Episode 14 - Technology & Transportation Planning

Brianna Jackson, a transportation planning engineer at Associated Engineering, discusses how emerging technologies like e-bikes are reshaping urban and rural mobility. Recently named one of the Institute of Transportation Engineers' (ITE) 2025 Young Leaders to Follow for her contributions, Jackson shares her career path, project experiences, and strategies for integrating new devices into existing networks while prioritizing safety and community needs.

Path to Transportation Engineering

Jackson's interest in engineering stemmed from family influences, starting with computer engineering at UBC Vancouver before switching to civil at UBC Okanagan. A summer internship at the City of Calgary's transportation group sparked her passion, leading her to transportation-specific courses and early ITE involvement. Unlike rigid fields like seismic engineering, transportation involves "gray areas" driven by user emotions and daily experiences. She emphasizes a human focus: not just moving cars, but enabling people to navigate communities safely and efficiently. This broad civil engineering foundation at UBCO helped her explore options before specializing, building versatility across design, planning, and traffic studies.