UDM is the lead institution of the Michigan-Ohio (MIOH) University Transportation Center (UTC), a coalition of five regional universities exploring transportation issues. Leo Hanifin, dean of the College of Engineering & Science, serves as the MIOH UTC director.

The MIOH is part of a nationwide academic network of UTCs funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) 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.

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 have been approved, including the following, which involve UDM faculty and students:

• Mark Benvenuto, professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry, is leading research involving the production of bioethanol from peat and other cellulosic materials found in native-Michigan plants.
• Shahram Taj, professor of Business Administration, will lead a project to develop graduate-level curricula in transportation network congestion and supply chain efficiency.
• Mark Schumack, professor of Mechanical Engineering, will be involved in an educational project to develop a computer simulation of hydraulic hybrid vehicles.

Other projects including ethanol research and developing intelligent software to relieve transportation congestion will involve Grand Valley State University, Wayne State University, the University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University.

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, will lead this project.

"Overall, the MIOH UTC will contribute important knowledge and develop future transportation professionals," says 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."