Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering labs selected for USDOT Region 2 University Transportation Center

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has selected the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering as a partner in the USDOT’s Region 2 University Transportation Center (UTC) consortium, led by Rutgers School of Engineering’s Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT).

USDOT’s Region 2 comprises New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and represents nearly 10 percent of the nation’s population and jobs. Members of the UTC consortium reflect the region’s cultural and environmental diversity. In addition to Rowan and Rutgers, the consortium members are Atlantic Cape Community College, Columbia University, Cornell University, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, Princeton University, SUNY–Farmingdale State College and SUNY–University at Buffalo. 

“We are proud to partner with our colleagues from the region. In particular we are excited to foster collaborations with our fellow state public research universities Rutgers and NJIT,” said Dr. Anthony Lowman, dean of the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering. “This partnership demonstrates the benefits of collaboration and affords us the joint opportunity to develop meaningful solutions for our region’s significant engineering challenges.”

“CAIT is excited to lead this impressive regional consortium that includes Rowan University. Rowan’s Coastal Resiliency Lab and the Center for Research and Education in Advanced Transportation Engineering Systems (CREATES) program will be tapped for their subject matter expertise and research capabilities in infrastructure resiliency and management,” said CAIT director Dr. Ali Maher

Through the Rowan Coastal Resiliency Lab, led by Dr. Rouzbeh Nazari, associate professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering, researchers will establish a framework for resilience assessment of bridges, major roads, railway and bus routes, and their impact on communities during various hazard scenarios.

CREATES, led by Dr. Yusuf Mehta, professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering, will focus its efforts on improving pavement durability and maintenance schedules, which maximize public investments, minimize closures and work zones, and ease traffic congestion. 

Congress established the UTC program in 1987 to ensure partnerships between the government and universities that meet the perpetual needs of maintaining the safe, efficient and environmentally sound movement of people and goods throughout the United States. For more information on the USDOT’s UTC program, visit transportation.gov/utc.