Initiative.

Work Underway: Through the Back to Basics initiative, work will foster and nurture TRB committees’ contributions to transportation research. 

The purpose of this initiative is to foster and nurture TRB committees’ contributions to transportation research. This initiative began in 2011 with TRB committees appointing Committee Research Coordinators (CRCs). In 2012 a CRC Council was established. Through Committee Research Coordinators and the CRC Council, this initiative helps committees identify, formulate, prioritize, and promote research needs and the conduct of research, turning research needs into results.

The role of the TRB Committee Research Coordinators (CRCs) is to provide committees with the knowledge and tools to develop and maintain robust research portfolios through:

• Communication, coordination, and collaboration within and among TRB committees;

• Identification of research needs;

• Development of peer-reviewed research needs statements (RNS) through cross-committee collaborative efforts;

• Entry of these statements into the RNS database;

• Sponsorship of RNS;

• Enhancing the probability that RNS will be funded by submittal of RNS to funding programs by Committee members or co-sponsors;

• Enhancing the sharing of information from ongoing research by monitoring of research status; and

• Using of a variety of strategies to communicate and interact with stakeholders regarding the availability and implementation of recently completed research, and to foster discussions on the implications to practice and future research needs.
  
  

The purpose of the CRC Council is to provide guidance and training to the CRCs, and to act as the liaison between TRB and the CRCs.