Michigan Tech Transportation Institute (MTTI) hosts a research informational forum

Dr. Pasi Lautala, Director of the Michigan Tech Rail Transportation Program at Michigan Tech talks with students at the REAC (Railway Engineering Activities Club) model train exhibit during the Student Transportation Showcase hosted by the Michigan Tech Transportation Institute. The Michigan Tech Transportation Institute launched this program in the Fall of 2007 with university and corporate support. The program is designed to educate students from a variety of engineering and non-engineering disciplines at Michigan Tech to meet the growing demand for an educated workforce by the rail industry.

Nick Koszykowski and Gary Schlaff, both Sr. Software Engineers with the Michigan Local Technical Assistance Program and Technology Development Group at Michigan Tech demonstrate RoadSoft GIS asset management software to students during the the Student Transportation Showcase hosted by the Michigan Tech Transportation Institute. This event introduced students to opportunities to connect with transportation activities while at the university for potential future careers in the transportation industry.

Dr. Bruce Seely, Chair of the Department of Social Sciences at Michigan Tech addresses the participants at the research forum. Topics included an overview of the Michigan Tech Transportation Institute, current research initiatives and areas for growth, and where to find transportation news and funding opportunities. Dale Tahtinen, Vice President for Government Relations at Michigan Tech also addressed the group regarding the political environment surrounding the transportation industry's needs at the state and national levels and opportunities for Michigan Tech to take a more active role in transportation research.

Nine organizations exhibited at the Student Transportation Showcase hosted by the Michigan tech Transportation Institute. More than 50 students participated in the one-hour event where students met with representatives from the organizations on capus that can help connect them with the transportation and possible careers in the transportation industry. The groups included the Pavement Design Construction and Materials Enterprise (PDCM), Railway Engineering Activities Club (REAC), the Concrete Canoe Team, the Steel Bridge Team, the Michigan Tech Career Center and Graduate School, the Local Technical Assistance Program/Technology Development Group (LTAP/TDG), the University Transportation Center for Materials in Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure (UTC-MiSTI), and the hosting organization the Michigan Tech Transportation Institute.

New research ideas and funding opportunities were featured at a forum to help participants enhance their expertise to meet today's transportation-industry research needs.

The Michigan Tech Transportation Institute (MTTI) is hosted a research informational forum Tuesday, Nov. 27,. in the Memorial Union Ballroom.

Topics include where to find transportation news and multidisciplinary research opportunities and funding sources. Participants were able to meet faculty who are already successful in the transportation research arena, and learn more about MTTI and the benefits of becoming a research partner in transportation.

In addition to engineering faculty, MTTI researchers include faculty from the social sciences and mathematical sciences departments and the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science.

"Civil engineering researchers provide an integral component towards solving these problems, but innovation will come through broader collaborations," said Professor Larry Sutter, the organization's director. "Michigan Tech is well suited to address these needs and become a leader in the transportation arena by educating a well-qualified workforce, conducting innovative research and providing unique expertise that transcends the traditional academic disciplines.”

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