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August 2, 2006 — The University of Virginia's Center for Transportation Studies has assumed responsibility for a federally funded program to promote the sharing of new transportation technology with local governments around Virginia, beginning July 1. The program was previously managed by the Virginia Transportation Technology Transfer Center, a unit of the Virginia Transportation Research Council.
“This new responsibility fits in well with the public service mission of the University’s Center for Transportation Studies,” said Lester A. Hoel, director of the center and L.A. Lacy Distinguished Professor of Engineering. “Hosting the LTAP will help us share new knowledge with Virginia government officials in the field of transportation. The program will enable us to expand access to our facilities, share research results more broadly, provide continuing education courses, develop innovative transportation solutions and collaborate with public-sector partners in implementing research findings.”
The Local Technical Assistance Program is a national technology transfer initiative sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration that focuses on meeting the transportation technology transfer and training needs of local governments. The national mission of the LTAP program is to foster a safe, efficient, environmentally sound transportation system by improving the skills and knowledge of local transportation service providers through training, technical assistance and technology transfer activities.
“Virginia LTAP” is the federally designated LTAP Center for the Commonwealth of Virginia. By hosting training workshops and sponsoring conferences, publishing newsletters and administering a lending library of training videos, Virginia LTAP enables local transportation service providers in Virginia to increase their knowledge and skills in the field in an effort to improve travel in Virginia. Also, through an extensive network of contacts with other localities, state transportation agencies, universities and the federal government, Virginia LTAP will help seek solutions to local transportation problems.
Center for Transportation Studies
The Center for Transportation Studies is located in the University of Virginia’s School of Engineering and Applied Science. The school’s longstanding partnership with the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Virginia Transportation Research Council has helped build the Department of Civil Engineering’s strength in transportation research and education, which has benefited the center, as have ties with other research partners, such as the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Transit Administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Science Foundation. The federal Surface Transportation Act of 1987 marked a significant evolution of the center, which has emerged as a leading site for research involving information technology, transportation planning, safety, management and policy. Today the center oversees a comprehensive transportation program that includes education, research and public service.
The School of Engineering and Applied Science
Founded in 1836, the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science combines research and educational opportunities at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Within the undergraduate programs, courses in engineering, ethics, mathematics, the sciences and the humanities are available to build a strong foundation for careers in engineering and other professions. Its abundant research opportunities complement the curriculum and educate young men and women to become thoughtful leaders in technology and society. At the graduate level, the Engineering School collaborates with the University's highly ranked medical and business schools on interdisciplinary research projects and entrepreneurial initiatives. With a distinguished faculty and a student body of 2,000 undergraduates and 650 graduate students, the Engineering School offers an array of engineering disciplines, including cutting-edge research programs in computer and information science and engineering, bioengineering, and nanotechnology.
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For more information about Virginia LTAP, contact Saeed Eslambolchi, acting LTAP center director, by phone at (434) 924-6362, or by email at se5q@virginia.edu; or Jane Carlson, LTAP program coordinator, by phone at (434) 982-2897, or by email at jec8q@virginia.edu. |
