Center for Transportation, Training, and Research

Gwen C. Goodwin, Ph.D. Interim Director & Assistant Professor Transportation Studies

Goodwin is an Assistant Professor and Director with Texas Southern University’s Center for Transportation Training and Research (CTTR). She has over 30 years of experience in project management and policy planning. At CTTR, Goodwin is responsible for conducting research, developing and implementing surveys, developing and conducting training, preparing publications and transferring findings into the public domain. Goodwin’s research also seeks to find sustainable and safe solutions to transportation and mobility issues for seniors, teens and pedestrians.

Goodwin’s dissertation included an analysis of senior driver crashes and walkability in urban and suburban areas. Goodwin conducted a walkability assessment of several communities in the Greater Houston area for her dissertation. Environmental Justice and public involvement are two areas of study for Dr. Goodwin. Her work with the Houston-Galveston Area Council was helpful in the identification and assessment of EJ communities in nine counties. Dr. Goodwin’s work for the United Way of Greater Houston resulted in changes to medical transportation programs. She coordinates public involvement, meeting logistics, and media activities for Center projects. She is certified by the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2).

More recently, Goodwin is studying the impact of autonomous vehicles (AV) in public transit. This research is a partnership with the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris, County TX (METRO), Texas Southern University, and Houston-Galveston Area Council. Dr. Goodwin also supervises all research conducted by the Graduate Research Assistants. As an Assistant Professor, she teaches in the Maritime Studies undergraduate program, the General Studies undergraduate program, and the Transportation Management and Policy graduate program.

Prior to working at CTTR, Goodwin worked for the City of Austin and Houston. Her areas of expertise involved analysis of census data for various reports and projects for the City of Houston. She also worked for the U.S. Census Bureau where she worked with cities, counties and councils of governments to prepare for the Census. Her duties also included working with agencies to extract data for analysis.

EDUCATION

Ph.D. – Urban Planning and Environmental Policy, Texas Southern University, 2012.
M.S. – Community and Regional Planning, The University of Texas at Austin, 1988.
B.A. – English, The University of Texas at Austin, 1986.

Carol Abel Lewis, Ph.D. Emeritus CTTR Director (1992 to 2018) & Professor, Transportation Studies

Lewis is responsible for educating students in fundamentals of transportation and urban transportation issues, as well as conducting operational and policy related transportation research. From 2007 until 2012, she served as Principal Investigator for the DHS National Transportation Security Center of Excellence. Current research focuses on automated vehicles for public transportation, purpose and need for vulnerable populations in megaregions, transit supportive development, bus operations on managed lanes and best practice in public involvement. Lewis recently worked Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE’s) to increase their inclusion in heavy highway construction. Since joining TSU in 1992, Lewis has conducted research for the USDOT, Texas Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, metropolitan planning organizations (Houston Galveston Area Council and North Central Texas Council of Governments) and with private transportation consultants.

Appointments include the Gulf Coast Rail District (Currently serve as Chair by Houston Mayor and Harris County Judge & Commissioner’s Court) and Transportation Advocacy Group. She also serves as Transportation Research Board’s Chair of the Inclusion & Diversity Committee and member, Transportation Research Board’s Transit Research Advisory Committee (TRAC). She is a member of Houston Galveston Area Council’s (the MPO) Transportation Policy Council and Transportation Advisory Committee. Lewis is honored to have received the Rosa Parks Diversity Leadership Award from the Houston Chapter of WTS and the TRB Sharon D. Banks Humanitarian Award.

EDUCATION

Ph.D., University of Houston, Political Science with emphasis in Public Policy and Public Administration
M.A., University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa Urban Planning with emphasis in Transportation Planning
B.A., University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa Sociology/Elementary Education

Associate Director

Mr. Godazi serves as Associate Director for the Center for Transportation Training and Research (CTTR), Director of National Summer Transportation Institute (NSTI), Southwest Region Director for National Technical Association (NTA), and he was Associate Director for the Southwest Region University Transportation Center (SWUTC). He is responsible for managing CTTR budgets, scholarships and training programs.

Godazi has been Principal Investigator on numerous projects and completed the Dwight David Eisenhower database software for FHWA. Research includes Transportation Designs and Concepts to Make Houston METRO’s Southeast Line at the Palm Center Area more walkable/bikeable and a review of traffic control devices that examined retrofitting Houston’s traditional incandescent bulbs to light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Findings were that while initially costly, benefits would accrue in less than five years. With the installation of solar panels, energy consumption would be pushed to virtually zero. The study results were published in the January 2013 issue of Roads and Bridges.

Mr. Godazi has directed the National Summer Transportation Institute in Houston, Texas City, Port Arthur and Dallas for more than 15 years. Also, he directed the Houston Women in Highway Construction Project funded by FHWA and worked with TxDOT to increase disadvantaged business participation on TxDOT projects. Godazi taught transportation students in transportation software applications and quantitative statistics methods. He developed a transportation game that has been expanded and used for finals’ review for the TMGT 810 Fundamentals of Transportation Class.

