Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide Professor Elected President of the Transportation Research Forum

Portland, Ore., March 28, 2011 – Intermodal transportation has revolutionized the way individuals, businesses, organizations, and government operate. Taking a more official shape in the 1960s by way of shipping carriers, “intermodalism” sparked the flames of globalization. Network technology ultimately became the wildfire that spread globalization at an unprecedented rate, but intermodal transportation got there first. The common connection between the two: integration.

Moving into 21st century operations amid perpetual policy changes, increasing environmental concerns, and volatile economic conditions, the Transportation Research Forum (TRF) and its contemporary organizations face a daunting challenge in providing insight and solutions for all parties involved. For an academic leader of Dr. Alan Bender’s caliber, these challenges will be met with the formidable assets of intimate knowledge on the subject and its current issues.

Dr. Bender brings a wealth of experience and educational merit to the leadership position as president of TRF. Dr. Bender received his Bachelor and Master of Arts in Geography from UCLA. He went on to also obtain a Master of Science in Transportation Engineering and a PhD in Geography from the University of California at Berkeley. He has maintained a continuous involvement in the nation’s transportation issues with TRF for more than 20 years.

Dr. Bender intends to address four key areas facing our nation’s critical transportation issues. Those focal points will include, but are not limited to, the following: the current state of the domestic and global economies, energy-related solutions within all modes of transportation, the decline in funding for transportation while simultaneously revitalizing interest in the field, and the future of intermodal and multimodal transportation.

The Transportation Research Forum currently maintains a membership between 300-400 members nationally, with regional operations in mission-critical locations like Washington, D.C., New York, and Chicago, among several others. Roughly two-thirds of its current membership is composed of policy makers and academics, with the other one-third being made up of industry practitioners.

Moving forward immediately, TRF will zero in on policy and operations concerning fuel conservation methods, Washington, D.C.’s renewed interest in rail transportation, and the continued efforts of effective integration in intermodal transportation, which includes air, rail, and shipping for both passenger and freight delivery.