USP Transportation Students and Alums

Aaron breakstone
Current MURP Student
B.S., Sociology/French, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1997

Originally from St. Louis, MO, Aaron received a B.S. in Sociology and French from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, during which time he spent a year studying in the south of France. After completing his degree Aaron returned to France, working for a year as an elementary school English teacher in a small village near the Swiss border. After that, he worked for three years as a trip designer and tour guide for a small, California-based tour operator offering cycling tours in France, Ireland, and Italy. Prior to moving to Portland to pursue a Master's in Urban and Regional Planning, Aaron managed a wine shop for two years and served as an intern in the City of St. Louis Planning and Urban Design Agency. He is currently working as a GRA in the ITS Laboratory on a project evaluating freeway travel time estimates.

delia chi
Current MURP Student
B.A., Environmental Science, University of California at Berkeley, 2001

Born and raised in St. Louis, MO, Delia moved to California in 1997 where she earned an Environmental Science degree at the University of California at Berkeley. For her senior thesis , she explored the role of big box businesses, a source of induced automobile usage and travel, as an indirect source of air pollution. By studying automobile travel behavior associated with big box businesses in comparison with other retail land use types, Delia was able to measure automobile emission amounts and hence, the impact big box businesses had on air pollution. After college, Delia worked as a Corporate Safety Coordinator for ABM Industries Incorporated, a contractor of building maintenance services. During her four years at ABM, Delia worked to prevent employee injury and property damage associated with vehicle incidents. While exploring the root cause of vehicle incidents, she became interested in transportation safety planning. Delia is currently pursing a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning degree with a specialization in transportation. As a Graduate Research Assistant in the ITS Laboratory, she is working on the Community and School Traffic Safety Partnership project, where she hopes to learn more about and do what she can to ensure the safety and health of members living in her community. In her free time, Delia enjoys cooking “iron-chef” style and adventuring outdoors.

max coffman
Current MURP Student
BS, Foreign Service, Georgetown University, 2005

Max was raised in Houston, Texas, where he sat in more traffic than he cares to remember. Since moving to Portland, he has been very impressed with the quality of life that Portlanders have created for themselves. As a MURP, Max has interned at the Portland Office of Transportation and the Office of Commissioner Sam Adams. He also works as a Graduate Research Assistant in PSU's Intelligent Transportation Systems Lab. Max received an AAA Fellowship (895) to attend the ITE District 6 Conference in June 2006. Max presented a paper at the ITE District 6 Annual Meeting in Hawaii in 2006. He also presented his work at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in Washington, DC in 2007.

chuck fisher
Current PhD Urban Studies student
B.S. Recreation, University of Hawaii
Grad. Cert. Real Estate, Portland State University
M.U.P. Urban Planning, University of Oregon

Chuck is a Ph.D. in Urban Studies student, and a Graduate Research Assistant for Professor Dill. Prior to coming to the Center for Urban Studies he worked as a redevelopment project coordinator; as the rideshare, bicycle/pedestrian coordinator for the city of Salem, Oregon, and as a bicycle trip leader for the American Cycling Association. Chuck commutes to PSU from Salem via Amtrak Current research projects include topics in land use and transportation. His research interests also include economic and community development in the developing world.

John hall
Current PhD Urban Studies student
BS, Economics, Willamette University
MS, Economics, Portland State University

John is a Ph.D. student in Urban Studies: Regional Science, and a Graduate Research Assistant. He has a B.S. in Economics from Willamette University, and an M.S. in Economics from Portland State University. Prior to coming to the Center for Urban Studies he worked as a consultant on private and public economic development projects, as an analyst for the Oregon Economic Development Department, and as a Business Recruitment Officer for the Portland Development Commission. Current research projects include topics in land use and transportation. His research interests also include industrial location and economic development.

tomoko kanai
Current MURP Student
BA, Urban Studies, San Francisco State University, 2004

Tomoko was born and raised in Japan. Soon after moving to Portland in 2000, she started noticing differences in urban design and public transportation systems between the US and Japan. She started thinking what Japan could learn from the US to make Japanese cities a better place to live, which motivated her to pursue her degree in city planning. She moved to San Francisco in 2002, and received B.A in Urban Studies from San Francisco State University in 2004. While working toward her undergraduate degree, she did internships at AC Transit, SF MUNI, and San Francisco County Transportation Authority, and worked mainly on bus rapid transit projects. Her primary focus is on public transit, and she also has growing interests in pedestrian and bicycle planning. She is working for Prof. Dill as a graduate research assistant.

