Portland State Magazine Spring 2010

PORTLAND STATE SPRING 201 0 / VOL. 24 NO . 3 EDITOR Kathryn Kirkland CONTRIBUTORS Scott Gallagher, Eric Gold COPY EDITOR Martha Wagner DESIGN Brett Forman LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 730 Market Center Building PO Box 751 Portland OR 97207-0751 503-725-4451, fax 503-725-4465 psumag@pdx.edu ADDRESS CHANGES PSU Alumni Association www.alumni.pdx.edu click on "update your info" or call 503-725-4948 ALUMNI RELATIONS OFFICE Pat Squire MPA '95, Assistant Vice President Simon Benson House 1803 SW Park Ave. POBox751 Portland OR 97207-0751 503-725-4948 psualum@pdx.edu PSU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kori Allen '84, President Gary Barth '86 Steve Brannan '57 Chris Cooper MBA '06 Aubre Dickson '98 Al Fitzpatrick MA '83 Dave Friesen '03 Jerry Gordon '68 Eric Graham '87 Linda Hamilton '90 Richard Helzer '62 Behzad Hosseini '96, MBA '97 David Keys '81, MBA '92 Bill Lemman, Vanport, HD '04 Gina Leon '95 Milica Markovic '04 Karen McCarty '06 Kendal McDonald MA '02 Tamara "TJ'' Newby '90 Krishna Regupathy MS '99 Barbara Verchot MPA '97 Rick Watson MBA '00 Portland State Magazine is published three times a year, during fall, winter, and spring terms. Contents may be reprinted only by permission of the editor. The magazine is printed on recycled paper. Portland State University is an affirmative action / equal opportunity institution. G 2010 Taking an alternative route, together GET OUT your transit pass, put on your bike helmet, or prepare to plug in your car-sustainable alternative transportation continues to roll into our region, and Port– land State is helping pave the way through new partnerships and research projects. Over 70 percent of faculty, staff, and students use alternative transportation to get to campus. In fact, our Urban Center Plaza is the busiest transit hub in the city with buses, MAX trains, and the streetcar all coming together. So it should be no surprise that PSU is a sought-after partner. Portlanders are fanatic about bicycling, and so are many of our professors. Faculty from our Initiative for Bicycle and Pedes– trian Innovation are measuring bicycle behavior, evaluating Portland's bike lanes, and analyzing the local Safe Routes to School Program. Last year, Portland's first bike lane sited between the curb and parked cars opened on Southwest Broadway in the heart of campus. PSU researchers are helping the city evaluate its effectiveness. Bur rhe news is nor all about bikes. Did you know char the largest introduction of electric vehicles and charging stations in U.S. history is coming to Oregon this December? Nissan and engineering firm ECOrality chose Oregon, with Portland General Electric as lead, to be one of five test markets. Portland State is helping PGE study consumer response, policy develop– ment, and other issues affecting the hun– dreds of charging stations it's building for the new Nissan Leaf electric cars. And this June, PSU will receive 10 new Prius plug-in hybrid vehicles from Toyota to help in evaluating the lithium-ion battery-equipped car. We also expect to be a research partner when Mitsubishi Motors rolls out its electric vehicle. That's three major car companies all reaching out to PSU to help them push the adoption curve on electric vehicles. Even the federal government has rec– ognized PSU's importance for the future of alternative transportation. The Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium, better known as OTREC, is a federally funded national cooperative based in our Center for Transportation Studies. Working with OTREC, our faculty are forecasting Oregon's rural transit needs, studying route and driver issues for TriMet, and exploring automated methods for truck identification, to mention just a few projects. More and more, PSU is looking to partnerships to identify what is needed and what we can provide. For transportation that need is finding modes and systems that are economically sound and environmen– tally efficient in promoting quality of life. Whether traveling by bicycle, electric car, or mass transit, PSU is leading the way through partnerships to a more sustainable future. Hang on-it's going to be a great ride! Wim Wiewel PRE SIDENT, PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY