About Miranda

Miranda is a second-year MA student in the Urban & Environmental Policy and Planning department from Los Angeles, California. She came to UEP looking to understand her role in connecting grassroots organizing movements with the institutional power that has often been removed or taken from them. Her thesis is focused on this through the lens of food justice, specifically the reestablishment of the South Central Farm in Los Angeles. She has been working with the City of Medford Energy & Environment office in their community engagement efforts and with the Institute of Transportation & Development Policy and their programs within Greater Boston focused on Bus Rapid Transit. When not reading or completing classwork, she can be found in the gym or at ultimate frisbee practice as she supports the coaching staff of the Women's Ultimate team at Tufts.

Reflection

The Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting offered a unique opportunity to see other research people interested in transportation have done and are currently doing and how that applies to practice. Often in academia, it can be easy to remove yourself from the practical applications of research and this space offered the opportunity to do just that. Many of the sessions I attended also allowed the opportunity for me to further discuss my interests in equity and justice as it relates to transportation.

Why TIE?

I was pulled to the TIE grant because my classmates told me about it and I knew that other funding (through the GSAS) would be limited and this conference would be expensive so I needed to apply to all possible opportunities.