kate lyman
Current MURP student
B.A., Sociology, Whitman College, 2004

Kate Lyman is a native to Portland although has been away for the past several years. She is happy to be back in her hometown now and to be studying transportation planning in the MURP program at PSU. While she was away, she received her B.A. from Whitman College, where she wrote her undergraduate sociology thesis on the downtown redevelopment in Walla Walla, Washington. She then went on to serve as an Americorps*VISTA volunteer in Paterson, New Jersey, where she worked on a neighborhood plan for a very low-income neighborhood of 15,000 residents. She has now decided that she is primarily interested in issues of regional transportation solutions, especially those emphasizing public transportation. She hopes to find work in Portland after graduation, continuing the tradition of innovative transportation solutions that this city has a reputation for. In her free time she enjoys music, theatre, travel, and the occasional outdoor activity. She is currently a GRA in the ITS Laboratory.

laurie miskimins
Current MURP student
B.S., Natural Resource Management, Northland College, 2000

Laurie was born and raised in Portland. Having 3 older siblings, she realized early on that she would never get the car. Thus began her attachment to public transit. She moved to the Midwest for college, where her studies focused on plant communities in relation to forest management techniques. Post college brought lots of migration, but also 2 years doing environmental/community projects in Americorps back in Portland. It was her experiences with that program that lead her to choose a graduate program in urban and regional planning. Throughout all her travels public transit and bike always remained her modes of choice. In one community she became known as ‘the girl who biked everywhere,' followed by a ‘why do you do that!?!' Her answer: “More sustainable transit modes will not only help maintain our existence, but build stronger communities.” Through work in the ITS lab and the MURP program she hopes to focus in on transportation and community development issues. In her spare time she is drawn to the open air and water. She also hopes to one day write a book of short stories chronicling her adventures on public transit.

Brian Monberg
Current MURP student
BA, Philosophy, University of Notre Dame, 1999

Born and raised in Chicago, Brian has spent time on both coasts and traveling to much of what is in between. Before moving back to Portland, Brian served as the Trail Information Coordinator for Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Washington, D.C. While there Brian oversaw the transition of trail and rail corridor abandonment information to an Oracle database, and provided land acquisition and trail design assistance to trail managers nationwide. Prior to Rails-to-Trails, Brian worked as a systems analyst for Reed College, providing support and enhancements to ERP software while taking courses in the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies Program. Brian has also provided software consulting for Fortune 100 companies while working for Computer Sciences Corporation. An avid outdoor enthusiast and cyclist, Brian had the opportunity to witness many modes of transportation in summer '04 while cycling from Oregon to Kansas. Brian has a desire to develop metrics to better utilize our transportation infrastructure.

Amanda owings
Current MURP student
BS, Civil Engineering, University of Portland, 2000

joe recker
Current MURP student
BA, Geography, California State University, Long Beach

Joe Recker was born and raised in Long Beach, California. He received a BA in geography in 2001 from California State University, Long Beach and began an internship with the Port of Long Beach immediately thereafter. At the Port of Long Beach, Joe worked in a minimally-staffed planning office reviewing the work of consultants. More interested in hands-on work, Joe transferred to the City of Long Beach Planning Bureau where he performed plan reviews, engaged developers, property owners and other members of the public at the planning counter, and filled the role of project planner on countless project entitlements including design reviews, use permits, standards variances, condominium conversions, subdivision maps, and zoning amendments. Joe had the pleasure of playing an intimate role in the master planning of the largest development project in Long Beach's recent history - the redevelopment of a 238-acre McDonnell-Douglas airplane manufacturing plant adjacent to the Long Beach airport with industrial, commercial office and retail, and various residential housing types. Joe's interests in sustainable (responsible) development, alternative transportation, comprehensive planning and growth management led Joe to Portland State University and the beautiful city of Portland, where he is delighted to be today. Joe is also an avid chess player and movie watcher and is always considering his next trip to a new part of the world. Joe is a GRA for Prof. Dill.

rory renfro
Current MURP student
BS, Urban and Regional Planning, Arizona State University

Rory Renfro was raised in Portland and has had an interest in urban planning and transportation issues for many years. He graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in urban/regional planning. Rory has participated in several internship programs in Arizona and Oregon, and is currently employed as a transportation planner in Portland. His primary transportation planning interests include alternative modes like bicycling, walking and transit.

kim voros
Current MURP student
BA, Environmental Policy and Planning, Western Washington University, 2003

Paul wachana
Current MURP and PhD student
MS, Economics, Portland State University
Agriculture, Univesity of Nairobu

