Sam Piper is currently pursuing a Masters of Urban and Regional Planning at the State University of New York at Albany. He is specializing in transportation planning, and hopes to use the theories and technical skills he has learned while in graduate school to become a transportation planner in either the public or private sector. The program at UAlbany has been incredibly rewarding for Sam, both academically and professionally. Dr. Catherine Lawson is the chair of MRP program as well as the transportation specialization advisor. She is very active in the field, and is always introducing students to the latest technologies and trends relating to transportation planning. Sam has worked closely with Dr. Lawson to explore his interest in how to leverage Social Media in transportation. In the Spring of 2012, Sam wrote a research paper on this subject for the course titled Metropolitan Transportation Planning.

His research sought to summarize how social media was being used in the field, and what resources are needed for an organization to effectively use social media tools. He concluded that social media does requires an investment of time and resources, but the return on investment is often quite large. Over the next year, he will continue to social media and its applications in transportation planning. Sam has been interning sing December 2011 at Capital District Transportation Committee. This Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Capital Region of New York has long established ties with the program; in fact, many of Sam’s coworkers are UAlbany graduates. Sam has had the opportunity to assist with many projects, including a Car Share feasibility study for the region and Bike and Pedestrian Safety Training Seminar. Recently, Sam has been collecting data and using his GIS skills to produce visuals for the Town of Schodack Town Center Study.

This study will use the traffic data to determine if road dieting is a feasible option to make the US Route 9 Corridor in the town more pedestrian friendly. Sam will soon start interning for Alta Planning and Design, a bike and pedestrian consulting firm. Sam has been working with a partner of the firm, Jeff Olson, with the release of his first book, The Third Mode, about his experiences in the field of Bike and Pedestrian Planning. Through this experience, Sam has had the opportunity to promote the book using social media and implement what he has learned in the classroom. He looks forward to graduation and a career as a transportation planner.

Academic Advisor: Dr. Catherine Lawson, University at Albany/SUNY