Graduate Seminar speaker dazzles and wows CEE students with a bi-cycle and a stimulating topic

It is not often that we get to see and hear a seminar where time just flies and our attention is captured with stimulating and easy to understand topics. However, this is exactly what happened on October 12th, when Dr. Chris Cherry, a transportation engineering faculty at University of Tennessee (Knoxville)'s Civil Engineering Department visited TTU campus.

Chris Cherry almost literally rode into the seminar hall on his state-of-the-art bi-cycle when he presented his seminar titled "Electric Scooters Market Potential and Environmental Impacts in Vietnam: Results of a Stated Preference Experiment." The bi-cycle that he brought to the room ran on electricity and could automatically shift modes (like a Prius) between analog and electric as needed (I verified it myself later that the ride was better than one offered by an overpriced Prius!).

The hands-on example of the bi-cycle, a stimulating topic on sustainability issues of public transportation and a presentation that effused with passion, self-belief and a savvy sartorial attire, were enough to have TTU CEE students 'wow'ed and eager to want to know more about graduate research in Dr. Cherry's area. Unlike most seminar presentations, Dr. Cherry started off in a captivating way showing the students the big picture of public transportation involving scooters in South and Southeast Asia. He then talked about his funded research outcomes in Vietnam and India where the difference in culture, perception and local infrastructure played an important role on research results. He ended with exciting details of an exciting bi-cycle rental plan that he plans on managing for UT campus this year.

The lesson for all CEE graduate students here is that we should not be afraid to be original in ideas when delivering a seminar. Rather than focusing on the nuts and bolts of the methodology, equations/formula, it is more important to infect the audience with the enthusiasm we have within us for the outcomes and big picture of our research (i.e., why should anyone care about our work?). And of course, if you have a hands-on example to display in class, bring that to the room.

So folks, the next time you deliver a seminar, unleash that genie that's been trapped in your bottle and let the audience see how passionate and enthusiastic you are about your research.