September 28, 2009

Transportation Professor Leads High-Speed-Rail Project in Calif.

Michael Kodama, an adjunct at the U. of Southern California, wants more public transit.

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Michael Kodama, an adjunct at the U. of Southern California, wants more public transit.

By Austin Wright

Get from point A to point B, then back. No cars.

Follow those instructions and earn 10 percent of your grade in Michael Kodama's transportation-planning class at the University of Southern California.

Each semester, the 47-year-old adjunct professor requires his students to hop aboard a commuter train and travel an assigned route that includes at least one transfer. Afterward, students write an essay about the experience.

For some "it's a