In Loving Memory of - Morgan State University

Of all the things Dr. Shinya Kikuchi is known for, I will remember him best as aphenomenal mentor and teacher. While all professors are experts in their field, Dr.Kikuchi also demonstrated a breadth of knowledge beyond his specific discipline. Inclass, as much as he focused on the technical aspects of a subject, he was also adamantthat we appreciate the political and historical significance of the concept. In theinterdisciplinary field of transportation, Dr. Kikuchi’s holistic teachings have beenfundamental to my understanding of different topics. Additionally, he challenged usto be active learners by fostering exchanges that forced us to understand the basis ofour answers. When we were wrong, he did not hesitate to provide constructivecriticism to help us improve our reasoning. Dr. Kikuchi was able to do this quite easilybecause of the passion he had for the transportation field – a passion so strong that westudents became easily infected.Kikuchi’s sphere of influence was not relegated to the classroom; he was alwayswilling to assist his students in ways that went above and beyond. Whenever theopportunity existed, he pushed me to apply for fellowships and other opportunitiesincluding the job I currently hold. He remained accessible, allowing meetingswhenever he was available and even providing his cell number for better access. Thisaccessibility continued even during his fight with cancer. When I asked him whether Icould meet with him to bounce some ideas about my long-term goals for life, heeagerly accepted and provided invaluable advice. The transportation field has lost agreat teacher and I wish that more students would have the opportunity to studyunder a professor like Dr. Kikuchi. His infectious passion for transportation andcompassion towards his students deeply enriched my life and his legacy will surelyremain strong at Virginia Tech.Jefferson KingHis student at Virginia TechWe encounter a number of teachers in our lifetime, but very few have the ability toinspire and influence us by the sheer warmth of their personality. Dr. Kikuchi sits onthat pedestal. His research and accomplishments in the field of transportation areeminent in the academic and industrial world, but what sets Dr. Kikuchi apart is theaffection and care he shows towards his students. His kindness and generosity hadalways made him very approachable to all. I found his rigorous passion for the subjectto be very contagious. The very thought of his pleasant visage sparks such fondmemories, in retrospect, I certainly learned quite a few skills subconsciously from him.I feel very fortunate to have known Dr. Kikuchi, who inspired many of us with hisgentle and humble nature. The news of his demise has deeply saddened me. Theworld will miss an amazing professor, a treasured mentor to many and above all, agreat human being.Kavya SambanaHis student at Virginia TechShinya Kikuchi is a big reason why I am the way I am today. I’d always been drawn totransportation engineering and had always been fascinated by the pedestrian side oftransportation operations, but it wasn’t until I met him and started taking classes fromhim that I really understood just how excited it was possible to be about non-autotransit modes.Dr. Kikuchi’s coursework opened my eyes to the vast potential that exists for walkable,transit-oriented development. Having grown up in the heart of suburbia, I’d alwaysthought of urban living as something of a sacrifice; that you had to give up somethingto live in the big city. Dr. Kikuchi’s teachings and his lifestyle helped me understandthat cities present opportunity, and it’s largely because of his encouragement that I’vefound a career doing work that I greatly enjoy while being able to live in a vibrant andexciting neighborhood. In fact, a meeting with him at TRB 2011 indirectly caused me tofind my current apartment, which happens to be right across the street from this veryhotel!It’s in ways like this that Dr. Kikuchi wasn’t just a teacher to me, he was also a lifeadvisor and a great friend. In my second-to-last semester of graduate school, I signedup to take Dr. Kikuchi’s “Decision Making in Transportation Engineering andPlanning” course. A combination of the course timing and the niche subject mattermeant that within two weeks of the class beginning, I was the only student left in theclass. But did Dr. Kikuchi cancel the class? No – he turned it into an independentstudy. And since I was in Blacksburg and he was in Falls Church, the independentstudy continued to meet for 90 minutes on Tuesdays and Thursdays using the videoconferencing system, as though nothing had changed. I was in a classroom all bymyself, and so was he. It was by far the most curious educational experience I everhad, but during our time together we were able to talk about all kinds of topics, bothtransportation-related and not. While I was initially puzzled by his insistence oncontinuing the lecture-style course as though nothing had changed, with time I beganto realize that Dr. Kikuchi was so dedicated to his profession that he’d go toextraordinary lengths to teach anyone who shared his interests, even if it was just aclass of one.I’ll always treasure our semester of one-on-one long-distance education, and mygreatest regret is that he won’t be able help enlighten class after class of students tocome by simply doing what he loved.Peter KauffmannHis student fat Virginia Tech3031