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The Mineta Transportation Institute and eight other leading university transportation centers, functioning together as the Mineta National Transit Research Consortium (MNTRC), have now begun operating under a $3.49 million grant from the US Department of Transportation (DOT). The funds, which will be used for research, education, and other projects that help improve public transit, are provided by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and distributed through DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA). The federal grant will be matched with funds from local departments of transportation and other sources.
The nine MNTRC universities include:
“We all are honored that the Mineta National Transit Research Consortium was given this award,” said Rod Diridon, Sr., executive director of MTI. “The need to support mass transit in America has never been more profound. Americans must set an example for the rest of the world by reducing highway congestion in metropolitan areas, combating our deficit balance of trade from oil imports, and fighting climate change.”
Representing the four universities of MIOH, director Leo Hanifin, PhD, was equally enthusiastic about the grant. “The MNTRC members have conducted timely and exceedingly important academic research, and the University of Detroit Mercy and the other three members of the Michigan Ohio University Transportation Center are honored to join this exceptional group. At the University of Detroit Mercy, we will build upon our past work to investigate the ways in which effective regional transit systems are developed. We will apply the resulting knowledge to enable such systems in our region of Southeastern Michigan and other urban areas across the nation.”
A few sample research projects that will be completed within the MNTRC include:
David Klinikowski, director of Bus Research and Testing at Penn State, said, “The consortium will be a resource to help the US Federal Transit Administration provide safe, reliable, convenient, and environmentally friendly transportation that is affordable for all people.”
Robert B. Noland, PhD, director of the Vorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers University, also noted, “The Voorhees Transportation Center has focused on policy research that can inform decision makers. The MNTRC will allow us to expand our research on transit and provide useful information to understand the social, economic, and environmental implications of different policy choices.”
The research project reports will continue to be available for download from the MTI web site as consortium leader, and through public meetings, symposia, professional conferences, and other distribution outlets.
Besides research, the MNTRC universities will continue to offer a variety of education and workforce development programs, including multi-disciplinary and more traditional undergraduate, masters, and doctoral-level degree programs. The educational opportunities presented by the consortium primarily will span the managerial, policy, and more technical aspects of transit. Educational programs also will continue to be offered to young people in primary, middle, and high school.
ABOUT THE MINETA NATIONAL TRANSIT RESEARCH CONSORTIUM
The Mineta National Transit Research Consortium (MNTRC) conducts research, education, and information and technology transfer, focusing on transportation policy, technology, and management issues, especially as they relate to transit. MNTRC was established in 2011 as part of SAFETEA-LU legislation authorized by Congress. Six of the Consortium’s nine university transportation centers were originally authorized under ISTEA in 1991, TEA-21 in 1998, and/or SAFETEA-LU in 2006. The MNTRC has been funded by Congress through the US Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), by individual state departments of transportation, and by other public and private grants and donations. The nine Consortium universities include Bowling Green, Detroit Mercy, Grand Valley, Howard University, Penn State, Rutgers, San Jose State, University of Nevada Las Vegas, and University of Toledo.
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SJSU Research Foundation 210 N. 4th Street, 4th Floor, San Jose, CA 95112 Phone: 408-924-7560 Email: mineta-institute@sjsu.edu