Transportation Consultants Council's First Young Professional Scholarship Program-A Grand Success, The

Institute of Transportation Engineers. ITE Journal, Jan 2006 by Rizavi, Amir

When I was growing up in India, Melbourne was one of those fabulous cities I caught glimpses of during telecasts of cricket matches played in Australia. Actually being in Melbourne was like a dream come true! As a recipient of the Transportation Consultants Council's (TCC) Young Professional Scholarship Award, I was able to travel to Australia for the ITE 2005 Annual Meeting and Exhibit. I am truly grateful to TCC for this opportunity.

TCC implemented the Young Professional Scholarship Award program with a view to encourage "young blood" to take part in ITE's Annual Meetings. The goal of the program is to generate interest from a younger group of professionals who otherwise might be unable to attend. The scholarship also serves as a catalyst to the employers of these individuals to promote their attendance at meetings. TCC plans to continue providing this scholarship award with the intention of identifying "rising stars" in the profession who will be viewed as future leaders of ITE in the years to come.

I would like to echo the sentiments of other award winners by describing our experience at the ITE 2005 Annual Meeting and Exhibit. I hope that this discussion will inspire other young professionals to play a more active role within ITE as we all grow in our profession.

The meeting itself was a fun experience and was very well organized. The sessions were very informative and well coordinated. They provided an opportunity to learn and network as well as an insight into the advances in the field across the world. Some presentations involved new software programs; others suggested ideas on how to modify existing software to achieve desired results. We were able to interact with professors and had an opportunity to listen to their research.

The student presentations always bring talented individuals to the limelight. It is a common practice in many organizations to meet talented students during such conferences and select and hire interns.

The banquets, performances and field trips arranged as part of the conference were enjoyable and well planned. The exhibit hall showcased interesting products from around the world that had practical applications. New software products with enhanced capabilities were displayed. We were surprised at all we learned from the conference and how enriching the experience was.

ITE could not have done any better. With wonders such as the Blue Mountains, the 12 Apostles, the Great Barrier Reef, Fraser Island, Daintree Rainforest, Uluru (Ayers Rock), Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Sydney Opera House, a venue anywhere in Australia would have been fantastic. The setting of the 75th ITE Annual Meeting and Exhibit in Melbourne was as close to perfection as one could get in making this event memorable.

Melbourne, Australia's second largest city, is the capital of the state of Victoria. Located on the northern banks of the Yarra River, Melbourne boasts a vibrant and multicultural beat. A simple grid pattern of streets makes it easy to navigate by foot. An integrated network of trains, trams and buses also enables a day-tripper to reach a destination without any trouble.

As a young professional who has been involved with ITE for my entire professional life, I have come to realize that ITE is not just a group of transportation professionals who discuss policies and decide how to improve practices. ITE enables us to gain technical knowledge and share our knowledge with the profession. It helps in networking, but more important, ITE helps in building life-long friendships. ITE has no borders and provides tremendous exposure to what is happening in other parts of die country and the world. It is a huge community of transportation professionals who aim to excel in what they do and at the same time hope to contribute to society.

I remember sitting at the TCC's Executive Committee meeting. Steve Hofener, ITE's 2005 International President, remarked: "No matter how much you contribute to ITE, you will always get back more." My advice to young professionals is to take part in this organization and benefit from what ITE has to offer. We are the future of our profession. It is only appropriate that we be the pillars of this wonderful organization.

Amir Rizavi is a principal engineer with the New York, NY, USA, office of Eng-Wong, Taub & Associates. He holds a B.E. (civil) from V.J.T.I. (Bombay University, India) and a master's degree in transportation engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He is a member of ITE.