Page updated February 5, 2007

Back to Dill main page Courses I Teach My Research Resources for Students Information for Prospective Transportation Students Transportation Students and Alumni CV (pdf) CTS Weekly Transportation Seminar Photos	Current USP Students in Transportation
	Aaron Breakstone Delia Chi Max Coffman Chuck Fisher John Hall Tomoko Kanai	Kate Lyman Laurie Miskimins Brian Monberg Amanda Owings Joe Recker Rory Renfro	Kim Voros Paul Wachana
	To see some of our recent alums, check out our alumni page. Want to read about students working in the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Laboratory? http://www.its.pdx.edu/people.php
	Aaron breakstone Current MURP Student B.S., Sociology/French, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1997 Originally from St. Louis, MO, Aaron received a B.S. in Sociology and French from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, during which time he spent a year studying in the south of France. After completing his degree Aaron returned to France, working for a year as an elementary school English teacher in a small village near the Swiss border. After that, he worked for three years as a trip designer and tour guide for a small, California-based tour operator offering cycling tours in France, Ireland, and Italy. Prior to moving to Portland to pursue a Master's in Urban and Regional Planning, Aaron managed a wine shop for two years and served as an intern in the City of St. Louis Planning and Urban Design Agency. He is currently working as a GRA in the ITS Laboratory on a project evaluating freeway travel time estimates.
	delia chi Current MURP Student B.A., Environmental Science, University of California at Berkeley, 2001 Born and raised in St. Louis, MO, Delia moved to California in 1997 where she earned an Environmental Science degree at the University of California at Berkeley. For her senior thesis , she explored the role of big box businesses, a source of induced automobile usage and travel, as an indirect source of air pollution. By studying automobile travel behavior associated with big box businesses in comparison with other retail land use types, Delia was able to measure automobile emission amounts and hence, the impact big box businesses had on air pollution. After college, Delia worked as a Corporate Safety Coordinator for ABM Industries Incorporated, a contractor of building maintenance services. During her four years at ABM, Delia worked to prevent employee injury and property damage associated with vehicle incidents. While exploring the root cause of vehicle incidents, she became interested in transportation safety planning. Delia is currently pursing a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning degree with a specialization in transportation. As a Graduate Research Assistant in the ITS Laboratory, she is working on the Community and School Traffic Safety Partnership project, where she hopes to learn more about and do what she can to ensure the safety and health of members living in her community. In her free time, Delia enjoys cooking “iron-chef” style and adventuring outdoors.
	max coffman Current MURP Student BS, Foreign Service, Georgetown University, 2005 Max was raised in Houston, Texas, where he sat in more traffic than he cares to remember. Since moving to Portland, he has been very impressed with the quality of life that Portlanders have created for themselves. As a MURP, Max has interned at the Portland Office of Transportation and the Office of Commissioner Sam Adams. He also works as a Graduate Research Assistant in PSU's Intelligent Transportation Systems Lab. Max received an AAA Fellowship (895) to attend the ITE District 6 Conference in June 2006. Max presented a paper at the ITE District 6 Annual Meeting in Hawaii in 2006. He also presented his work at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in Washington, DC in 2007.
	chuck fisher Current PhD Urban Studies student B.S. Recreation, University of Hawaii Grad. Cert. Real Estate, Portland State University M.U.P. Urban Planning, University of Oregon Chuck is a Ph.D. in Urban Studies student, and a Graduate Research Assistant for Professor Dill. Prior to coming to the Center for Urban Studies he worked as a redevelopment project coordinator; as the rideshare, bicycle/pedestrian coordinator for the city of Salem, Oregon, and as a bicycle trip leader for the American Cycling Association. Chuck commutes to PSU from Salem via Amtrak Current research projects include topics in land use and transportation. His research interests also include economic and community development in the developing world.
	John hall Current PhD Urban Studies student BS, Economics, Willamette University MS, Economics, Portland State University John is a Ph.D. student in Urban Studies: Regional Science, and a Graduate Research Assistant. He has a B.S. in Economics from Willamette University, and an M.S. in Economics from Portland State University. Prior to coming to the Center for Urban Studies he worked as a consultant on private and public economic development projects, as an analyst for the Oregon Economic Development Department, and as a Business Recruitment Officer for the Portland Development Commission. Current research projects include topics in land use and transportation. His research interests also include industrial location and economic development.
	tomoko kanai Current MURP Student BA, Urban Studies, San Francisco State University, 2004 Tomoko was born and raised in Japan. Soon after moving to Portland in 2000, she started noticing differences in urban design and public transportation systems between the US and Japan. She started thinking what Japan could learn from the US to make Japanese cities a better place to live, which motivated her to pursue her degree in city planning. She moved to San Francisco in 2002, and received B.A in Urban Studies from San Francisco State University in 2004. While working toward her undergraduate degree, she did internships at AC Transit, SF MUNI, and San Francisco County Transportation Authority, and worked mainly on bus rapid transit projects. Her primary focus is on public transit, and she also has growing interests in pedestrian and bicycle planning. She is working for Prof. Dill as a graduate research assistant.
