WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Transportation has selected Howard University to lead a Tier 1 University Transportation Center, building on the success of the existing Howard University Transportation Research Center.

The selection marks the first time Howard University has been selected as a lead university in the history of 36-year-old government research program. The research focus of the Howard University Transportation Center will be “Research and Education in Promoting Transportation Safety.”

Bruce Jones, PhD, Howard University vice president of the Office of Research, praised the historic outcome.

“Howard University is one of two HBCUs to lead a Tier-1 UTC, and we are proud to bring this to Washington, DC for the first time in the history of this program, particularly when the Centers have historically been elsewhere,” Jones said.  “This is what making impact and making history are all about, and this team will achieve a great result for the region and the nation.”

The Tier-1 Center for Promoting Safety will receive $2 million per year for five years and is one of only 20 awarded such centers in the country. The center will focus on promoting safety for all transportation modes and provide educational opportunities particularly for underrepresented students.

Stephen Arhin, PhD, professor and interim chair of the Howard University Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, will serve as center director.

 “I am thrilled that these awards have put HUTRC’s long-held expertise in transportation education and research on the national stage,” Arhin said. “Howard University and the team’s technical expertise, coupled with the transformative outlook on safety using new and innovative technologies will promote safety through research and education of our future leaders over the next five years and beyond.”

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About Howard University  

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 14 schools and colleges. Students pursue more than 140 programs of study leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced two Schwarzman Scholars, four Marshall Scholars, four Rhodes Scholars, 12 Truman Scholars, 25 Pickering Fellows and more than 165 Fulbright recipients. Howard also produces more on-campus African American PhD. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, visit www.howard.edu. 

Media contact: Sholnn Freeman; sholnn.freeman@howard.edu

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