South Carolina State University Receives RITA Grant for Transportation Education and Research

Contact RITA 06-05 Roger Lotz 202-366-2246

Tuesday, July 5, 2005 - The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) announced today that just over $1 million in grant money was awarded to South Carolina State University’s James E. Clyburn University Transportation Center (UTC) to support the full range of the Center’s education and research programs.

“UTC programs attract talented researchers and students and engage them in new approaches to the transportation issues of tomorrow,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta.  “This grant demonstrates the Bush Administration’s continued commitment to fostering innovation and leadership, as transportation continues to move the U.S. economy forward in the 21^st century.”

The goal of South Carolina State University’s James E. Clyburn University Transportation Center is to assist federal, state, and local agencies in developing a highly skilled workforce to meet the future needs in transportation.  A major component of the Center’s work is its intermodal research, education, and technology transfer program, which recruits and trains minorities and women for the transportation workforce.  More information about the James E. Clyburn UTC can be found at http://www.utc.scsu.edu.

More than 75 colleges and universities throughout the United States participate in the UTC program conducting transportation research, education and technology transfer.  Last year, UTC colleges and universities graduated over 1,100 students with advanced transportation-related degrees, offered almost 2,000 undergraduate and graduate transportation courses, conducted almost 300 research projects, and trained 32,000 practicing transportation professionals.

The UTC program is administered by RITA and grant recipients are required to provide matching funds.  More information on UTC grants can be found at www.rita.dot.gov.