From: "Fisher, Kimberly" <KFisher(a)nas.edu> Date: September 20, 2007 6:49:44 PM EDT To: blackvt(a)trpc.org, "Brigham, Tom" <Tom.Brigham(a)hdrinc.com>om>, CHoward(a)psrc.org, jgifford(a)gmu.edu, jmfaris(a)ix.netcom.com, Kevin J Krizek <kjkrizek(a)tc.umn.edu>du>, GOULIAS(a)GEOG.UCSB.EDU, k- turnbull(a)tamu.edu, libby.rushley(a)dot.state.oh.us, pendyala(a)asu.edu, peeta(a)purdue.edu, trossi(a)camsys.com, Weeks(a)pbworld.com, zimmermanc(a)battelle.org Cc: MSchwart(a)CH2M.COM Subject: Call for Poster - Communicating Transportation Concepts Please find attached to this email a call for poster being issued by the Planning and Environment Group. Please distribute this call to your members and friends. Thank you, Kimberly M. Fisher Transportation Research Board 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 ph. 202.334.2968 fx 202.334.2003 email kfisher(a)nas.edu Communicating with John and Jane Public ! Communicating Transportation Concepts to Non-Professional Audiences – Entries Due October 25 Transportation matters to the public. Congestion, neighborhood land use decisions, and new transportation facilities really matter to the public. But how many public meetings have you attended where the transportation planner or engineer tries to explain future level of service or higher density development only to lose the audience. Or how many policy boards have listened to several technical presentations on the merits of various transportation alternatives and then asked “Can you just tell us which is best?” Transportation professionals are all struggling with ways to communicate critical transportation concepts to a non-technical audience. Some have found tools, graphics, or just the right words to explain a concept. However, despite our best efforts, opinion research shows we face a skeptical public. We need fresh and creative ideas and we need to share those ideas with the profession at large. How can the public and press – not just transportation performance geeks – get the picture? Here’s your chance to help make a difference. The Transportation Research Board’s Planning and Environment Group is holding a competition to find top methods for communicating transportation concepts to non-professional audiences. The concepts could range across the transportation profession – level of service, transit oriented design, congestion, high density residential development, travel demand, transportation demand forecasting, alternative evaluation, average daily traffic volumes. The communication forms we are interested in also range widely --- graphics, illustrations, photos, software, demonstrations, interactive exercises or games. The entries will be evaluated by a panel of judges representing technical as well as communication disciplines. The winner will be announced at the TRB 2007 Annual Meeting in Washington in January. The top ten entries will be showcased in a poster session at the TRB Meeting, and featured in a Transportation Research News article. Who can submit an entry? Students, professors, transportation professionals, journalists, media and advertising specialists, and anyone else who might have an interest. All are welcome! What should my entry be? Your entry should include an explanation of the communication tool and the setting is designed for. Please limit your explanation to about 200 words. The text and accompanying graphics, illustrations, photos, software applications, or other documentation should be in one of three files formats - pdf, Word or PowerPoint files. How will entries be judged? A small group of transportation professional, journalists, and communication specialists will judge the entries on difficulty of the concept, how well the concept is communicated, and finally how widely the concept is used in transportation planning. When is my entry due? On October 25, 2007. Winners will be notified November 15, 2007. Where do I send the entry? Kfisher(a)nas.edu Who do I contact for more information? Kim Fisher Transportation Research Board 202.334.2968 kfisher(a)nas.edu