October News

October News & Updates

AGL Students Visit IANA Expo

Fifty students from the Port of Long Beach’s Academy of Global Logistics (AGL) at Cabrillo High School attended the Intermodal Association of North America’s (IANA) Annual EXPO in Long Beach in early September. Students from grades 10, 11, and 12 participated over the course of two days, joining over 2000 freight leaders gathered to discuss ongoing supply chain challenges. Their visit was made possible by CITT’s partnerships with both AGL and IANA. CITT’s Senior Industry Liaison, Elizabeth Warren, helped to guide the students as they navigated their way through conference rooms and display booths.

At the EXPO, the students, guided by lead instructors James Dowding and Dondrea Bautista, had an opportunity to listen to presentations from intermodal experts and network with other attendees. They also visited the EXPO floor to meet with and learn from exhibitors, many of whom offer technology-driven solutions to some of the problems studied in the AGL program.

The students made an impact. Hal Pollard, Vice President of Member Services for IANA, reflected on the value of having such “incredible scholars” at the EXPO. “It was a true pleasure to see them connecting with our members in meaningful ways. The AGL program is a shining example of the power of partnerships and the incredible talent that is poised to make an impact on our industry,” Pollard said. “I can’t tell you how many EXPO attendees told me how much they enjoyed speaking with these impressive young people.” He also acknowledged the valuable role played by the instructors “thanking them for the amazing work amazing work they are doing with the AGL program, preparing the students, getting them excited about the opportunities in logistics, and modeling successful business behavior.”

James Dowding saw similar value in the experience for the students. “The students came back so ENERGIZED and fired up! It was interesting to hear the students explaining what they heard and how they were able to apply the concepts.”

The Academy of Global Logistics is a four-year global trade and logistics academy that provides an opportunity to gain real-world experience. The “linked learning” approach incorporates college preparation, technical education, and work-based training to ensure students have varied academic and professional education opportunities. AGL is a partnership between the Port of Long Beach and the Long Beach Unified School District. CITT plays a unique role in working with AGL students, instructors, and administrators to connect them with industry and to provide support in curriculum development. CITT recently led the development of a 12th-grade case study-based capstone course for AGL that can be used as transfer credit to the UC and CSU systems.

The AGL students’ participation was made possible through generous support from IANA which also awards scholarships to students in university programs focused on freight and intermodal transportation. CSULB is one of ten schools in the nation that benefits from IANA’s scholarship program. Funding allows students to pursue the Global Logistics or Marine Terminal Operations Professional Designation from CITT and to develop research skills in topics of interest to IANA members. AGL graduates are eligible to apply.

EXPO 2022 marked the second time AGL students attended the event. IANA, AGL, and CITT hope that an even larger number of students will get to experience EXPO 2023.

For more information on IANA and its programs, visit Welcome to IANA | Intermodal

For more information on the Port of Long Beach Academy of Global Logistics at Cabrillo High School, visit AGL (schoolloop.com)

METRANS and Cargomatic Launch New Internship Program

METRANS collaborated with Cargomatic to develop a student enrichment program that places students in internships and professional development. Cargomatic is the leading technology platform and digital marketplace for powering world-class, local trucking. Local trucking is the lifeblood of every regional economy, and yet this multi-billion dollar industry still relies heavily on phone calls and fax machines. Cargomatic is transforming the way goods move around metropolitan areas by connecting shippers and commercial truck drivers with mobile technology. They are solving complex, real-world problems every day and giving full transparency to the shipping process.

USC placed two student interns at Cargomatic during the summer of 2022, where they coordinated with other Cargomatic teams to fulfill their carrier’s needs. Both students were given the opportunity to select their department of choice. Whether the students selected operations, carrier success, or carrier procurement, they felt empowered and enjoyed their time at Cargomatic. Students appreciated the chance to learn about the fascinating logistics industry, which holds up the national supply chain by moving goods piece-by-piece. Each day brought different circumstances and they had the opportunity to help out with the shipping process, as well as any issues that the operations team ran into. When their summer internship concluded, one student was hired full-time and the other student was offered to continue interning at Cargomatic for the 2022-23 academic year.

