The CS New Faculty Award is given annually to a tenure-track faculty member in transportation education. The award purpose is to recognize outstanding teaching and research contributions to the transportation field. The award recipient will receive an appropriate citation and a check for $2,000.

Cambridge Systematics provides innovative policy and planning solutions, objective analysis, and technology applications to help our clients meet future transportation needs while improving the performance of existing infrastructure and operations. Committed to its clients’ success in making transportation better for future generations, Cambridge Systematics created and sponsors this award because it values the role of academic excellence in ensuring that we continue to staff the profession with individuals who have the level of creativity and domain knowledge that distinguishes the work of Cambridge Systematics and its clients.

Who Can Apply?
The Cambridge Systematics (CS) New Faculty Award is open to new faculty in all CUTC member schools that are in good standing. These are schools that have paid their CUTC annual membership dues for the current year. There is NO LIMIT to the number of nominations submitted from a member university.

Please Note: Members of CUTC EC are not eligible for applying to this award.

To be eligible for this award, an individual must:

1. Be in a tenure track faculty position at a CUTC member university offering an academic transportation program.
2. Be in a tenure track faculty position for less than six years at the time of nomination (individuals who may have served as a tenure-track faculty member in one institution and then moved to another institution still need to be within six years of initial appointment at the first institution)

What must be submitted?

1. All applications must be submitted online by the designated CUTC contact person at the member University.
2. A supporting letter from a tenured faculty member (can be from the same university as the nominee or from a different university; the nominator need not be from a CUTC member University). In 250 words or less, explain why this individual should receive the “CS New Faculty Award.” Please note the award selection criteria.
3. Supporting letters from one current or former undergraduate student (preferably, but not necessarily from the same institution as the nominee) describing how the nominee’s teaching influenced the student’s thinking and career choice, and one former graduate student who is now in the workplace describing how the professor prepared him/her to be a contributor to the transportation field. Only two letters of support will be allowed. Each letter should be no more than two pages long with single-line spacing and a Times Roman 12-point font size orlarger.
4. Supporting Biographical Information (no more than 10 pages): Please note the award criteria and include information that addresses all elements

When are entries due?
Online submissions must be completed by October 31, 2023.

How is the winner selected?

The award recipient will be chosen from eligible nominees based upon demonstration of superior performance of faculty duties. A subset of the CUTC Executive Committee members will serve as the selection panel. The following evaluation criteria will be used:

1. Demonstrated excellence in classroom teaching as well as individual instruction. Metrics that might be used to show excellence could include student evaluations, student paper awards for supervised students and successful supervision of Master’s and/or doctoral students, and job placements of former students in the profession.
2. Demonstrated contributions towards the development of new knowledge. Metrics might include refereed journal publications, as well as, refereed proceedings, research reports, presentations to professional organizations and awards for all of the above.
3. Participation in professional organizations. Metrics could include membership in appropriate professional groups, leadership positions held and activity in associated committees.
4. Demonstrated record of sponsored research activity. Metrics should include dollar amounts of research funding procured and spent and numbers of research studies undertaken.
5. Demonstrated public service. Evidence might include service to the university, community, schools, public interest groups or any significant activity not covered by the bullets above.

Awards Notification: Winning entries will be notified on or before November 30th. All applicants will be notified of the results of the Selection Committee.

Awards Presentation: Winners will be recognized at the CUTC Annual Awards banquet held in January in Washington, D.C.

For additional information
Contact Traci Ulberg at (406) 273-7224 or email tulberg@mycutc.org.