UDM Leads U.S. Dept. of Transportation - University Transportation Center
The United States Department of Transportation has announced the creation of the Michigan-Ohio (MIOH) University Transportation Center (UTC), a coalition of five regional universities-University of Detroit Mercy (UDM), Bowling Green State University (BGSU), Grand Valley State University (GVSU), The University of Toledo (UT), and Wayne State University (WSU).
The coalition will address the transportation capabilities and competitive position of the region and the nation. An environmental stewardship focus will reduce pollutants and other adverse effects not only by decreasing fossil-fuel dependence but also by developing congestion avoidance systems. UDM will lead the efforts, with Leo Hanifin, dean of the College of Engineering & Science, serving as the MIOH UTC director.
The MIOH is part of a nationwide academic network of UTCs funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation to address issues of a nation on the move in a global economy. It will work toward:
improving efficiency and use of existing transportation infrastructures, including solutions to bottlenecks, safety and security, and maintenance and repair.
reducing energy dependence through alternative fuels and alternative energy-powered vehicles.
enhancing supply chain performance via methods including Intelligent Transportation Systems.
"Overall, the MIOH UTC will contribute important new knowledge and develop future transportation professionals," said Hanifin. "It will improve the Michigan-Ohio region and the nation in ways that affect everyone by decreasing congestion, improving supply chain effectiveness, reducing pollutants and reducing fossil-fuel dependence."
In addition to the U.S. DOT, which made a four-year commitment, funds will also come from the Michigan DOT, partner universities and corporations, for a total of approximately $1 million per year. Eight research and education projects approved for the first year will involve 64 faculty and student researchers. These include the following:
Ethanol from Peat: Dr. Mark Benvenuto, Department of Chemistry at UDM, will lead research involving the production of ethanol from peat and other cellulosic materials found in native-Michigan plants. Dr. Charles Winter of WSU is partnering on this research.
New Transportation/Supply Chain Graduate Program: Dr. Shahram Taj, College of Business at UDM, will lead a project to develop graduate-level curricula in transportation network congestion and supply chain efficiency. Co-Principal Investigator on this project will be Dr. Subba Rao and other faculty from The University of Toledo.
Hydraulic Hybrid Education: Dr. Mohammad Elahinia, Dept. of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering at UT, will be involved in an educational project to develop a computer simulation of hydraulic hybrid vehicles. Collaborating on this research is Mark Schumack, UDM.
Traffic Congestion Relief: Dr. Charles Standridge, School of Engineering, will lead a project developed at Grand Valley State University, with contributions from Dr. Shabbir Choudhuri, GVSU, and Dr. Snehamey Khasnabis, WSU, for a proposed integrated software system to address traffic-congestion relief.
Biodiesel Stability: Dr. Steven Salley, Chemical Engineering at WSU, with support from Dr. K.Y.Simon Ng and Dr. Martin Abraham of The University of Toledo will examine biodiesel fuels relative to improved oxidative stability.
Congestion Avoidance for Supply Chain Improvement: Dr. Ratna Babu Chinnam and Dr. Alper Murat, both of WSU's Indudustrial and Manufacturing Engineering Dept., and Dr. Gregory Ulferts, UDM, will initiate research in congestion avoidance and reduction to improve transportation supply chain efficiency in our region.
Evaluation of Intelligent Transportation System in Oakland County: Dr. Utpal Dutta, Civil and Environmental Engineering at UDM, will focus on evaluating a currently existing 'Intelligent Transportation System' known as SCATS. The focus of this research will be measuring the impact of the system as installed versus a comparable major roadway without the benefit of SCATS.
Alternative Fuel Education for High School Students: The UTC also will reach into the K-12 educational system to build student interest in transportation. In the first K-12 project, UDM faculty will partner with high school teachers, Ford Motor Company and the Educational Development Corporation to develop experiential curriculum in the area of alternative fuels. Dan Maggio, director of Pre-College Programs in Engineering and Science along with several faculty at UDM, will lead this project.
Publish date: December 05, 2006