What to Expect at BTR
Requirements
To participate in BTR, you need:
- Stable INTERNET connection
- ZOOM account, logged in & video/sound tested
For new account setup, visit https://support.zoom.com/ - it’s free & accessible via your browser program.
Sample Conference Day
The conference runs simultaneously across two hemispheres to accommodate participants worldwide:
| Time | Eastern Track | Time | Western Track |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12-1 pm AEST (UTC+10) | Headline Presentation | 10-11 am CDT (UTC-5) | Headline Presentation |
| 1-3 pm AEST (east Austr.) | 2-4 parallel sessions | 11 am-1 pm CDT (central US) | 2-4 parallel sessions |
| 3-5 pm AEST | 2-4 parallel sessions | 1-3 pm CDT | 2-4 parallel sessions |
How to Participate
Joining Sessions: Click on the hyperlink for the Program session you wish to join and you will quickly be admitted. Program links can be found at BTR website in early July. The BTR 7 program is available here!
Interaction: - Zoom’s chat box is used for all questions (& for many responses) during & after each presentation - Everyone’s muted, except hosts and presenters - You can join any session at any time! And you can move from session to session, as you wish
Conference Features
Renowned Headliners
BTR features four world-renowned researchers as headline presenters, offering insightful presentations on cutting-edge topics in transport. These distinguished scholars kick off each hemisphere’s sessions each day. You can find links to headliners (past & present) in the archive at the top of this page.
Curated Presentations
As an international conference, BTR schedules session timeslots to accommodate participants in both eastern + western hemispheres. Each hemisphere has 2 to 4 parallel tracks (running simultaneously, after the headliner’s 1-hr presentation), ensuring comprehensive coverage of diverse topics.
Within each track, two 2-hour sessions will unfold (for 4 hours total, after the headliner’s 1-hour presentation), featuring 4 to 6 presentations per session. Each presenter has 15 to 25 minutes for delivery (depending on number of presenters in your 2-hour session), followed by a 3- to 5-minute Q&A session to foster engagement and discussion.
If a speaker runs out of time, questions can easily be tackled in the Chat box. Many speakers create & share a slideshow recording with organizers before the conference, so tech staff can play their pptx files if a speaker’s internet connection is imperfect.
Conference program details with Zoom URLs appear on the BTR website (& are sent to all registrants) in July.
Presentation Recordings
Don’t worry about missing any presentations due to time conflicts or different time zones: Recordings of each presentation will be available online after the conference. Explore recordings from past conferences here: https://bridgingtransport.org/archive-directory/.
Professional Development
A BTR certificate of attendance will be provided upon request, if needed for continuing education (CE) or Professional Development Hour (PDH) credits, as long as your activities meet the guidelines set forth by your state/governing board.
Your Annual Low-Carbon Conference
We all look forward to having you join us in early August, year after year, for each BTR conference! For BTR 8, please submit your papers online by March 31, 2026, so we can try to get your excellent investigative work into the program (following a double-blind review process).
Please let all transport enthusiasts know about this fabulously unifying (& FREE!) event, so they can register, listen in & pose questions to presenters in August. Everyone is welcome to attend, researchers and laypeople alike.