The Institute of Transportation Studies is proud to spotlight Arnav Rastogi for his contributions to the 2026 Pre-College Research Immersion Program (PRIME). Arnav is a student at American High School with interests in transportation equity, accessible transportation, and active mobility. His passion for research stems from a desire to better understand how data can be used to support equitable transportation systems and informed decision-making.
“I chose my research field because it is embedded in equity and reasoning.”
PRIME provides students like Arnav with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in transportation research while exploring real-world challenges. He is particularly interested in the role of data collection and analysis in producing reliable research outcomes and ensuring that findings accurately reflect the communities they are intended to serve.
“I’m most excited to see and help with data collection, making sure there are no biases and problems.”
As part of this project, Arnav hopes to strengthen his research skills and gain experience working with data. Through PRIME, he looks forward to learning how researchers organize, analyze, and model information to better understand transportation-related issues and support future studies.
“I want to better understand how to model data for research fields.”
Author Reina Kabbara is a recent graduate of Public Health Policy at UC Irvine. She has conducted transportation and environmental research under the Institute of Transportation Studies and through Professor Jun Wu’s E3: “Exposure, Epidemiology, and Equity” Environmental Health Lab.
Each summer, the ITS-Irvine Transportation Research Immersion Program (TRIP) and the Pre-college Research Immersion Program pair undergraduate and high school student researchers with faculty to contribute meaningfully to ongoing transportation research projects. To learn more about these programs, contact ITS-Irvine Assistant Director for Programs and Engagement Dr. Victoria Deguzman at vvdeguzm@uci.edu.