Dear Georgia ITE community,

The Board and Summer Seminar planning teams have been working diligently over the last couple of months to determine the best way to proceed with our 2020 Summer Seminar. We considered several options and had already started preparations for including a virtual option that will allow Summer Seminar to connect to a larger transportation community, but it is with a heavy heart that I have to announce the GAITE Board’s decision to cancel the in-person event at the King and Prince this year.

We did not come to this decision lightly, but after developing an entire plan to conduct a modified in-person event, the Board has determined that we cannot provide the necessary level of safety and benefit to make an in-person conference successful. The concerns about shared spaces, events and meals that make our family-friendly conference so unique have been compromised to the point that anything we could safely put together will not be the event that we know and love. Additionally, we received notification that enough companies have already extended their travel bans beyond our date to severely limit the networking opportunities that this conference provides.  

A note to all of our sponsors: we are making changes to the Summer Seminar sponsorships and you will receive an email this week about the changes.

Several people asked through our survey if we could reschedule this event for the fall or a later date.  We did consider this option. Rescheduling an event is very difficult since negotiating the contracts for an event this size is done years in advance. Also, we could easily be in the same situation in the fall that we are in now in terms of safety and travel bans and will be competing with several other events (including our own) that are either normally held in the fall or have already been postponed the fall. With these reasons in mind, and the planning that has already gone into the technical program for July, the Board has chosen to move forward with a virtual event on a similar schedule to previous years.

We are working though the details necessary to develop a virtual conference at the quality expected but there are some details that we can share right now:

• We are anticipating offering a full technical program over a three-day period to cover Monday, Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning
• We are planning social events and competitions for registrants to participate in as desired including some family-friendly Summer Seminar favorites
• The scholarship auction will still occur but will be conducted online
• Registration will open June 1^st

Additional details about the program and social events will be announced as we solidify plans.

We have spoken with the King & Prince about our decision to cancel. We are extremely lucky to have the relationship with this hotel as they have allowed us to cancel this event without any penalty. They have asked us to pass along the following information:

• You do NOT need to call to cancel your reservation, this will be done automatically by their system now that we have canceled the event and if you made a deposit, it will be automatically refunded
• If you want to go down to St. Simmons or take part in the virtual conference from the K&P, you can call and re-book your room. The King and Prince will honor the group rates that we negotiated
• The hotel is adhering to all mandates and CDC guidelines
• There are several restaurants in the area already open for dine in service (Crabdaddy’s and Georgia Sea Grill) and more that are offering take out options

I also want to take this opportunity to thank Robinson Nichol, Bill Ruhsam, and their Committees who have worked tirelessly over the last several months to plan, replan, and then replan again this event. It is because of their dedication and passion for Georgia ITE and Summer Seminar that the Board feels confident that this virtual event is going to be as high quality and memorable as any Summer Seminar. 

Thank you for your continued understanding as the board and many volunteers of GAITE strive to provide you with the best value for your membership during this unprecedented time.

Sincerely,

Kate Shearin,
GAITE President, 2020

The Georgia ITE Mentorship Program is coming up soon.  The program is geared for towards young professionals that have been working in the transportation engineering field for a few years and are actively involved in ITE.  Each protégé will be paired with a mentor who can provide career advice and professional guidance.  The program will include six organized breakfast or lunch meetings held monthly at various locations.  Additional information can be found in the flyer. (https://gaite.starchapter.com/images/downloads/Mentorship_Program/2020_gaite_mentor_program_flyer.pdf)

If you are interested in participating in the program as a protégé please complete the application and return it to [email protected].   We will begin accepting applications April 1st and all applications are due by April 30th.  (https://gaite.starchapter.com/images/downloads/Mentorship_Program/2020_mentorship_program_application.docx)

We are also looking for mentors for the program.  If you are interested in being a mentor to one of the great young members in ITE please reach out to [email protected]. 

While the schedule is subject to change, we are optimistic that all of the meetings will still be completed between June 2020 and December 2020.

(Thank you to the committee members Tara Wad and Himanshu Wad)

Dear Georgia Section ITE community,

The past week has been a whirlwind for everyone and I'm sure most of you have already modified your work schedules in response to the pandemic of Covid-19. The Georgia ITE board has been discussing how to handle our upcoming events.  At this time, we have made the decision to cancel all in-person meetings and will either offer scheduled events as webinars or postpone until a future date.

To all of our committee chairs and committee members, please make every attempt to replace any GAITE related in-person meetings with conference calls until future notice. 

Below is a brief summary for the events currently scheduled in March and April. 

1. March Monthly Meeting (March 26 w/ Marsha Anderson Bomar) - This event has been modified from an in person meeting to a webinar. GAITE would like to continue to offer PDHs during this time and our speaker Marsha Anderson Bomar has agreed to do a webinar on the topic of current and upcoming projects at MARTA.
              - registration is currently closed for this event as we determine what GAITE needs to do for this event
              - anyone who has already registered and paid we will be issuing a refund
              - more details will follow about requirements to recieve PDHs for this webinar

2. Technical Exchange - This event will be postponed until the Fall. We are already coordinating with Clemson.

3. April Monthly Meeting - We are planning for this event to become a webinar like the March Monthly meeting. The joint meeting with Georgia Tech will be postponed for a later month. More details about this event will be posted on our website as we get closer to the event. 

The board will continue to evaluate changes to future events as we get more information about the progress and nationwide response to Covid-19. Please check our website, read the e-blasts or reach out to one of the board members if you have any questions. 

Thank you for your understanding,

Kate Shearin, PE, PTOE
Georgia Section ITE President, 2020