The Institute of Transportation Studies is proud to spotlight Ryan Loo for his contributions to the 2026 Transportation Research Immersion Program (TRIP). Ryan is an Economics student at Irvine Valley College with interests in accessibility, transportation equity, and the ways research can address real-world challenges. His academic interests center on understanding inequality and developing practical, evidence-based solutions that create meaningful change for individuals and communities.
“I chose Economics because I want to continue understanding how money enables the world and impacts individuals and families in practical ways….I want to continue researching inequality and accessibility and move beyond simply identifying these disparities and instead contribute to developing feasible and evidence based solutions that can create meaningful and measurable change in society.”
TRIP provides students like Ryan with the opportunity to explore how research can inform solutions to complex transportation and accessibility issues. He is particularly interested in the process of transforming ideas into actionable strategies that positively impact diverse communities. Through his previous research experiences, Ryan has seen firsthand how collaborative research can lead to innovative solutions with broad societal applications.
“The thing that intrigues me the most about research is seeing the process of proposed solutions being developed into actionable strategies that impacts individuals across diverse backgrounds.”
As part of this project, Ryan hopes to strengthen his collaboration skills while working alongside students from different educational backgrounds. He is excited by the opportunity to contribute to research that addresses accessibility challenges and supports meaningful progress toward more equitable transportation systems.
“I want to work collectively in my team of students across all educational backgrounds toward shared milestones that can drive meaningful progress within our project.”
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.