UAB University Transportation Center

Activity Report Thru March, 2008

 

UAB-UTC leadership has been very productive since receiving the earmarked fund for 2006 that provided for establishing the University Transportation Center. In the outline which follows we describe 7 major accomplishments as well as detailing our active participation in funding agency sponsored meetings, all of which were required of first year center leadership.

• Submitted the formal, required grant application paperwork (thru UAB’s Office of Grants and Contracts) to the funding agency (RITA) so that Year 1 funding could be released and preparation of the Strategic Plan could commence;

• Completed and submitted the mandatory Strategic Plan

• Developed and adopted a mandatory theme which is: Traffic Safety and Injury Control.

• Established the mandatory Advisory Board;

• Conducted the first Advisory Board meeting;

• Expanded Advisory Board membership based on recommendations received at the inaugural meeting;

• Developed two significant research project concepts:

• Hosted national transportation meeting December 4th, 2007

 

(Concept A) Glucose Tolerance and Commercial Driver Crashes

(Concept B) The Impact of Traffic Congestion on Movement of Emergency Response Vehicles and Patient Outcomes (Pilot)

January 2006:  Dr. Russ Fine, UAB-UTC Director, participated in the mandatory winter meeting of the Council of University Transportation Centers (CUTC) in Washington, DC.

The Council of University Transportation Centers (CUTC) was established to promote continued dialogue among its member institutions, and to provide a forum for the centers to interact collectively with government and industry.

The primary purposes of CUTC include providing a:

• forum for improving and enhancing research and education in transportation and related areas;

• means by which problems common to transportation centers in universities can be discussed and clarified;

• medium through which transportation research and education may be enhanced and where information and opinions on problems emerging in transportation can be expeditiously exchanged;

• forum for better integrating and coordinating research with academic education, training, and technology transfer; and

• point of interface for other groups and organizations having an interest in university transportation education and/or research.

April 2006:  Dr. Russ Fine, UAB-UTC Director, and Ms. Andrea Underhill UAB-UTC Associate Director, participated in the mandatory University Transportation Centers Plenary Session in Washington, DC. The purpose of this two-day Plenary Session was to provide a general session where current and prospective UTC Program participants:

• Received information and engage in general discussion about the broad research, development and technology (RD&T) goals of USDOT

• Received information and engage in general discussion about the RD&T goals of the USDOT Operating Administrations

• Learned about the UTC Program goals and requirements as formulated under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU, P.L. 109-59, secs. 3036, 5401, and 5402).

• Were schooled in the UTC grants preparation, approval, management, administration and oversight process

• Learned about UTC “best practices” from colleagues to improve UTC performance in the objectives of research, education and technology transfer

• Were given recommendations pertaining to making contacts and improving relationships with colleagues in diverse fields and disciplines

June 2006:  Associate Director, Andrea Underhill participated in the mandatory summer meeting of the Council of University Transportation Centers (CUTC) in Big Sky, MT. The purpose of this meeting was to provide information and guidance to UTC leadership and staff on a variety of topics, including :

• Business/Finance/Administration

• Education/Technology Transfer

• Leveraging Dollars

These meetings enabled Dr. Fine and Ms. Underhill to become familiar with the UTC program. They were also useful in helping them determine how the UAB UTC was expected to fit into the overall UTC Program.