About STEP
Students in Transportation Engineering and Planning (STEP), engages its members in relevant transportation issues and further their professional and academic development through its activities. The chapter facilitates relationships between transportation students from different disciplines, both within PSU and with other universities, with a view toward building a shared understanding that would be helpful to students both in their academic studies and in practice.
STEP is a joint group, open to all students interested in transportation.
STEP also serves as Portland State University's ITE chapter. PSU has had a student chapter of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) since 1981. The chapter actively arranges for speakers to visit campus and combines visits to "the field" with class activities. The ITE student group has a tradition of attending pre-opening tours of Portland’s newest Light Rail facilities. Recent previews have included Portland's newest light rail extension, the Interstate MAX Yellow Line. The chapter has also toured the MAX Airport Red Line and the new Portland streetcar extension to Riverplace. STEP student members also participate in an annual, region-wide Transportation "Jeopardy-style" contest, which is organized to enhance awareness of the transportation field amongst Civil Engineering students. The PSU team earned a first place finish in 2003, and finished a close second in 2004. Students have attended and presented at the 2003 ITE International Annual Meeting in Seattle, the 2004 District 6 meeting in Sacramento, the 2004 Quad Conference in Portland, Oregon, the 2005 Quad Conference in Vancouver B.C. and the 2005 Transportation Research Board Conference in Washington D.C. Sutti Tantiyanugulchai, a graduate research assistant, received the ITE District 6 Annual Meeting Best Paper Award during the August 2003 meeting in Seattle, Washington, for his paper entitled, "Analysis of a Transit Bus as a Probe Vehicle for Arterial Performance Measurement." The transportation engineering community in Portland, represented by the Oregon Section of ITE, is also strongly behind the PSU chapter, recognizing that it is the most active chapter in the state. Professor Robert Bertini was named most outstanding individual by the Oregon Section of ITE for his influence and contribution to the transportation community in Oregon. Professor Kent Lall, a former chapter advisor, was given an award from the Oregon Section for his years of service to the student chapter. The Oregon Section has contributed approximately $400 in 2005, $150 in 2004, and $300 in 2003 to the chapter for its activities. The section has also enlisted the chapter’s help in promoting the 2007 District 6 meeting in Portland and will allow students to keep all proceeds from a silent auction at this year's annual meeting.