Richard J. Porter portrait
  • Professional Engineer, State of Utah
  • University of Utah Program Director, Mountain-Plains Consortium, Civil And Environmental Engin
  • Assistant Professor, Civil And Environmental Engin
  • Adjunct Associate Professor, Civil And Environmental Engin
  • Associate Graduate Faculty Member, North Dakota State University
801-585-1290

Professional Service

  • Council of University Transportation Centers. Role: Member. Awards Committee, Milton Pikarsky Memorial Award for Best PhD Dissertation in Science and Technology. 11/01/2015 - 11/30/2015
  • Institute of Transportation Engineers. Role: Member. Technical Advisory Committee for Self-Enforcing Roadways. 10/2015 - present
  • Transportation Research Board. Role: Co-coordinator and Presiding Officer. “Benefit-Cost Analysis to Inform Planning, Programming, and Design Decisions,” Session 135 of the 95th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., January 10, 2016. 07/01/2015 - 01/10/2016
  • Transportation Research Board. Role: Coordinator. “Future Directions in Highway and Street Design and Analysis,” Workshop 2 of the 5th International Symposium on Highway Geometric Design, Vancouver, Canada, June 21, 2015. 06/21/2015 - 06/21/2015
  • Council of University Transportation Centers. Role: Member. Awards Committee, Milton Pikarsky Memorial Award for Best MS Thesis in Science and Technology. 11/01/2014 - 11/30/2014
  • Transportation Research Board. Role: Presiding Officer. “Diverging Diamond Interchange Insights – Design,” Session 2B of the Alternative Intersections & Interchanges Symposium, Salt Lake City, UT, July 21, 2014. [abstract refereed session]. 07/21/2014 - 07/21/2014
  • Transportation Research Board. Role: Presiding Officer. Nighttime Analysis of Road Safety and Operations,” Session 584 of the 93rd Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., January 14, 2014. [paper session]. 01/14/2014 - 01/14/2014
  • National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Human Factors Resources, a sponsor for the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. 11/2013 - present
  • Council of University Transportation Centers. Awards Committee, Milton Pikarsky Memorial Award, MS Thesis, 2014. 10/2013 - 11/2013
  • Transportation Research Board. Role: Member. Expert Panel for NCHRP 20-05/45-06: Active and Passive Speed Management Methods for Work Zones: Technology and Procedures. 08/2013 - 12/2014
  • Council of University Transportation Centers. Primary Delegate for the University of Utah. 06/2013 - present
  • Transportation Research Board. Role: Member. Standing Joint Subcommittee on Future Directions in Safety Analysis [ANB20/ANB25]. 06/01/2013 - present
  • Transportation Research Board. Role: Call for Papers Author and Paper Review Coordinator. “Operational and Safety Effects of Geometrics at Night,” 93rd Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, 2014. 04/2013 - 02/2014
  • Transportation Research Board. University Representative. 08/2012 - present
  • Transportation Research Board. Presiding Officer, “Considering Operating Speed in Design,” Session 747 of the 91st Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., January 25, 2012. [paper session]. 01/15/2012 - 01/25/2012
  • Transportation Research Board. Role: Member. Safety Data, Analysis, and Evaluation Committee [ANB20]. 08/2011 - present
  • Transportation Research Board. Role: Member. Expert Panel for NCHRP 17-59: Safety Impacts of Intersection Sight Distance. 08/2011 - 08/2012
  • Transportation Research Board. Role: Co-Coordinator. “Risk and Reliability Analysis in Geometric Design of Highways and Streets,” Session 435 of the 91st Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., January 23, 2012. 08/2011 - 01/2012
  • National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Role: Member. Joint Task Force on Traffic Control Devices for Curves. 06/2011 - 06/2013
  • Transportation Research Board. Role: Presiding Officer. “Capacity, Operations and Signal Control, Tollways,” Session 5 of the 1st International Conference on Access Management, Athens, Greece, June 16, 2011. 06/2011 - 06/2011
  • National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Role: Member. Markings Technical Committee. 01/2011 - 12/31/2014
  • Transportation Research Board. Role: Member. Expert Panel for NCHRP 20-05/42-04: Recent Geometric Design Research and Practice for Improved Safety, Operations, and Maintenance. 08/01/2010 - 07/31/2011
  • Institute of Transportation Engineers. Role: Technical Committee Member. ITE Speed Management Project (TENC-108-01). 01/2010 - 12/31/2011
  • Transportation Research Board. Role: Co-coordinator and Presiding Officer. Workshop on New Directions in Road Safety Modeling,” Workshop 1 of the 4th International Symposium on Highway Geometric Design. 01/01/2010 - 06/02/2010

