By Kyle Shelton, CTS Director
Earlier this summer, I had the opportunity to chat with a group of high school students who were exploring possible careers in transportation. In describing the work of CTS, I told them our work at the University of Minnesota boils down to helping shape the future of transportation. So much so that we made it our theme for 2023—highlighting key ideas through 18 forward-looking articles and numerous supporting webinars, presentations, and programs. These ideas are what U of M researchers and national experts see as the next big steps or key challenges in our transportation future.
This year we used our theme as a focal point around which we could build up programming that contributes to our efforts to build a transportation system that is sustainable, serves the needs of all users, supports a strong economy, and improves our collective quality of life.
But I’m also a historian of transportation, so as much as I like to look forward, I know the value of looking back as well. We do both in this year’s annual impacts report.
As I reflect on 2023 at CTS, what I see is the continuation of excellence and execution carried out by our team. It’s visible in each and every story about the work happening at the University—in the impacts report and our ongoing communications. Please take a few moments to have a look at the online report and see what I mean.