September 22, 2025

MSU Tackles Congestion for IANA Case Competition Win

CALVERTON, MD (September 22, 2025) – Mississippi State University took the number one spot at the Intermodal Association of North America's 2025 Intermodal Case Study Competition. It was their first time participating in the event. 

The students representing the university were Elijah Davis, Emma Lovely-Gonzalez, Sophie Perrigin and Bradley Sills. This year’s case, “A Port of Clearview,” addressed the real-world challenge of congestion at a hypothetical port, asking them to develop solutions for mitigating gate congestion while balancing operating and customer costs.

In addition to MSU, IANA’s other competing scholarship schools included: Cal Poly Maritime Academy, College of Charleston, Georgia Southern, University of Arkansas, University of Houston, University of North Texas, SUNY Maritime, University of Maryland, University of North Florida, University of Tennessee, Knoxville and University of Wisconsin, Superior. IANA’s scholarship awards support curriculum designed to attract students to intermodal transportation and related careers.

“We are extremely proud of our team. The competition brings together great students from leading universities, so for Mississippi State to win in our first year as a scholarship school and event participant was especially exciting and meaningful.” said Dr. Chris Boone, the university’s associate professor of supply chain logistics. “We’re very grateful to IANA for this opportunity and for their commitment to supporting students and developing the next generation of intermodal talent.”

"We’re thrilled to congratulate Mississippi State University on their well-deserved win. The team’s creativity and commitment really stood out,” said Anne Reinke, president and CEO of IANA. “It is inspiring to see the next generation from all of the IANA scholarship schools bringing such energy and fresh ideas to our industry.”

Since the Scholarship Program's inception in 2007, IANA has awarded over $6.0 million to support students in university programs focused on freight and intermodal transportation. The Program funds tuition, student research projects on intermodal issues and curriculum development.