Tyler Hu (CivE 2T4, CivMin MASc student) was awarded the inaugural John Morrall Innovation in Transportation Scholarship by the Institute of Transportation Engineers Canada (ITE Canada) at the recent ITE Canada 2025 conference in Halifax.
Hu was the only student, and the youngest presenter, to deliver a full solo presentation at the conference, as well as the only award recipient and session speaker from the University of Toronto. He is a member of the University of Toronto Student Chapter of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (UT-ITE).
Hu expresses, “It’s a privilege to represent the Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering and the UT-ITE student chapter at the University of Toronto at this conference. I feel incredibly blessed and look forward to carrying this passion for applied learning forward to contribute to a more sustainable future for all.”
“It’s a privilege to represent the Department of Civil
and Mineral Engineering and the UT-ITE student chapter”
In addition to this academic work, Hu also led applied research on integrating micromobility into municipal transportation master plans. A recent study he presented at ITE Canada 2025, titled “Exploring E-Scooter Integration and Mode Shifts through Agent-Based Modelling for Urban Planning,” was a collaboration between the Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering at the University of Toronto and the Town of Oakville. It evolved from his undergraduate work, “Integrating Micromobility in the Transportation System in Mid-Sized North American Cities.”
“I am deeply honoured to receive this award as its inaugural recipient. I’m grateful for the generous donation by Dr. John Morrall and the Institute of Transportation Engineers that made this possible. I also want to thank my family, mentors, friends, and local churches for their unwavering support throughout my journey. In particular, I’m thankful to my supervisor, Professor Khandker Nurul Habib, my former manager Eric Chan, and all the faculty members and colleagues who have shared their knowledge and created an environment that pushed me to grow. Their guidance helped me see the depth and beauty of the engineering discipline,” says Hu.
“My interest in transportation engineering began through lived experience. Growing up in the suburbs of Metro Vancouver without access to a car, I often spent hours commuting to school, events, and volunteer commitments by transit—waiting in the rain, transferring between infrequent routes, and walking long distances along arterial corridors. These challenges sparked a strong motivation to contribute to transportation systems that are more efficient, inclusive, and responsive to real-world needs,” says Hu explaining his motivation.
John Morrall Innovation in Transportation Scholarship
This award is presented by the former Centre for Transportation Engineering and Planning (CTEP). CTEP was founded in 2000, by Dr. John Morrall and Harvey Olsen, as a Canadian Centre of Excellence to facilitate the growth and enhancement of transportation knowledge through education and research. CTEP was a joint effort of the private sector, universities, and government to fill a void that was left from the government taking a step back from in-house research and development on land-based transportation, and to also continue technology transfer aimed at transportation engineering and planning through organization of courses. Originally funded by Alberta Transportation alongside various municipalities, post-secondary institutions, and transportation engineering consultants, CTEP funded or co-funded 41 research projects and delivered over 100 courses over the last 25 years.
In honour of his contribution to the transportation industry and as a founding member of CTEP, the scholarship is named after Dr. John Morrall. Dr. Morrall is a Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering at the University of Calgary and has had an illustrious career in transportation and road safety. He has been responsible for over 350 road safety audits in five Canadian provinces in addition to conducting many operational reviews and safety assessments for existing urban streets, bicycle facilities, rural highways, railway crossings and work zones. John has also shared his extensive experience and knowledge by delivering road safety audit courses and workshops.
About the award
The transportation planning and engineering industry has been rooted in innovation over the past 100+ years. Post-graduate research into new and evolving technologies, methodologies, and applications will continue to drive a successful transportation sector.
The purpose of this scholarship is to encourage students to pursue research projects in transportation planning and engineering. Students should be focused on research towards innovation in the transportation industry.
This award is adjudicated based on the submission of a 500-word abstract of how their research will contribute to the body of knowledge in the transportation industry. In addition, to be eligible for the $2,000 award, candidates must meet the following requirements:
- be registered as a full-time student in a transportation Masters or Doctorate-level program at a Canadian university
- be in their first 18 months of a thesis-based program
- be a member of ITE
- be a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident of Canada