A University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Engineering undergraduate student has been selected to participate in a national transportation fellowship program.
Keoni Mabini from the Department of Mechanical Engineering is one of 24 students nationwide chosen for the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) 2025 Minority Student Fellows Program. The program funds students from minority-serving institutions to attend and present their research at the TRB annual meeting in January 2025 in Washington, D.C., and engage with TRB’s network of transportation professionals.
“I am eager to create networks with the people who will be at the meeting, enriching my own knowledge while sharing insights from my research,” Mabini said. “Additionally, I am eager to display my enthusiasm for the world of engineering, with intentions of sparking other people’s interests on what they could learn about sustainable transportation through electric vehicles in the near future.”
Mabini’s research project is “Evidence-based Assessments of Electrified Transportation Evolvements for Future Sustainable Mobility,” and is focused on key events that have molded current transportation, and predicting how recent legislation and incentives will influence the future development of sustainable transportation, specifically through electric vehicles.
“We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to participate in the TRB Minority Fellow program and for the consistent support from our college, especially from Dean Brennon Morioka, in enabling Keoni to attend this prestigious TRB conference in D.C.,” said Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering Professor Guohui Zhang. “I am sure Keoni will gain valuable insights and connections, and enrich his experience at the conference to beneficially influence his professional journey. More importantly, this TRB participation will underscore the importance of accessible opportunities for all students at UH, and eventually nurture and empower the next generation of leaders in Hawaiʻi.”
The U.S. Federal Highway Administration provided funding for half of the students in the program, and a number of annual meeting attendees provide support through donations they make when registering for the TRB annual meeting.
TRB established the Minority Student Fellows Program in 2010 to explore research, ideas and solutions from diverse perspectives. The program works to increase the number of individuals from underrepresented groups in the transportation field and in TRB activities.
