KINGSTON, R.I. -- April 9, 2002 -- West Greenwich resident Jenessi St. Vincent, a junior studying civil engineering at the University of Rhode Island, was named the first place winner of the Student Paper Competition at the 2nd International Conference on Urban Public Transport Systems.

Sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers, the competition evaluated papers written by engineering students from across the country. St. Vincent’s paper, entitled "Mass Transit: A More Sustainable Transportation Alternative," looks at effective European mass transit operations and discusses why and how they are more popular than mass transit in American cities.

"It concludes that in order to increase the attractiveness of mass transit and move away from an auto-reliant transport norm, mass transit services must become more reliable and more easily accessible and driving one’s car must become more inconvenient and more expensive," she said. "So many people are driving larger vehicles now, getting fewer miles per gallon, and using more oil to travel the same distance. It’s a cycle that just can’t continue."

St. Vincent became interested in transportation issues as a result of two courses she took last fall at URI, one in transportation engineering and the other in sustainable development. "Of all the issues we discussed, it appeared to me that there exists much room for improving the sustainability of the American transportation system," she said.

When she completes her undergraduate degree in May 2003, St. Vincent plans to attend graduate school to study architectural engineering or construction project management.

For Information: Todd McLeish 874-7892, Cathy Manchester 874-9095