Organization
During the late 1940s, The University
of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied
Science began
an ongoing partnership with the research branch
of the Virginia Department of Transportation's
Virginia
Transportation Research Council (VTRC). Since
then, the transportation program at UVA has grown
substantially,
but in an unordered way. The Center for Transportation
Studies was established to organize the existing
academic program and research activities and
to lay the groundwork for further growth.
The Center for Transportation Studies is located
within the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department wing of
Thorton Hall on the grounds of the University of
Virginia. With offices and labs located on two
floors, including the recently added Smart Travel
Lab, the Center also shares the resources, labs
and library of the VTRC, a 100-employee research
complex just up the hill.
The academic and research programs of CTS are
closely associated with the Virginia Transportation
Research Council. Through this partnership, faculty
hold joint appointments, VTRC research scientists
teach specialized courses, and graduate student
work is supported through a Graduate Research Assistantship
Program. The Research Council also supports the
Virginia Technology Transfer Center, the Smart
Travel Lab, shared computational facilities, and
the largest transportation library in the state
of Virginia.
We are appreciative of the support we receive
from the USDOT, Virginia DOT and VTRC. We also
note and appreciate the support we receive from
the University of Virginia and our faculty. CTS
receives substantial permanent financial support
from the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and the University
for transportation research and education programs.
In addition, CTS draws support from two federal
University Transportation Center Grants- the Mid-Atlantic
Universities Transportation Center (MAUTC) funded
through Pennsylvania State University.
Because of this support, CTS faculty and students
benefit from their access to University computer,
data and library resources. Of particular note
is the Smart Travel Lab, which was established
in 1998 and is supported with VDOT funds allocated
through the VTRC.
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