The professional goal of this program is to provide students with valuable learning and career opportunities, not only at Cargomatic but in the local trucking and transportation industry. USC METRANS and Cargomatic plan to continue with this student enrichment program and partnership for years to come.

PSR Researcher and City of Long Beach Collaborate to Build Digital Rights Platform

As part of an ongoing effort to address the connection between intelligent transportation systems (ITS) deployments and the related digital privacy rights of impacted citizens, Pacific Southwest Region University Transportation Center (PSR) researcher and CSULB faculty member, Gwen Shaffer, Ph.D., led four community data walks this month to gather input from local residents.

Shaffer, who also chairs the City of Long Beach Technology and Innovation Commission, worked with City staff to promote and lead the data walks with Long Beach community members. CITT Director of Research and Workforce Development Tyler Reeb and CITT GIS and Data Manager Ben Olson supported Shaffer's research by developing a mobile-friendly data-collection app that citizens could use during the community data walk. The data-collection app made it possible for study participants to provide input on new technologies that the City of Long Beach is installing throughout the city to enable new technologies and related services. Shaffer and Reeb used a similar approach in their PSR-funded project, “Using Artificial Intelligence to Improve Traffic Flows with Consideration of Data Privacy Principles.”

In September 2022, Shaffer worked with the City of Long Beach to pilot a digital rights platform in Downtown Long Beach. City staff mounted several data privacy notices informing residents (in English, Spanish, Khmer, and Tagalog) that they are interacting with a technology that collects their personal data. Each sign has a QR code that links to an online site with additional information and also provides an opportunity for residents to voice concerns and comments. For the pilot, signs were posted adjacent to an automated license plate reader in a City-owned parking garage near Third and Pine streets. Another notice was posted adjacent to an “eco-totem”—which uses sensors to count pedestrians and cyclists passing by—on Broadway.

In early October 2022, Shaffer facilitated “data walks” with about 35 Long Beach residents. Study participants encountered multiple smart technologies deployed by the City, and responded to questions on a mobile app about the digital privacy notices. After each data walk, participants returned to the Main Library for a broader discussion about trust and comfort levels with smart city technologies.

The data walk yielded a broad range of comments from participants. "I think it is good that the city wants to tell you they are using your data. The more you can make informed decisions the better," stated one participant, who further noted that the City of Long Beach outreach efforts "builds trust within the community." Another participant expressed being less "worried about what is collected" but more concerned about "how long it is kept and who has access to it." Some participants added that they were more concerned about whether data was sold to third parties and what they were doing with it.

“Long Beach’s digital rights platform provides a model for meaningful partnerships among community stakeholders, local policymakers, industry, and academia,” said Shaffer, who serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Journalism and Public Relations at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). “While residents can choose to avoid shopping online or using social media, they must drive by traffic cameras and have their license plates scanned. This reality makes it clear that cities have an obligation to be more thoughtful, intentional, and inclusive when deploying technologies that collect and analyze personally identifiable information,” she added.

To learn more about the City of Long Beach Digital Rights Platform, click here.

TraPac Freight Tour for USC Students

USC students toured the TraPac automated terminal located at the Port of Los Angeles on October 7. Prior to the tour, students were given an overview presentation about TraPac, its technologies, and its impact on the logistics and goods movement industry. The presentation was followed by a tour of the TraPac terminal. The tour was organized by USC Adjunct Professor Eric Shen and led by TraPac Reliability Engineer Manager Joshua Linares.

The METRANS Transportation Consortium was established in 1998 as the first University Transportation Center in Southern California. METRANS is a joint partnership of the University of Southern California (USC) and California State University, Long Beach (CSULB).

METRANS' mission is to solve metropolitan transportation problems of large through interdisciplinary research, education and outreach. Its three primary objectives are: (1) fostering independent, high quality research to solve the nation's transportation problems; (2) training the next generation transportation workforce; and (3) disseminating information, best practices, and technology to the professional community.

METRANS | metrans.org Stay Connected