Tag Archives: transportation

Mineta Transportation Institute Receives Community Partnership Recognition Award

On March 2 the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) presented the Mineta Transportation Institute with their Community Partnership Recognition award. Specifically, VTA recognized the efforts of MTI Research associates Dr. Frances Edwards and Mr. Dan Goodrich for the expert training they provided to VTA on emergency management.

“We are recognizing the Mineta Transportation Institute for being a valued community partner,” said San José Mayor Sam Liccardo and VTA Board of Directors Vice Chairperson.  “VTA reached out to MTI to educate VTA on its roles and responsibilities in the event of a wide-scale emergency or disaster. The MTI instructors brought multiple decades of emergency management and security experience to VTA and provided a depth of knowledge of the four phases of emergency management: mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. VTA continues to partner with MTI to deliver quality emergency management education to its employees.”

Dr. Edwards, deputy director of MTI’s National Transportation Safety and Security Center, and Mr. Goodrich bring decades of experience in emergency management to their work with transportation agencies. Their most recent research, Emergency Management Training for Transportation Agencies, identifies best practices in providing training courses to adults, with a particular emphasis on the effectiveness of interactive training materials.

ABOUT THE MINETA TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE
At the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) at San Jose State University (SJSU) our mission is to increase mobility for all by improving the safety, efficiency, accessibility, and convenience of our nation’s’ transportation system through research, education, workforce development and technology transfer. We help create a connected world.

MTI was founded in 1991 and is funded through the US Departments of Transportation and Homeland Security, the California Department of Transportation, and public and private grants. MTI is affiliated with SJSU’s Lucas College and Graduate School of Business.

Mineta Transportation Institute Receives $10.5 M in Grant Funding

The Mineta National Transportation Research Consortium (MNTRC), led by the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University (SJSU), was awarded $7 million in federal funding through the University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program for transportation research, education, workforce development and technology transfer activities. Matching funds from regional and state partners, including Caltrans, bring the grant five-year total to $10.5 million.

In addition to SJSU, the Consortium brings together a diverse set of university partners including Howard University, Navajo Technical University and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte who will focus on improving the mobility of people and goods to ensure that our nation’s transportation system is fast, safe, efficient, accessible and convenient for all.

MNTRC plans to lead the nation in researching safe, reliable solutions that increase mobility for people and goods and strengthen the nation’s economy. To achieve this goal, MNTRC will:

  • Leverage new technologies and innovative processes to achieve a seamless, multimodal surface transportation system that integrates with other “smart city” investments;
  • Create a safer, more reliable, and more resilient surface transportation system that improves equity through increased access to jobs, housing, services, and other opportunities;
  • Reduce the impact of transportation on climate change by identifying feasible alternative modes and fuels and innovative ways to reduce vehicle miles traveled;
  • Increase access to surface transportation so that people of all abilities and socioeconomic levels enjoy the same opportunities for learning, living, labor, and leisure; and
  • Optimize passenger and freight movements to improve mobility for people and goods through development of more accurate data models and advanced application of analytical tools.

“It would be difficult to overstate the contribution that the Mineta Transportation Institute has made to advancing our understanding of the far-reaching potential of mobility to effect change in people’s lives,” said Norman Y. Mineta, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation. “Without a doubt, the Mineta Transportation Institute has been a source of personal pride for me.”

MTI Executive Director Dr. Karen Philbrick said that the grant upholds the tremendous contributions MTI and the Consortium partners have made to the nation’s transportation system over the past 25 years. “We are honored to be recognized for our work that addresses the complex nature of today’s mobility challenges, and advances the body of usable transportation knowledge.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation received 212 applications as part of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act competition. Secretary Anthony Foxx, in his announcement of the winners, said, “Our nation faces unprecedented challenges from population growth, a changing climate, and increasing freight volumes. Universities are at the forefront of identifying solutions, researching critical emerging issues, and ensuring improved access to opportunity for all Americans.”

ABOUT THE MINETA TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE
The Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) conducts research, education, and information transfer programs regarding surface transportation policy and management issues, especially related to transit. Congress established MTI in 1991 as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act. MTI won national re-designation competitions in 2002, 2006, 2012, and 2016. The Institute is funded through the US Department of Transportation, the US Department of Homeland Security, the California Department of Transportation, and public and private grants. The internationally respected members of the MTI Board of Trustees represent all major surface transportation modes. MTI, the lead institute for the four-university Mineta National Transportation Research Consortium, is affiliated with San Jose (CA) State University’s Lucas College and Graduate School of Business. Visit transweb.sjsu.edu