Honors & Awards

  • Best Paper, Transportation Research Board’s Geometric Design Committee (AFB10), 2015 Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board. Transportation Research Board's Geometric Design Committee. 01/2016
  • Top 15% of graduate teachers in University of Utah College of Engineering, Spring 2014. University of Utah College of Engineering. 08/2015
  • 2014 Educator of the Year. Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) – Utah Chapter, 01/2015
  • Top 15% of undergraduate teachers in University of Utah College of Engineering, Spring 2014. University of Utah College of Engineering, 08/2014
  • ExCEEd New Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award. American Society of Civil Engineers, 06/2014
  • Best Paper, Transportation Research Board’s Geometric Design Committee (AFB10), 2013 Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board. Transportation Research Board's Geometric Design Committee, 01/2014
  • Top 15% of graduate teachers in University of Utah College of Engineering, Fall 2012. University of Utah College of Engineering, 08/2013
  • Top 15% of undergraduate teachers in University of Utah College of Engineering, Spring 2013. University of Utah College of Engineering, 08/2013
  • Best Paper, Transportation Research Board’s Geometric Design Committee (AFB10), 2012 Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board. Transportation Research Board’s Geometric Design Committee, 01/2013
  • Top 15% of undergraduate teachers in University of Utah College of Engineering, Spring 2012. University of Utah College of Engineering, 08/2012
  • Top 15% of undergraduate teachers in University of Utah College of Engineering, Fall 2011. University of Utah College of Engineering, 08/2012
  • Top 15% of graduate teachers in University of Utah College of Engineering, Fall 2011. University of Utah College of Engineering, 08/2012
  • Ben Jacobsen Kingfisher Bend Ranch Award for Exceptional Effectiveness in Teaching, 2011-2012. University of Utah College of Engineering, 08/2012
  • “Greatest Hits” (i.e., one of the top technical papers) of the 4th Urban Street Symposium, Chicago, IL, June 24-27, 2012. Transportation Research Board's Operational Effects of Geometrics Committee, 07/2012
  • Outstanding Faculty Award, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Utah, 2011-2012 . Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 05/2012
  • Top 15% of graduate teachers in University of Utah College of Engineering, Spring 2010. University of Utah College of Engineering, 08/2010
  • Top 15% of undergraduate teachers in University of Utah College of Engineering, Spring 2010. University of Utah College of Engineering, 08/2010

Internal Service

  • U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program to examine Supporting Sustainable Cities Through Improved Urban Mobility. Host, 10/13/2015 - 10/13/2015. University service.
  • Student Recruitment & Outreach Committee. Member, 08/2015 - present. Department service.
  • Retention, Promotion, & Tenure (RPT) Committee, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Member, 08/2015 - present. Department service.
  • Faculty Search Committee for Structural Engineering Position in Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Member, 08/2015 - present. Department service.
  • Faculty Search Committee for Construction Engineering Position in Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Chair, 08/2015 - present. Department service.
  • Funding Incentive Seed Grant Program. Reviewer, 03/01/2015 - 03/31/2015. University service.
  • Student Chapter of the ASCE Transportation & Development Institute (T&DI). Faculty Advisor, 07/01/2014 - present. Department service.
  • Strategic Planning Committee. Chair, 11/2013 - present. Department service.
  • Faculty Co-Advisor (with Dr. Cathy Liu), Institute of Transportation Engineers Student Chapter. 08/2013 - 06/30/2014. Department service.
  • Faculty Search Committee for Transportation Position in Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2013-2014 (hired Dr. Daniel Fagnant, PhD from University of Texas at Austin). Chair, 08/01/2013 - 04/30/2014. Department service.
  • Graduate Preparation Institute, sponsored by the University of Utah Graduate School and Office of Equity and Diversity. Faculty Host, Moises Babadilla, 06/2013 - 07/2013. University service.
  • Transportation Issues with Kennecott Building Reconstruction. Advisor to Dean, 01/2013 - 05/2013. College service.
  • Faculty Advisor, Institute of Transportation Engineers Student Chapter. 08/2012 - 08/2013. Department service.
  • Faculty Search Committee for Transportation Position in Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2012-2013. Chair, 08/2012 - 04/2013. Department service.
  • College Search Committee for Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Chair, 2012-2013. Member, 08/2012 - 04/2013. College service.
  • Faculty Search Committee for Transportation Position in Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2012-2013 (hired Dr. Xiaoyue Cathy Liu, PhD from University of Washington). Chair, 08/01/2012 - 04/30/2013. Department service.
  • Faculty Representative, ASCE Rocky Mountain Student Conference (Concrete Canoe and Steel Bridge Competitions), 2012 . 04/01/2012 - 04/30/2012. Department service.
  • University Health and Safety Committee. Member, 08/2011 - present. University service.
  • Department Undergraduate Committee. Member, 08/2011 - 05/2013. Department service.
  • Layout and implementation of senior design room in the Meldrum Civil Engineering Building. Assistant to Department Head, 09/2010 - 05/2012. Department service.
  • Lead Technical contact with Bentley Systems Incorporated as civil engineering department integrates Bentley academic software into undergraduate and graduate education. Lead Technical contact, 07/01/2010 - present. Department service.
  • Department Scholarship Committee. Member, 03/2010 - 04/2011. Department service.
  • Faculty Search Committee for Structures Position . Member, 01/2010 - 05/2010. Department service.

Community Partnership

  • Volunteer Judge, Salt Lake Valley Science and Engineering Fair, 2012. 03/2012 - 04/2012

Outreach

  • Faculty Support, U.S. DOT/FHWA Summer Transportation Institute. 05/01/2015 - 07/31/2015
  • Faculty Support, U.S. DOT/FHWA Summer Transportation Institute . 05/01/2014 - 07/31/2014
  • Transportation Research Board Webinar, NCHRP 3-88/Report 687: Guidelines for Ramp and Interchange Spacing, December 14, 2011 [registered continuing education]. 12/2011 - 12/2011

In the Media