	kate lyman Current MURP student B.A., Sociology, Whitman College, 2004 Kate Lyman is a native to Portland although has been away for the past several years. She is happy to be back in her hometown now and to be studying transportation planning in the MURP program at PSU. While she was away, she received her B.A. from Whitman College, where she wrote her undergraduate sociology thesis on the downtown redevelopment in Walla Walla, Washington. She then went on to serve as an Americorps*VISTA volunteer in Paterson, New Jersey, where she worked on a neighborhood plan for a very low-income neighborhood of 15,000 residents. She has now decided that she is primarily interested in issues of regional transportation solutions, especially those emphasizing public transportation. She hopes to find work in Portland after graduation, continuing the tradition of innovative transportation solutions that this city has a reputation for. In her free time she enjoys music, theatre, travel, and the occasional outdoor activity. She is currently a GRA in the ITS Laboratory.
	laurie miskimins Current MURP student B.S., Natural Resource Management, Northland College, 2000 Laurie was born and raised in Portland. Having 3 older siblings, she realized early on that she would never get the car. Thus began her attachment to public transit. She moved to the Midwest for college, where her studies focused on plant communities in relation to forest management techniques. Post college brought lots of migration, but also 2 years doing environmental/community projects in Americorps back in Portland. It was her experiences with that program that lead her to choose a graduate program in urban and regional planning. Throughout all her travels public transit and bike always remained her modes of choice. In one community she became known as ‘the girl who biked everywhere,' followed by a ‘why do you do that!?!' Her answer: “More sustainable transit modes will not only help maintain our existence, but build stronger communities.” Through work in the ITS lab and the MURP program she hopes to focus in on transportation and community development issues. In her spare time she is drawn to the open air and water. She also hopes to one day write a book of short stories chronicling her adventures on public transit.
	Brian Monberg Current MURP student BA, Philosophy, University of Notre Dame, 1999 Born and raised in Chicago, Brian has spent time on both coasts and traveling to much of what is in between. Before moving back to Portland, Brian served as the Trail Information Coordinator for Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Washington, D.C. While there Brian oversaw the transition of trail and rail corridor abandonment information to an Oracle database, and provided land acquisition and trail design assistance to trail managers nationwide. Prior to Rails-to-Trails, Brian worked as a systems analyst for Reed College, providing support and enhancements to ERP software while taking courses in the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies Program. Brian has also provided software consulting for Fortune 100 companies while working for Computer Sciences Corporation. An avid outdoor enthusiast and cyclist, Brian had the opportunity to witness many modes of transportation in summer '04 while cycling from Oregon to Kansas. Brian has a desire to develop metrics to better utilize our transportation infrastructure.
	Amanda owings Current MURP student BS, Civil Engineering, University of Portland, 2000
	joe recker Current MURP student BA, Geography, California State University, Long Beach Joe Recker was born and raised in Long Beach, California. He received a BA in geography in 2001 from California State University, Long Beach and began an internship with the Port of Long Beach immediately thereafter. At the Port of Long Beach, Joe worked in a minimally-staffed planning office reviewing the work of consultants. More interested in hands-on work, Joe transferred to the City of Long Beach Planning Bureau where he performed plan reviews, engaged developers, property owners and other members of the public at the planning counter, and filled the role of project planner on countless project entitlements including design reviews, use permits, standards variances, condominium conversions, subdivision maps, and zoning amendments. Joe had the pleasure of playing an intimate role in the master planning of the largest development project in Long Beach's recent history - the redevelopment of a 238-acre McDonnell-Douglas airplane manufacturing plant adjacent to the Long Beach airport with industrial, commercial office and retail, and various residential housing types. Joe's interests in sustainable (responsible) development, alternative transportation, comprehensive planning and growth management led Joe to Portland State University and the beautiful city of Portland, where he is delighted to be today. Joe is also an avid chess player and movie watcher and is always considering his next trip to a new part of the world. Joe is a GRA for Prof. Dill.
	rory renfro Current MURP student BS, Urban and Regional Planning, Arizona State University Rory Renfro was raised in Portland and has had an interest in urban planning and transportation issues for many years. He graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in urban/regional planning. Rory has participated in several internship programs in Arizona and Oregon, and is currently employed as a transportation planner in Portland. His primary transportation planning interests include alternative modes like bicycling, walking and transit.
	kim voros Current MURP student BA, Environmental Policy and Planning, Western Washington University, 2003
	Paul wachana Current MURP and PhD student MS, Economics, Portland State University Agriculture, Univesity of Nairobu

	Page updated February 5, 2007