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Title:

The National Park Transportation Scholars Program: A Look Back at the First Six Years

Accession Number:

01088496

Record Type:

Component

Availability:

Transportation Research Board Business Office

500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001 United States

Abstract:

This paper reviews the early years of the National Park Transportation Scholars Program, an initiative of the National Park Foundation. The Scholars Program pairs transportation professionals and graduate students with National Parks seeking expert assistance with projects involving transportation planning and analysis, public outreach, intergovernmental coordination, environmental impact assessment, and other transportation-related tasks. The paper includes background information on the program and information about the parks and scholars that have participated. It provides an assessment of the contributions the program has made toward addressing transportation issues in the Park System and offers recommendations for strengthening the program. Case studies illustrate the range of projects undertaken by Scholars and outcomes achieved. Findings and recommendations are based on interviews, questionnaire responses, and other communications with past Scholars, National Park Service members who have supervised Scholars and helped develop the program, and executives of the National Park Foundation and Ford Motor Company, the groups that have administered and funded the program, respectively. Findings include: 1) The Transportation Scholars Program provides the Park Service with much needed transportation expertise at a fraction of the cost of hiring consultants or bringing on full-time staff; 2) Parks derive significant advantages from having Transportation Scholars located on-site versus using off-site assistance; 3) Scholars benefit parks by serving as single points of contact on transportation matters for consultants, contractors, and local communities, and by facilitating communication among stakeholders; and 4) Scholars bring a fresh perspective to the Park Service while taking away valuable personal and professional experiences.

Monograph Accession #:

01084478

Report/Paper Numbers:

08-2705

Language:

English

Corporate Authors:

Transportation Research Board

500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001 United States

Authors:

Elliott, James

Pagination:

12p

Publication Date:

2008

Conference:

Transportation Research Board 87th Annual Meeting

Location: Washington DC, United States
Date: 2008-1-13 to 2008-1-17
Sponsors: Transportation Research Board

Media Type:

DVD

Features:

References (3) ; Tables (1)

Uncontrolled Terms:

Scholarships

Subject Areas:

Highways; Planning and Forecasting; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

Source Data:

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2008 Paper #08-2705

Files:

TRIS, TRB

Created Date:

Jan 29 2008 5:09PM