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Findings from the UWA Sustainable Development Student Research Program were presented to delegates from around the nation at the 2011 Australasian Transport Research Forum.

Regan Bleechmore investigated implementing a subsidised public transport pass at UWA to relieve parking demands and shift its community toward sustainable transport.

He shared his findings in Adelaide with an audience of transport researchers, policy-makers, advisors and practioners from Australia and New Zealand.

Research by two other UWA representatives, Assoc/Prof Doina Olaru and Markus Botte, was also presented at the forum and won the John H Taplin Prize for ‘Best Paper'.

Regan said it was Doina, one of his mentors in his scholarship project, who encouraged him to submit an abstract of his findings to the forum's convenors.

They accepted it into a program brimming with expert research from around Australia and other parts of the globe.

"At the time I was somewhat surprised to be presenting at the conference alongside far more experienced transport researchers," Regan said.

However he recommends other undergraduates submit their research abstracts to similar events.

"Academic events may appear daunting, however I know many undergraduates have the skills to get published and present at conferences," he said.

He described the conference as a "wonderful opportunity to interact with experts in the transport field, become familiar with the conference format and gain experience in presenting to a large, and engaged, audience."

Regan said the attendees were attentive to his presentation and particularly interested in "the impact of a U-Pass on the proportion of commuters travelling by various transport modes."

Next year Regan will study at Sweden's Uppsala University Centre for Sustainable Development, as part of a UWA exchange program.

Media references

Trish Howard (Sustainable Development)  (+61 8)  6488 7540
Michael Sinclair-Jones (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 3229  /  (+61 4) 00 700 783