Graduate Student Researcher

Valencia Stewart has obtained a B.A. degree in political science with a minor in sociology from Lamar University. She is a second-year graduate student at Texas Southern University studying Transportation Planning and Management with a concentration in planning and policy. As a Graduate Research Assistant, her current research with her superior Dr. Goodwin Ph.D., focuses on the developments of telework and telelearning due to Covid-19 with a lack of internet access within the North Central Texas of Governments. She is honored to have joined the Student Chapter of The Institute of Transportation Engineers to which she currently serves as the Secretary. As a Student Ambassador with the TSU Leap Program, she is committed to collaborating and approaching the needs of serving the public while also gaining professional experience within the transportation industry. With an eye on the future, Valencia is working towards presenting research to The Transportation Research Board as a Minority Fellow.

Students

Valencia Stewart, Abayomi Bakare

Alumni

Center for Transportation Training and Research Highlights

CTTR supports Texas Southern University’s mission as a special purpose institution of higher education for urban programming. This designation provides a foundation for all programmatic activities at the university and is in keeping with the key aspects of smart growth, public engagement and inclusion of low income and minority persons into the mainstream of transportation planning and decision making.

CTTR is currently housed in the multi-million dollar Leonard Spearman Technology Building. CTTR has access to resource materials and computer capabilities required to conduct research facilitating literature review and on-line searches, perform graphical and schematic support documentation, as well as having statistical software to assist with survey analysis.

TSU student receiving training with the Autonomous Vehicle

CTTR began in 1983 under the leadership of founder, Dr. Naomi W. Ledé, with a grant from the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (now Federal Transit Administration). In its almost 40-year history, the Center staff has amassed more than 90 years of direct transportation experience and supported more than 75 graduate students through the average 2 year master’s degree in Transportation Planning and Management. Initially, the Center focus was on the elements of public transit, but over the last 30 years, the research domain has been expanded to included automated vehicles, highways, land use and other transportation components. Still the list of research elements specific to public transit has remained strong and relative to industry needs.

The Center has established successful collaborations with many institutions and public and private transportation entities. Our research partners include Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Houston Galveston Area Council, Harris County Transit and Texas Department of Transportation. The Center has collaborated with private entities including WSP, Traffic Engineers, Inc. and The Goodman Corporation. CTTR University Transportation Center (UTC) partners include Cooperative Mobility for Competitive Megaregions (CM2) with University of Texas and a 30-year membership with the Southwest Region University Transportation Center (SWUTC) with Texas A & M University.

Publication Highlights

• Lewis, Carol Abel and Neil Pedersen (May-June 2021), Clearing the Path to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Transportation. TR News, No. 333.
• Lewis, Carol Abel, Gwendolyn Goodwin, Jermaine Potts and Brandon Rogers (2020). Application of the Equity Rubric for Purpose and Need to a Demonstration Corridor in the Texas Megaregion. CM2 University Transportation Center. University of Texas.
• Lewis, Carol Abel, Gwendolyn Goodwin and Brandon Rogers (2020). Megaregion Decision Making: A Case Study of Social Environmentalism for Rural and Small Urban Public Transportation. (Submitted to Special Issues – TRR, unpublished).
• Lewis, Carol Abel, Gwendolyn Goodwin and Brandon Rogers (2019). A Framework to Determine Purpose and Need for Increased Travel Options in the Megaregion for Vulnerable Non-Urban Communities. CM2 University Transportation Center. University of Texas.
• Potts, Jermaine, Gwen Goodwin, Carol Abel Lewis, Velyjha Southern (2017). Social Parameters as a Component of Transit Network Analysis: Examining Public Transit in Minority and Low-Income Areas Without Service. Transportation Research Board. Annual Meeting, January 2018.
• Southern, Velyjha, Earthea Nance, Carol Abel Lewis, Gwen Goodwin. (2016.) Strategies for High Intensity Bus: Best Practices for Operating Buses in Managed Lanes. TRB. January 2017.
• Lewis, C.A. and Goodwin, G.C. (2013). Impact of Bus Transit Centers on Values of Nearby Single-Family Residential Land in Houston, Texas. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2276, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., pp.72-77. DOI: 10.3141/2276-09.
• Lewis, Carol Abel, Goodwin, Goodwin, and Sabaroche, Sascha (2011). Public Involvement Study 0-6662, Texas Department of Transportation, http://www.txdot.gov/about_us/commission/2010_meetings/documents/minute_orders/dec15/2.pdf
• Goodwin, Gwendolyn and Carol Abel Lewis (2011) Bus Operator Awareness Research and Development Summer.

