Madison research center names UWS student tops in transportation

Kenneth Chong, a senior majoring in transportation and logistics management at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, has been named the 2011 CFIRE Student of the Year by the Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education at UW-Madison.

Chong was selected from a pool of undergraduate and graduate students who are studying in transportation-related programs at CFIRE’s consortium universities. Nominees were judged on academic excellence, research, leadership and involvement in student activities. The winner must be a U.S. citizen.

Chong, of Mountain Lake, N.J., came to UWS in 2009 to enroll in the Transportation and Logistics Management program offered through the Department of Business and Economics. He is pursuing an internship and planning to graduate in May. He’s interested in a career in warehousing and distribution, and may pursue a customs brokers license.

CFIRE is a national University Transportation Center led by Teresa Adams. UWS’ Transportation and Logistics Research Center is a partner university of the center.

As CFIRE Student of the Year, Chong’s expenses will be paid to the 91st annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board from Jan. 22 to Jan. 26 in Washington, D.C. This renowned conference attracts more than 10,000 transportation professionals from around the world.

The Transportation Research Board annual meeting covers all transportation modes, with more than 3,000 presentations in nearly 600 sessions addressing topics of interest to attendees — policy makers, administrators, practitioners, researchers, students, and representatives of government, industry, and academic institutions.

Richard Stewart, director of the Transportation and Logistics Research Center at UWS, is a member of two Transportation Research Board committees. He and Mei Cao, assistant professor of transportation and logistics management at UWS, regularly attend the annual meeting.

Chong is vice president of UWS’ Transportation and Logistics Club and will become president the spring semester. He’s also worked with Stewart as a research assistant, focusing on a study that examined the policies and issues that affect the growth of the cruising market on the Great Lakes.

“Having virtually no knowledge about cruising on the Great Lakes when I started, I was able to learn that the issues faced by the cruise market are far more intricate and complicated than I could ever imagine,” he said. “Working for Dr. Stewart has expanded my knowledge about transportation and (related) issues.”

Chong also said being involved in research and with transportation-related activities on campus helped his grades “a ton.”

Chong also will receive a $1,000 award from the Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education. He and Students of the Year from other states will be formally recognized at the Council of University Transportation Centers’ annual banquet in Washington, D.C.

Brad Peot, a UWS student who graduated with a major in transportation and logistics management, was named the 2008 CFIRE Student of the Year.

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