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RSPA 12-03
Contact: Joe Delcambre
Tel.: (202) 366-4831
Thursday, September 11, 2003 publicaffairs@rspa.dot.gov
DOT Awards $5.4 Million in Federal Grants for Transportation Research and
Education
U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta today announced five grants
totaling $5.4 million in support of advanced transportation-related research at
University Transportation Centers (UTCs) across the nation.
"To encourage increased innovation, President Bush helped push federal R&D
funding for science and technology over $100 billion for the first time in
history," Secretary Mineta stated. "The seed money we invest with these grants
will pay dividends for the American public by making transportation safer, more
economical and reliable."
More than 75 colleges and universities throughout the United States participate
in UTCs to conduct combined programs of transportation research, education and
technology transfer. Last year, the UTC colleges and universities graduated over
1,000 students with advanced transportation-related degrees, offered almost
2,000 undergraduate and graduate transportation courses, conducted over 400
research projects, and trained over 25,000 practicing transportation
professionals.
UTC grants are administered by the Research and Special Programs Administration
(RSPA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and must be matched by
recipients on a dollar-for-dollar basis at a minimum, leveraging the value of
the federal investment.
DOT awarded $2 million to:
* Northwestern University - Infrastructure Technology Institute
DOT awarded $906,000 to each of the following:
* University of California at Berkeley - University of California Transportation
Center
* Texas A&M University - Southwest Region University Transportation Center
* University of Washington - Transportation Northwest Regional Center
DOT awarded $652,700 to:
* North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University - Urban Transit
Institute
RSPA works for the advancement of science and technology for national
transportation needs. RSPA also has responsibilities for ensuring the safe and
secure movement of hazardous materials to industry and consumers by all modes of
transportation, including pipelines, and coordination of rapid response to
transportation emergencies. Information on the UTC program is available on the
Web at: http://utc.dot.gov/.
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