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Former U.S. Representative James Oberstar talks about Evolution of U.S. Transportation Over Last 60 years at the Department of Civil Engineering On March 27, 2012, UMD students and faculty attended a special guest lecture by Mr. James Oberstar, Former U.S. Representative of Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District. Oberstar’s lecture, entitled “Evolution of Transportation over Last 60 Years”, touched on topics such as the railroad, trucking, airline, and shipping industries. The lecture discussed how the United States transportation systems have changed over the past 60 years, the current state of the transportation industry, and some of the changes that we can expect in the future. Oberstar explained how deregulation has affected transportation systems by allowing smaller companies to compete, but now the companies are
merging into large corporations. Students and faculty were able to ask questions about how the population growth has affected modes of transportation, and how to get more use of mass transit. Oberstar mentioned that the population has increased mostly in urban areas, and this is where we have problems with congestion. He said that the US has underinvested in urban transit, and when we have congestion there are significant costs in addition to the extra time spent traveling. This lecture allowed students to gain a national level view on transportation topics that are being discussed in classes.
In the photograph, left to right: Professor Eil Kwon, Former U.S. Representative James Oberstar, and Professor Eshan Dave.
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