Presentations

• Goodwin, G. C. (2020) and Lewis, C. A. Texas Southern University’s Megaregions Workshop: “Exploring the Use of AV technology for persons with Disabilities needing Transportation to Dialysis or Other Life Saving Medical Treatments web” – December 10, 2020.
• Goodwin, G. C. (2020) and Williams, K. Houston Community College (HCC) TV Up to The Minute. Interview with Dr. Fisher at HCC regarding TSU CTTR and Houston METRO Autonomous Vehicle project. – November 11, 2020.
• Goodwin, G. C. (2020). Wallet Hub Interview with Jacob Sanders. – September 2-4, 2020. Interview Responses published:
  https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-cities-to-drive-in/13964/#expert=gwendolyn-goodwin
• Goodwin, G. C. (2019). Special Librarian Association (SLA) Conference Jun 14-19, 2019. Cleveland. Session “From Streetcars to Bike Lanes to Autonomous Vehicles, to the Past, Present and Future of Transportation Equity”. Cleveland, Ohio. June 16, 2019.
• Goodwin, G. C. (2019). Southeast Texas Regional Planning Commission (SETRPC) Board presentation in Beaumont Texas – “Evolving Challenges in Regional & Megaregional Planning.” March 27, 2019
• Goodwin, G. C., and Lewis, C. A. (2018). Women in Transportation Seminar, Southwest Region Webinar – “Evolving Challenges in Regional & Megaregional Planning.” November 2, 2019

Grants

North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) – Interagency Agreement: Teleworking and Telelearning: The Next Generation
Role: Principal Investigator and Graduate Research Assistant Valencia Stewart. This project funds the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Minority Fellows program that pays the graduate/undergraduate researcher’s travel arrangements and accommodations to the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Conference.
Date: October 1, 2020 – September 30, 2021
Amount: $45,000

North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) – Interagency Agreement: Using Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) and AVs to Bridge the Transportation Gap in Rural Areas
Role: Principal Investigator and Graduate Research Assistant Selena Scott. This project funds the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Minority Fellows program that pays the graduate/undergraduate researcher’s travel arrangements and accommodations to the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Conference.
Date: April 30, 2020 – September 30, 2020
Amount: $45,000

North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) – Interagency Agreement: AVs: Occupational Impacts, Challenges, & Opportunities
Role: Principal Investigator and Undergraduate Research Assistant Teidra Darrett. This project funds the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Minority Fellows program that pays the graduate/undergraduate researcher’s travel arrangements and accommodations to the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Conference.
Date: December 2018 – August 31, 2019
Amount: $35,000

North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) – Interagency Agreement: Direct Impact of Autonomous Vehicles on Employment
Role: Principal Investigator and Undergraduate Research Assistant McKenzie Jones-Channel. This project funds the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Minority Fellows program that pays the graduate/undergraduate researcher’s travel arrangements and accommodations to the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Conference.
Date: December 17, 2017 – August 31, 2018
Amount: $40,000

University Transportation Centers – Cooperative Mobility for Competitive MegaRegions (CM2)
Role: Principal Investigator Carol A. Lewis and Co-Principal Investigator Gwendolyn Goodwin
Date: November 30, 2016 – September 30, 2022
Amount: $217,330

Dwight D. Eisenhower Fellowship – provides scholarships to a minimum of 5-7 students each year. Co-PI Role is to prepare students for presentations for the Transportation Research Board Presentations at the Annual Conference, prepare, edit and review all submittals to Federal Highway Administration, and ensure program requirements are completed.
Role: PI Khosro Godazi and Co-PI Dr. Gwen Goodwin
Date: 2020
Amount: $40,000

Dwight D. Eisenhower Fellowship – provides scholarships to a minimum of 5-7 students each year. Co-PI Role is to prepare students for presentations for the Transportation Research Board Presentations at the Annual Conference, prepare, edit and review all submittals to Federal Highway Administration, and ensure program requirements are completed.
Role: PI Khosro Godazi and Co-PI Dr. Gwen Goodwin
Date: 2019
Amount: $43,500

Dwight D. Eisenhower Fellowship – provides scholarships to a minimum of 5-7 students each year. Co-PI Role involved revamping the program adding additional career development programming for fellows. Other duties include to prepare students for presentations for the Transportation Research Board Presentations at the Annual Conference, prepare, edit and review all submittals to Federal Highway Administration, and ensure program requirements and completed.
Role: PI Khosro Godazi and Co-PI Dr. Gwen Goodwin
Date: 2018
Amount: $44,500

National Summer Transportation Institute (NSTI)
Date: April 1, 2021 – November 30, 2021
Amount: $148,193.40

National Summer Transportation Institute (NSTI)
Date: July 7, 2020 – November 2020
Amount: $34,00

• Dwight David Eisenhower Fellowships
• Graduate Research Assistantships
• Summer Transportation Institute

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Click for Montage of TRB and Conferences Sponsored