Alison Tanaka: Council of Outstanding Early Career Engineers - 2023

Raised in rural Oregon, Alison A. Tanaka came to Oregon State University in 2005 to study civil engineering, quickly embracing opportunities to solve real‑world problems through data and applied science. After graduating in 2009, she built a career supporting transportation projects nationwide, specializing in traffic signal and intelligent transportation systems (ITS) design, operations, and research.

Tanaka has been a lead author on influential national publications, including NCHRP Report 954: Performance‑Based Management of Traffic Signals and NCHRP Report 812: Signal Timing Manual, Second Edition, and serves on the Transportation Research Board’s Traffic Signal Systems Committee.

Currently, Tanaka is an engineer in the Intelligent Transportation Systems Section at the Portland Bureau of Transportation, where she supports traffic signals, street lighting, and ITS infrastructure. She brings innovative practices back to Oregon, improving transportation systems that benefit Portland’s communities every day.