12.07.16
SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE $1.4 MILLION IN FED FUNDING FOR CORNELL UNIVERSITY TO LEAD NEW TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH CENTER; SENATORS SAY CORNELL IS UNIQUELY SUITED TO HEAD INNOVATIVE PROGRAM FOCUSED ON PRESERVING PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT WHILE IMPROVING TRANSPORTATION
Cornell Will Lead Consortium Of Universities To Focus On Developing Environmentally Sound Transportation Methods
Schumer, Gillibrand: Modern, Innovative Solutions Desperately Needed To Address Nation’s Transportation-Linked Public Health And Environmental Challenges
U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $1,402,200 in U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) funding for Cornell University. The funding was allocated through the DOT’s University Transportation Center (UTC) program. Specifically, Cornell will use the funding to lead a consortium of universities in researching and developing new transportation innovations to limit adverse impacts on public health and the environment. Schumer and Gillibrand said that the five-year grant will give Cornell’s world-class researchers the opportunity to meet national challenges related to transportation systems, the environment, and public health. The center will be called the Transportation, Environment, and Community Health (CTECH) Center, and is being created in partnership with the University of California-Davis, University of South Florida, and the University of Texas at El Paso. The center will be run out of Cornell’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and will advance research projects and educational opportunities at all partner schools focused on addressing the critical issues facing transportation systems.
“Finding the innovative solutions that address our nation’s need for environmentally-sound transportation infrastructure is key to our economic success,” said Senator Schumer. “This grant will enable Cornell University and its new transportation center to produce game-changing research on the technology that could preserve our environment and protect our communities from harmful pollutants. Modernizing America’s infrastructure is a linchpin in rebuilding our middle class, and I am proud that New York is taking the lead in developing modern, efficient sustainable transportation technologies.”
“Cornell University is one of the most innovative institutions in the country and an ideal place for this federal investment,” said Senator Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “These funds will allow Cornell to be the hub of the new transportation center and lead vital research to upgrade our transportation systems while preserving the environment and protecting the health of the community.”
The UTC Program advances state-of-the-art transportation research and technology, and develops the next generation of transportation professionals. The Congressionally-mandated program has been in place since 1987 to help address our nation’s ever-growing need for the safe, efficient, and environmentally-sound movement of people and goods. This grant is one of 35 five-year grants that will be awarded to lead consortia under the UTC program. The program was reauthorized by Sec. 6016 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, which Schumer and Gillibrand championed in the Senate.