MEMBER NEWS DOSSIER: Myra Blanco, Ph.D Virginia Tech Transportation Institute With son Alex, husband Mark, and daughter Sarah on the beach in Hawaii, 2021. What do you like to do in your free time? As a family, we try to plan at least one vacation a year to a place we have not visited before and try to learn about the local culture and history. We need to understand other cultures to evolve our perspectives and appreciate our differences. Is there anything else you'd like to say? VTTI is educating students and young professionals on how to become 26 August 2021 transportation leaders and how to succeed in the field of transportation. As part of my mentorship program, I created the WTS student chapter at Virginia Tech to help women through events, networking, and the celebration of women in transportation to get them excited about the endless potential we have in this field. I would love to see more women actively participating in SAE International and I hope to forward this goal by assisting and attracting other professionals as well as students. n UPDATE