| $875,000 FOR CENTER OF EXCELLENCE IN RURAL SAFETY The Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs has been awarded $875,000 to establish a national Center of Excellence in Rural Safety, with additional funding to be provided in the next four years, as part of the "Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU)." In addition, the ITS Institute within the University’s Center for Transportation Studies (CTS) has been awarded a $16 million grant over five years.
University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks and Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., will recognize the Humphrey Institute and CTS for their contributions to transportation and safety research during a special program from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 12, in the Ski-U-Mah Room in McNamara Alumni Center, 200 Oak St. S.E., Minneapolis. All are invited to attend.
The Center for Excellence in Rural Safety will be established to facilitate training, research, and educational exchange on the many transportation issues facing rural areas, says Lee Munnich, director of the center. This research is increasingly necessary as rural travel becomes more diversified due to demographic, economic, and cultural changes. Rural professionals must be able to facilitate safer travel, achieve better jobs-housing balance, and preserve environmental qualities while creating rural economic development, he says.
"The Center for Excellence in Rural Safety will focus new national attention on the problem of transportation safety and improving emergency response systems in rural areas through training, research, and educational exchange," says Munnich, also a senior fellow and director of the State and Local Policy Program at the Humphrey Institute.
The ITS Institute is one of 33 DOT-funded University Transportation Centers throughout the country. The centers aim to advance U.S. technology and expertise in the many disciplines that make up transportation through education, research and technology transfer activities. For more information, visit ITS online.
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