Fargo, N.D. – Several NDSU students, researchers and faculty presented research at the annual Transportation Research Forum March 15-17 in Tampa, Fla. The forum is an independent organization of transportation professionals, academics and practitioners. Each spring, it brings together transportation professionals to participate in research presentations, plenary panels and discussions.

Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute researchers Pan Lu and Denver Tolliver presented “Modeling Pavement Performance and Preservation.” The presentation covered complex decisions highway agencies must make about maintaining, repairing and renewing existing pavements in the most cost-effective ways. The researchers indicated that decision makers need to learn to what degrees different pavement preservation treatments will improve a pavement condition, how pavement conditions will change over time, when to apply which treatment to what section and what budget level will be needed to maintain and improve pavement conditions.

Sumadhur Shakya, transportation and logistics student at NDSU; William Wilson, NDSU professor of agribusiness and applied economics; and researcher Bruce Dahl presented “Pulsating Market Boundaries and Spatial Arbitrage in the U.S. Gulf.” Their study focused on pulsating market boundaries due to spatial arbitrage of corn grown in the United States to Japan and Asia, with special emphasis on Panama-Canal expansion. The presentation discussed the role of the capacity expansion of the Panama Canal and its effect on the corn market boundary in the Midwest regions.

EunSu Lee, a researcher in the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute, presented “Impetus to Short Sea Shipping Lines through Marine Highways.” The presentation explored the feasibility of the combination of inland transportation and marine highways to handle increasing import and export activities through U.S. water transportation networks.

NDSU transportation and logistics student Christopher DeHaan and Tolliver presented “Transporting Water for Hydraulic Fracturing.” The study of the oil drilling in North Dakota’s Bakken formation analyzed the importance of water transportation for oil development. In the session, the audience had the opportunity to debate environmental and energy issues related to oil. The forum also included a graduate symposium aimed at helping students understand potential career opportunities with discussion from academic, industry and government officials. The event was coordinated by David Ripplinger, a researcher in NDSU’s agribusiness and applied economics department. “It was a great way to learn of the possibilities and expectations of each sector,” DeHaan said.