In 1920, state highway engineers, federal officials, and experts from academia were among a small group convened by the National Academy of Sciences to confront the problems of the highway. The public was entrusting them with billions of dollars for good roads, and World War I had proved the feasibility of moving freight long distances by truck. But even new highways were crumbling. They turned to research for solutions. The founders of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and the generations that followed took on problems such as safety, social equity, and environmental issues. They embraced "total transportation," adapting their highway research model to urban transportation and then applying it to rail, marine, and aviation modes. Today TRB convenes thousands of researchers, practitioners, and administrators every year to advise the government, solve practical problems, foster innovation, and stimulate new research. In The Transportation Research Board, 1920â€"2020: Everyone Interested Is Invited, Sarah Jo Peterson tells the story of how people and institutions created and have continued to shape TRB. In a compelling narrative accompanied by more than 150 images exploring the history of transportation and research, she argues that TRB can be best understood as an infrastructureâ€"one that people purposely designed and devotedly maintained. Despite TRB's institutional complexity, its unique mission, the vast collection of acronyms in its orbit, and the significant changes to the organization in its first 100 years, Dr. Peterson provides a view from 30,000 feet, deftly describing the social, political, and economic context in which transportation (and TRB) functioned. At the same time, she attends to details of the key events, individuals, and human motivations that shaped TRB's evolution. The author's skills as a historian, her experience in the transportation field, and her manifest ability to tell a good story have produced a book that transportation professionals of all stripesâ€"and, for that matter, anyone interested in the history of transportation in the United Statesâ€"should find both engaging and informative and an essential addition to their library.

The Washington Information Directory (WID) is a topically organized reference resource that lists contact information for federal agencies and nongovernmental organizations in the Washington metro area along with a brief paragraph describing what each organization does related to that topic. In addition, WID pulls together 55 organization charts for federal agencies, congressional resources related to each chapter topic, hotline and contact information for various specific areas of interest (from Food Safety Resources to internships in Washington), and an extensive list of active congressional caucuses and contact details. WID has two appendices, one with thorough information on congresspersons and committees, and the second with governors and embassies.

Washington Information Directory is this essential one-stop resource for information on U.S. governmental and nongovernmental agencies and organizations. This thoroughly researched guide provides capsule descriptions that help users quickly and easily find the right person at the right organizations. Washington Information Directory offers three easy ways to find information: by name, by organization, and through detailed subject indexes. It also includes dozens of resource boxes on particular topics and organization charts for federal agencies and NGOs. With more than 10,000 listings, the 2016-2017 edition of Washington Information Directory features concise organization descriptions and contact information for: Federal departments and agencies Congressional members, committees, and organizations Nongovernemental and international organizations Courts and judiciary organization As well as contact information for: Governors and other state officials U.S. ambassadors and foreign diplomats Nearly 200 House and Senate caucuses