The University Transportation Centers (UTC) program is a federal program to improve transportation research and education in the United States and to strengthen the country's competitiveness in the global transportation industry.

History

The UTC program was established by the

United States Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the president of the United States a ...

in 1987 and was authorized by the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

as part of the

Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act The Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987 (Pub. L. 100–17, 101 Stat. 132) is a United States Act of Congress, containing in Title I, the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1987. History The bill was introduced in House b ...

. The act specifically allocated funds for the establishment of federal transportation centers within institutions of higher education in each of the 10

Standard Federal Regions This is a list of some of the ways ''regions'' are defined in the United States. Many regions are defined in law or regulations by the federal government; others by shared culture and history, and others by economic factors. Interstate regions ...

."UTC Program History"
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''. Retrieved on 17 March 2017. In 1991 the UTC program was reauthorized for six years and four new transportation centers were added. Six University Research Institutes (URIs), each with its own specifically mandated research objectives, were added as well. In 1998 the

Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century The United States federal Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) is a federal transportation bill enacted June 9, 1998, as and . TEA-21 authorized federal surface transportation programs for highways, highway safety, and trans ...

(TEA‑21) reauthorized the UTC program for an additional six years and increased the total number of UTCs from 14 to 33. In 2005 the UTC program was again reauthorized in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The number of UTCs increased to 60, some competitive and others explicitly named in the bill.

Mission and goals

The UTC program mission is "to advance U.S. technology and expertise in the many disciplines comprising transportation through the mechanisms of education, research and technology transfer at university-based centers of excellence"."Vision, Mission, and Goals"
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USDOT The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the president of the United States a ...

'', ''

Research and Innovative Technology Administration The Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) was a unit of the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT). It was created in 2005 to advance transportation science, technology, and analysis, as well as improve the coordina ...

''. Retrieved on 17 March 2017. The program also strives to achieve six specific goals: #Education: multi disciplinary program of course work and

experiential learning Experiential learning (ExL) is the process of learning through experience, and is more narrowly defined as "learning through reflection on doing". Hands-on learning can be a form of experiential learning, but does not necessarily involve students ...

that reinforces the transportation theme of the center # Human Resources: increased number of students, faculty, and staff who are attracted to and substantively involved in the

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education, usually in a college or university. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, ...

, graduate, and professional programs of the center # Diversity: students, faculty, and staff who reflect the growing diversity of the U.S. workforce and are substantively involved in the undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs of the center # Research Selection: objective process for selecting and reviewing research that balances multiple objectives of the UTC program # Research Performance: ongoing program of basic and applied research, the products of which are judged by peers or other experts in the field to advance the body of knowledge in transportation # Technology Transfer: availability of research results to potential users in a form that can be directly implemented, utilized, or otherwise applied

References

External links

Council of University Transportation Centers

USDOT University Transportation Centers
{{Authority control United States federal transportation legislation