Center for Transportation Research: Highlights

The New York Time summarizes alternative energy strategies afoot with Exxon. http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/07/16/16greenwire-some-see-exxon-investments-into-alt-energy-sig-14080.html “I think they see changes to the energy system coming over the next decades,” said Michael Webber, an energy expert and engineering professor at the University of Texas. “It’s pretty transparent that the energy field will be different 30 years from now. They’re [...]

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University student newspaper reports on the arduous path to becoming a tenured engineering professor. http://www.dailytexanonline.com/top-stories/engineering-professors-balance-class-research-1.1787726 The road to engineering tenure requires publication in research journals, doctoral-student supervision and a solid teaching record, said Anthony Ambler, electrical engineering professor and chairman of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.. It also involves applying for research grants [...]

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CTR has published a new report on repairing and rehabilitating pavement that has experienced longitudinal cracking and joint separation. These methods included field assessment for determining the severity of the causes of the symptoms and procedures for addressing the issues discovered during the assessment. The methods were evaluated for ease of implementation, cost effectiveness, and [...]

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Studies have shown how transportation affects climate changes, but what impact does climate change have on the U.S. transportation industry?  A new report by the National Research Council and the Transportation Research Board share their findings.  See TRB Special Report 290: http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/sr/sr290.pdf

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The Matador Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is located in North Texas, midway between Wichita Falls and Lubbock. Matador has seen little mountain biking activity so far, allowing for wide open trails. Matador’s 28,000 acres offer the mountain biker plenty of riding country along with a chance to see lots of wildlife. Rio Grand turkey, Mississippi [...]

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The Wall Street Journal reports that urban areas are upgrading their bus systems to increase ridership. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124528126290225307.html After years as the ugly stepchild of intercity transportation — thanks to its long-held reputation as unfriendly, uncomfortable and tawdry — bus travel is bouncing back. Recession-battered travelers, looking to spend as little as possible, are increasingly open [...]

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The July Research Digest highlights recent publications from state DOTs. The issue is available online as a PDF. The Research Digest is a monthly newsletter targeted towards TxDOT staff and researchers. The goal of the Digest is to showcase new publications the library has received. An archive of past issues is available on the CTR Library [...]

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According to a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, truckers who text while driving are 23 times more likely to crash or get into a near-wreck than an undistracted driver, while car drivers face the greatest danger when dialing their cell phones. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/07/28/texting.driving.dangers/ “From the study that we did, we found that it was [...]

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