Category Archives: Research

General research posts.

Research

Minnesota hosts annual meetings of transportation librarians

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Last month, the Center for Transportation Studies and the MnDOT Library hosted the joint annual meetings of the Transportation Library Connectivity & Development Pooled Fund Study TPF-5(237), the Midwest Transportation Knowledge Network (MTKN), and the Western Transportation Knowledge Network (WTKN). Librarians from fourteen state DOTs, several universities, the Portland Cement Association, and the National Transportation Library met on the University of Minnesota campus and at MnDOT’s Central Office building, with some members attending portions of the meetings remotely.

Photo of a group of librarians in the MnDOT Library
MnDOT Librarian Qin Tang leading a tour of the library. Photo by Nick Busse

The packed agendas included:

  • Business and committee meetings
  • A presentation on bridge inspection by David Hedeen, P.E., from MnDOT’s Bridge Office
  • A copyright workshop led by Nancy Sims of the University of Minnesota Libraries
  • Tours of the MnDOT Library and the Minitex Document Delivery area and MLAC (Minnesota Library Access Center) Cavern at the University of Minnesota

“Each individual library cannot collect everything. Filling these gaps from our partner libraries is one of the benefits of transportation libraries networking. Our customers and ultimately our agencies benefit from this relationship-building.” – Sheila Hatchell, MnDOT Library Director

About Transportation Knowledge Networks

Transportation knowledge networks (TKNs) are organized groups of transportation libraries and others that collaborate to share their information resources and improve information access. There are currently three regional TKNs in the United States. The ultimate goal of sharing resources and working together cooperatively is to help transportation practitioners find information they need, when they need it—saving time and money, and getting better results for their organizations. The MTKN’s DOT State Stats is one example of a collaborative tool developed by TKN members.

Emerging topics

A few topics emerged as common themes for members:

  1. How to value library services: Sheila Hatchell from the MnDOT Library shared her recent experiences with developing a valuation methodology. The Library Connectivity Pooled Fund study is considering a proposal for multiple libraries to conduct valuation studies. Last year, the Library Connectivity and Development Pooled Fund Study developed Proving Your Library’s Value: A Toolkit for Transportation Librarians (PDF), led by members A.J. Million (formerly of Missouri DOT), Sheila Hatchell, and Roberto Sarmiento (head of the Northwestern University Transportation Library). This is a terrific resource for all libraries to use in developing their own valuation studies.
  2. Data curation: The ubiquity of data, large size of data sets, and stronger requirements for data management plans for federal research grants mean that skills in data management and curation are more important than ever. Librarians can help researchers understand and comply with open data requirements as well as help our organizations manage data. Leighton Christiansen of Iowa DOT will take the lead to assist TKN members in this area.
  3. TKN planning: The National Transportation Library and the AASHTO RAC TKN Task Force are working with the regional TKNs and the Library Connectivity and Development Pooled Fund Study to develop a national transportation knowledge network. (See the business plan for TKNs: NCHRP Report 643: Implementing Transportation Knowledge Networks)
Research

Introducing new CTS blog: Conversations

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CTS Conversations blog iconCTS is pleased to announce a new blog—CTS Conversations—that will highlight the full spectrum of transportation research, education, and outreach at the University. Supplementing the Catalyst newsletter and the Crossroads blog, the Conversations blog will share timely updates on research publications, events, and training from CTS and its programs.

Also, the blog will feature topical questions to spark conversation and interaction with our readers. Check out the current question and join the conversation!

Research

Introducing ‘Accelerator,’ a MnDOT research newsletter

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Accelerator cover - September 2013

MnDOT Research Services is excited to announce the launch of Accelerator, our new research newsletter.

The bimonthly publication will focus on bringing readers the latest news from MnDOT’s research program. Each issue will highlight recent transportation research results, along with photos, feature stories and a calendar of upcoming events.

Accelerator is geared specifically toward transportation practitioners. It features short summaries of research projects, with links and other resources to help professionals learn more about areas in which they have a particular interest. The ultimate goal is to help bridge the gap between research and implementation by transferring knowledge to those who can put it to work in the field.

Much like Catalyst, the excellent newsletter produced by CTS, Accelerator will be available both in print and online editions. The first issue is scheduled to be released Tuesday, Sept. 3. To subscribe or to learn more, visit our website.

Research

Previewing MnDOT’s next round of research projects

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MnDOT Research Services recently released its 2013 request for proposals. If you have any kind of direct interest in transportation research in Minnesota, chances are you might have known that already. But those with more of a general curiosity might be interested to see the list of research need statements from the RFP, as they provide a nice preview of the next round of potential MnDOT research projects.

As you can see, some are of a highly technical nature. (It’s safe to say that a study on “PCC Pavement Thickness Variation Versus Observed Pavement Distress” would be of interest mainly to engineers.) Others, however, like “The Economic Impact of Bicycling in Minnesota,” might have a broader appeal. In any case, it’s a fascinating glimpse at the myriad of issues that MnDOT is attempting to address through research and innovation.

Here’s the list of research need statements from the 2013 RFP, broken down by category:

Environment

Maintenance

Materials and Construction

Multimodal

Policy and Planning

Traffic and Safety

Research

Bridging the gap between research and implementation

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The end goal of transportation research, broadly speaking, is to see the results implemented — that is, to transfer the knowledge generated through research to those who can put it to good use. Research Services and the Center for Transportation Studies use a variety of tools to help disseminate research results: our respective websites, email lists, social media, newsletters and this blog, to name a few. But what do we know about how our audiences actually interact with these various channels of communication?

At the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting earlier this year, researchers from Nebraska presented the findings of a very interesting survey on how engineers and other transportation practitioners prefer to learn about research results. Their presentation, entitled “What Engineers Want: Identifying Transportation Professionals as an Audience for Research,” is available via Slideshare. (Unfortunately, WordPress won’t let me embed it.)

Some key takeaways from the survey:

  • Practitioners overwhelmingly prefer one- or two-page technical briefs to other types of research communication products. (Other popular formats include presentations, video highlights and webinars.)
  • By a wide margin, practitioners use search engines like Google or Bing to seek research results (compared to other options like contacting a colleague or university faculty).
  • Practitioners are mostly interested in information on how to implement findings, as well as cost-benefit analyses of implementation.

The survey results present what I think is a fairly realistic and nuanced picture of the audience for transportation research; they’re also consistent with our (Research Services) own internal research on the issue. The bottom line is that research results need to be condensed into usable bits of information and made easily accessible in a variety of formats. People want information they can use, without having to dig for it. More importantly, they want it in whatever their preferred format is, whether it be print, email, Web, RSS, social media or in-person presentations.

Interestingly, Research Services already produces the kind of two-page technical briefs described in the survey. We call them “technical summaries,” and they are among our most popular products. We generally produce a technical summary for each research project we manage, and post them on our website alongside the full research report. Reading a two-page summary, written in layman’s terms, is certainly easier than poring over research reports that oftentimes number in the hundreds of pages, so it’s not surprising that even those with a strong engineering background prefer the format.

As a side note, last Friday we published a batch of 10 new technical summaries — along with two new transportation research syntheses, which are a type of literature review. Topics range from pedestrian and bicycle safety in roundabout crossings to the effect of intelligent lane control systems on driver behavior. You can check the full list on the Research Services main page.

Now it’s your turn: What forms of communication do you think are most effective at reaching transportation practitioners? Which ones do you prefer? Let us know in the comments.