UCLA Students are invited to apply for a Graduate Research Grant for your research and capstone projects. This application is jointly offered by the: The Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies, Institute of Transportation Studies, Luskin Center for Innovation, and the Edward Hildebrand Canadian Studies Program. Below are details about the Graduate Research Grant program, the areas in which we fund, where your project best fits, and instructions to apply. Purpose: The Graduate Research Grant program provides an opportunity for students to receive support for their theses, Applied Policy Projects (APP’s), Applied Planning Research Projects (APRP’s), or other capstone project specific to their department. The objective of the grant program is to support student projects that otherwise would not be possible without some financial or professional support. The award program offers: 1) financial support, 2) layout and design support, and 3) assistance with publicity and distribution of your project findings. Awards may include in-kind time provided by center staff (for purposes of layout and publicity assistance) to financial resources up to $5,000, or some combination. Eligible and ineligible expenses: Graduate Research Grants may be used to cover direct costs associated with research, specifically data acquisition, software, production of final report, [...]

PhD Student Jaimee Lederman  Current urban planning PhD  student, Jaimee Lederman,  recently attended the Eno  Center for Transportation’s  Future Leaders Development  Conference (LDC) in  Washington, DC. The Eno  Center is a nationwide  transportation research center;  annually, they select the top 20  graduate students nationwide  studying transportation issues  to come to the center for a  weeklong conference to learn how transportation policy is made. Students attended a diverse variety of panels on issues such as transportation policy, funding, planning, and technology from federal officials, members of business, and non-profit organizations. Commenting on the experience, Ms. Lederman noted that “the caliber of panelists and other students was exceptional, and our discussions were engaging and illuminating. Overall, the program was inspiring and reinforced that the study and practice of transportation policy changes the world for the better.”Not only was Ms. Lederman selected to attend the conference, but she also received financial support to attend from the Galen and Ruth Roush Foundation of Akron, OH, which is a charitable trust that supports education, the arts, social services, and other causes that improve the community. Being accepted to attend the conference and receiving the Galen and Ruth Roush Award are both highly competitive. We [...]

The Port Authority Bus Terminal of New York traces its roots back to the late 1930s, an era characterized by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, a skyline already filled with iconic skyscrapers such as the Empire State Building, and city streets crowded with interstate bus traffic. Since its opening in 1950, and expansion in 1979, demand for the aging icon’s services has continued to grow beyond its capacity.The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has announced the selection of eight experts who will serve as the jury for a two-phase Port Authority Bus Terminal Design and Deliverability Competition. Helping the Port Authority realize its vision of transportation needs through 2040 — nearly a century after its founding — will be Martin Wachs, professor emeritus in the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs’ Department of Urban Planning and faculty fellow in the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS).“The opportunity to play a role in the development of one of the nation’s most important transportation terminals is enormously satisfying because I have always tried to relate teaching and research to current policy challenges,” said Wachs, who will chair the design jury. “This is a complex project, the jury is composed of wise and experienced people, [...]