Transportation Research Board 2020 Annual Report (2021)

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TRB • 2020 Annual Report 1 WELCOME A Message from TRB Leadership On behalf of the TRB Executive Committee, the thousands of volunteers involved in TRB committees and research panels, and the TRB staff, we are pleased to present this Annual Report for 2020, the 100th year of the Transportation Research Board. The past year has been one of unprecedented challenges, but also one of major accomplishments, which are summarized in this annual report. TRB’s Centennial year began with the largest Annual Meeting in TRB’s history. More than 14,000 participants came to Washington, D.C., from across the United States and around the globe. All U.S. state departments of transportation (DOTs) were represented, as well as many federal, state, local, and foreign governmental agencies; private-sector companies; and academic and research institutions from around the world. The TRB Annual Meeting is the preeminent global event for transportation researchers, educators, practitioners, and students to connect and learn about the latest developments in transportation policy, research, and innovation. As TRB turns to its next 100 years, this professional community of friends and volunteers—whether in-person or virtually—will continue leading impartial research, facilitating objective dialogues, and fostering innovative strategies. We have seen firsthand the need for continued leadership from TRB in an ever-evolving environment. In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic brought unimagined challenges to the transportation industry. COVID-19 has had a profound impact on both the transportation system and the transportation community. TRB’s first priority is, and always will be, the safety and health of our thousands of volunteers and dedicated staff. Once it became clear that large gatherings should not be held, TRB decided not to proceed with any in-person conferences, workshops, or other scheduled events. Meetings and other convening activities were quickly converted to a virtual format or, in the case of some larger conferences, delayed until 2021. TRB adapted to its new environment and its work continued unabated. Two topics became top priorities for TRB to address during 2020: 1) the impact of COVID-19 on transportation and 2) social and racial equity issues in transportation. TRB identified priority policy and research issues for each of these topics for the transportation community to address. Within TRB, a number of activities related to both COVID-19 and social and racial equity took place or are planned. Some of these activities are described in this annual report. TRB’s current five-year strategic plan was adopted in June 2019 and contains six goals:1 1. Information Exchange 2. Research 3. Advice 4. Collaboration 5. Workforce Development 6. Communications This report highlights ongoing impacts and progress TRB made in meeting each of these goals during 2020. As we enter TRB’s second century, we hope that you will contribute to advances in transportation through active participation in TRB’s convening, research, and advising activities, taking advantage of the many resources that TRB makes available to the transportation professional community and learning from the brightest and best who make TRB the premier transportation research organization that it is. Thank you for all that you do for TRB! Carlos Braceras TRB Executive Committee Chair Executive Director, Utah Department of Transportation Susan Shaheen TRB Executive Committee Vice Chair Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Co-Director of the Transportation Sustainability Research Center, University of California, Berkeley Neil Pedersen TRB Executive Director