The Center for Transportation Research (CTR) is a research center affiliated with the Cockrell School of Engineering's Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas. CTR is a research institution focused on transportation research and education.
Video Center for Transportation Research UT Austin
Summary
The Center for Transportation Research (CTR) conducts transportation research and provides educational opportunities for students of the University of Texas, including summer internships. The Center's primary research has been in such topics as concrete, materials research, pavement rehabilitation, bridge design, transportation planning and administration, modeling and forecasting, sustainable transportation, and technological innovations.
In any given year, CTR administers more than 100 research projects and interagency contracts with combined budgets exceeding $13 million. Approximately 45 faculty researchers and 10 professional researchers work at CTR. Approximately 60 graduate and undergraduate students (full-time equivalency) participate in the university's transportation program. Currently there are eight transportation research faculty. University of Texas students pursuing masters or doctoral degrees perform much of the hands-on research.
In addition to its own staff researchers, the center partners with other affiliated UT research centers, including Ferguson Structural Engineering Laboratory, the International Center for Aggregates Research, the Center for Electromechanics, the Construction Industry Institute, the Construction Materials Research Group, and the Center for Research in Water Resources. Researchers also participate in joint studies with Texas Transportation Institute and other universities.
Most of CTR's current research projects are sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Research and Technology Implementation Office. Other sponsors of research include the U.S. Department of Transportation, the National Science Foundation (NSF), North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and the City of Austin.
Each year, CTR holds an annual symposium where transportation professionals present research results and discuss ongoing projects.
Maps Center for Transportation Research UT Austin
History
CTR was formed in 1979 by the merging of the Center for Highway Research (established in 1963 as an administrative unit of the College of Engineering) and the Council for Advanced Transportation Studies (established in 1972 as a multidisciplinary transportation research and educational organization).
Directors
- 1963-1979: Clyde Lee (established the Center for Highway Research)
- 1980-1999: B. Frank McCullough
- 1999-2012: Randy B. Machemehl, who also serves as Associate Director of the Southwest Region University Transportation Center headquartered at Texas A&M University
- 2012-present: Chandra Bhat
Programs
CTR programs include the Austin and Dallas InterAgency Contract (IAC) projects, the Network Modeling Center, the Intercity Passenger and High-Speed Rail project, Mega-Region Freight, the Laredo Border Master Plan, the Advanced Institute for Transportation Infrastructure Engineering and Management, the Cooperative Research Program, the Texas Pavement Preservation Center, the Southwest Region University Transportation Center, the Strategic Research Program, and the Superpave Asphalt Technology Program.
Library
The CTR Library is a special library with a focus on transportation research. It primarily collects reports and products from government-funded transportation research as well as other materials that support research at the Texas Department of Transportation and at the Center for Transportation Research. The library's collection includes reports and other publications from TxDOT and research programs at other State departments of transportation, the Southwest Regional University Transportation Center (SWUTC), the Transportation Research Board, the Federal Highway Administration, and other agencies involved with research in transportation engineering. Its materials and services are also available to the general public.
The library operates as the TxDOT Research and Technology Implementation Office's library (TxDOT Research Library). It serves as an official repository for reports and other deliverables from the TxDOT cooperative research program (reports from all involved universities) and provides reference services, library material loans, and report distribution services to TxDOT staff.
The library is a member of the Western Transportation Knowledge Network (WTKN). The library is not a member of Online Computer Library Center (OCLC); its holdings are not listed in WorldCat.
As of January 2012, the library lists almost 22,000 items in its catalog.
Awards
CTR researchers have received awards from various transportation groups including the Transportation Research Board (TRB), Women in Transportation Seminar (WTS), Eno Transportation Foundation's Leadership Development Conference, National Highway Institute, Federal Highway Administration, the Texas chapter of Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America), the Structural Engineers Association of Texas, and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
Recent Awards
- Oguzhan Bayrak: 2011 George D. Nasser Award from the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI)
- Rajesh Paleti: 2011 Dr. Robert Herman Award from Southwest Region University Transportation Center (SWUTC)
- Kevin J. Folliard and Maria Juenger: 2010 Wason Medal for Materials Research from the American Concrete Institute (paper coauthored with three UT alumni: Kyle A. Riding, Assistant Professor at Kansas State University; Anton K. Schindler, Associate Professor at Auburn University; and Jonathan L. Poole, CTL Group)
- Richard Klingner: 2010 Wilbur C. Schoeller Award from the Structural Engineers Association of Texas. Klingner was recognized for his teaching, research, and leadership of technical committees within ACI, TMS, and ASTM
- Randy B. Machemehl: Innovative Projects Solutions Award from Women in Transportation Seminar (WTS) and a 2010 WTS International Award for a bicycle safety study conducted by CTR in partnership with the City of Austin
- Kara Kockelman: 2010 Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
- Chandra R. Bhat: 2010 Most Outstanding Faculty Award for Civil Engineering from the Student Engineering Council
- Kenneth H. Stokoe: 2010 H. Bolton Seed Medal from the Geo-Institute of ASCE
- Todd Helwig, Joseph A. Yura: 2010 ASCE Moisseiff Award
- Ellen Rathje, Kenneth H. Stokoe: 2010 C. A. Hogentogler Award from the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
- Chandra R. Bhat: 2010 S. S. Steinberg Award from the Research and Education Division of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association
- Lauren Gardner: 2010 Helene M. Overly Memorial Scholarship, awarded by the Heart of Texas Chapter of Women's Transportation Seminar
- Katherine Kortum: 2010 Elaine Dezenski President's Legacy Scholarship, awarded by the Heart of Texas Chapter of Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS)
- Migdalia Carrion Alers, Lauren Gardner, Beatriz Rutzen: 2009-2010 Eisenhower Graduate Transportation Fellowships, awarded by the Universities and Grants Programs of the National Highway Institute, Federal Highway Administration
- Xiaokun Wang: 2009 Young Researcher Award from the Transportation Research Board's Committee on Statistical Methods (ABJ80)
- Bharath Rajagopalan: 2009 C. V. Wootan Memorial Award for the best master's thesis
- Jason Lemp: 2009 SWUTC William J. Harris Outstanding Ph.D. Student Award from Southwest Region University Transportation Center (SWUTC)
External links
- Center for Transportation Research
- Transportation Engineering at the CAEE, UT Austin
- Southwest Region University Transportation Center
- Texas Department of Transportation Research Publications
- Western Transportation Knowledge Network
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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