Samuel Jensen Selected as NITC Student of the Year

Samuel Jensen, a second-year Master of Urban Planning Student, is the National Institute of Transportation and Communities (NITC) 2019-2020 Student of the Year.

Samuel was nominated by a panel of transportation faculty because his work exemplified NITC’s theme of improving mobility of people and goods to build strong communities. This award includes a small cash award and travel to Washington DC where Samuel will be recognized at the Council of University Transportation Centers in conjunction with the 2020 Transportation Review Board Conference.

Samuel may have one of the most unique assortments of transportation industry experiences ever collected on one resume: a train steward and assistant conductor on the Danish State Railways, co-founder of the Milwaukee Wisconsin Transit Riders Union, and bus operator in the Twin Cities. Since August 2018, Samuel has worked with Arlie Adkins on two NITC-funded research projects related to transit. This has led to him authoring a paper which he will be presenting at the 2020 Transportation Review Board in Washington, DC. Samuel also currently serves as the president of the Graduate Planning Society (GPS), the planning graduate student organization at UA.

Samuel has taken on an additional task this year to promote alternative transport to our college’s students, faculty and staff. As Samuel explained recently: “we learn about sustainable transportation in the classroom and our research, but most of my classmates drive to school, bike parking is limited, and most students don’t realize there’s a bus stop just on the other side of our building.” His passion and preparation are always an inspiration to his fellow classmates, resulting in a higher caliber experiences for students and professors alike.

Read an interview with Samuel on the NITC website.