From the Director
by Matt Cate, P.E.
It is late November as I write to you today. Thanksgiving has come and gone, signaling that the end of another year is close at hand. The leaves were beautiful this year – a welcome change from the drought and wildfires of fall 2016. The mornings are cold, but most afternoons are comfortable. If you can't tell from my comments, fall is my favorite season. Fall is normally an exciting time to be around the UT campus. I've been thinking about how best to sum up the last few months with the Vols and I think it's best to say that I am very happy to transition to basketball season!
We received more than 150 responses to TTAP's 2018 Training Needs Assessment Survey. I want to thank every survey participant for taking the time to share his or her opinions. The Tennessee Transportation Assistance Program exists to serve the needs of the professionals who keep our state's transportation network running, and your feedback allows us to identify those needs. We will share some detailed results from the survey in the Winter 2018 issue of RoadTalk. You will also see your input reflected in TTAP's training calendar as we move into 2018. The survey may be closed, but we always want to hear what is on your mind. Please reach out to me or any other TTAP staff member if there is anything that we can do to help you serve your community.
The Center for Transportation Research celebrated its 45th Anniversary on November 1. I am proud to have been a part of the last 20 years of CTR's history, but the November event was really about the next 20 years of transportation in Tennessee. We had great participation from several state agencies with big roles in our transportation future. Commissioner David Purkey with the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, Deputy Commissioner Toks Omishakin with the Tennessee Department of Transportation, and Director of Primary Prevention Leslie Meehan with the Tennessee Department of Health joined CTR to share their respective departments' views on how changes in transportation will affect Tennesseans in the years to come. The event also provided a public introduction of the 2017-18 CTR Fellows. The CTR Fellows program helps to support CTR's role as an interdisciplinary research center by providing funding and recognition for individual staff and faculty researchers in departments across UT's Knoxville campus. You can learn a little more about what our guest speakers had to say by reading our CTR 45th Anniversary article on page 1.
That's all I have for now. The holidays will soon be upon us, and I hope that each of you has a safe and happy conclusion to your 2017. All of us at TTAP look forward to hearing from you in 2018!
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