On Thursday, April 30, 2026, six ITE student chapters—Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State University (CSU) Fullerton, CSU Long Beach, UCI, UCLA, and USC—along with transportation practitioners, gathered at the Knott’s Hotel for the annual Student Presentation Night. The event was hosted by the Southern California Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (SoCal ITE) and the Orange County Traffic Engineering Council (OCTEC).

A central component of the evening was the opportunity for each ITE student chapter to present a technical project developed over the academic year. During the program, students, professionals, and judges listened to presentations showcasing research and solutions to improve transportation systems. Beyond providing a platform for the exchange of ideas between presenters and the audience, the event also served as an important source of funding for chapter operations, including conference participation.

USC students attend a coffee chat with Marlon Regisford, Deputy District Director for Caltrans District 7.

The METRANS Transportation Consortium and the USC Price School of Public Policy’s Department of Urban Planning and Spatial Analysis hosted Marlon Regisford, a 20-year Caltrans veteran now serving as Deputy District Director for Caltrans District 7, for a coffee chat with USC Urban Planning students. Regisford is responsible for delivering Division functions, including the development of long-range strategic plans and preliminary planning and feasibility studies.The coffee chat provided students with the opportunity to learn about general Caltrans functions, planning insights for the upcoming LA28 Olympic Games, and career advice for aspiring transportation planners. Second- year Master of Urban Planning student Tacoria Perry noted, “Discussing the Caltrans mobility projects with Marlon Regisford was so insightful… His encouragement and advice on applying to Caltrans as a new grad was incredibly valuable, especially now knowing the amount of opportunities available for me.”



Transfers Magazine, the research publication for the Pacific Southwest Region University Transportation Center has returned with a slightly new format; however, the goal remains the same: making transportation research compelling, accessible and useful. The publication will be be sharing research more frequently and in more ways — from articles and podcasts to videos. The issue publication includes new pieces on ridesharing and delivery robots, alongside a new episode of Road Scholars, the UCLA podcast that delves into transportation research from across our region.

Click below to read the most recent issue and to subscribe to Transfers Magazine!

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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 transportation problems of large metropolitan regions 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.