OTC Strategic Plan

TRATEGIC PLAN

OKLAHOMA TRANSPORTATION CENTER (OTC)

I. PROGRAM OVERVIEW

I.A Glossary

AC Advisory Committee (Sec. III)

ACPA American Concrete Pavement Association

EOC Education and Outreach Committee (Sec. II.C.3)

FHWA Federal Highway Administration (Sec. I.B, II.A, III.D)

FRA Federal Railroad Association (Sec. II.A)

FTA Federal Transit Administration (Sec.I.B, I.C, II.A, III.D)

HBU Historically Black University (Sec. II.E)

LU Langston University (Sec. II.A, II.C, II,D, II.E)

MOU Memorandum of Understanding (Sec. III.D)

NCHRP National Cooperative Highway Research Program (Sec. II.A)

OAPA Oklahoma Asphalt Pavement Association (Sec. I.C)

OCAST Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (Sec. II.A, II.B, III.A)

ODOT Oklahoma Department of Transportation (Sec. II.A, II.B, III.A)

OSU Oklahoma State University (Sec. II.A, II.C, II,D, II.E)

OTA Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (Sec. II.A)

OTC Oklahoma Transportation Center

OU University of Oklahoma (Sec. II.A, II.C, II.D, II.E)

PS Problem Statement (Sec. II.A)

PPR Periodic Progress Report (Sec. II.B.3)

RC Research Committee (Sec. II.A.3.a)

RITA Research and Innovative Technology Administration (Sec. II.A, II,C, II.E, II.F)

STI Summer Transportation Institute (Sec. II.C)

SWUTC Southwest University Transportation Center (Sec. II.A)

TRB Transportation Research Board (Sec. II.A)

I.B Center Theme

The theme of this Center is “Economic Enhancement through Infrastructure Stewardship”

The economic vitality of this nation is linked directly to productivity and efficiency of our surface transportation systems. The creation and development of the Interstate Highway System has stimulated our economy by effectively linking every part of this nation and creating timely accessibility never before experienced. The next fifty years will be full of challenges and opportunities for economic growth but we must keep pace with the increasing demands for capacity, safety and productivity.

Oklahoma is positioned to be instrumental in the development of key transportation modes, routes and intermodal facilities to facilitate economic expansion. However, there are technical and physical limitations to the existing system that are obstacles to increased productivity, safety and security that must be addressed to realize the full potential and economic opportunities for our State and Nation.

The Oklahoma Transportation Center (OTC) proposes to systematically address these issues using the collaborative efforts of the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University and Langston University in conjunction with transportation professionals in government and industry. The Center will marshal the best talent available to examine and advance innovative solutions to the problems of structural limitations, inadequate capacity, security, and safety.

Specifically, OTC expects to address the solutions of some critical infrastructure problems including service monitoring and life extension of bridge and foundation systems, vehicle-bridge interactions, pavement materials and mechanics, intermodal freight logistics, and safety and security of traffic and infrastructure. Consistent with FTA’s strategic research focus, OTC expects to perform transit research, particularly with respect to mobility for the economically and physically disadvantaged, cost efficiency, coordination of services, safety, preparedness and emergency response. In addition to being responsive to FHWA and FTA research needs, the OTC expects to utilize the Transportation Research Board (TRB), the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) and other relevant transportation agencies as a resource in developing its research plan.

Scope: In 2005, Transportation Research Board (TRB) published a seminal report titled “Critical Issues in Transportation.” In this document the Executive Committee of TRB outlined the nine most critical issues in transportation facing the nation: (1) Congestion, (2) Emergencies, (3) Energy and Environment, (4) Equity, (5) Finance, (6) Human and Intellectual Capital, (7) Infrastructure, (8) Institutions, and (9) Safety. We believe the proposed OTC theme is relevant to FHWA and FTA priorities, and directly linked to at least two of the nine critical issues, namely Infrastructure and Safety. As it will become evident from the planned activities discussed subsequently in this document, the proposed theme also has relevance to other issues such as Congestion (Issue 1), Equity (Issue 4) and Human and Intellectual Capital (Issue 6). One of the research focus areas, Safety and Security, is a priority area for the FTA.

I.C Center Director’s Summary

The Oklahoma Transportation Center is conducting a nation-wide search for a permanent Executive Director. The search that began last year resulted in a reasonably strong pool of candidates and a site visit by one exceptionally strong candidate. The candidate was offered the job, but unfortunately he could not accept it ultimately for family reasons. Since then, the OTC leadership has renewed the search to fill the position including rewriting the ad, advertising the position widely at both the local and the national levels, and proactively identifying potential candidates and encouraging them to apply. The revised ad can be found in the OTC web site (http://www.oktc.org).

For over a year, Neal McCaleb, the former Secretary of Transportation (Oklahoma) and the former Director of Oklahoma Department of Transportation, has been serving as the Interim Executive Director of OTC. Mr. McCaleb has agreed to continue to serve until a permanent Executive Director is found. The following paragraphs capture the Interim Executive Director’s views of OTC as it begins its journey as a National University Transportation Center.

The OTC theme of “Economic Enhancement through Infrastructure Stewardship” presumes that an expanding national and global economy will stimulate an ever-increasing demand for greater productivity of our nation’s surface transportation systems. These demands will require innovative uses of our existing systems through synergies and efficiencies from novel uses of materials, electronic control and market-based pricing.

The OTC proposes to stimulate, initiate and promote research, education and technology transfer for transportation system enhancements and innovation that will expand the capacity of existing systems and create system redundancies for the efficient movement of freight and improved passenger service.

This grant will enable the OTC to commence research and studies in the economic enhancement of transportation systems that will attract private investment for economic gain and public participation for enhanced and effective operations of public transportation systems. Specifically, OTC expects to address the solutions of some critical infrastructure problems including service monitoring and life extension of bridge and foundation systems, vehicle-bridge interactions, pavement materials and mechanics, intermodal freight logistics, and safety and security of traffic and infrastructure. Consistent with FTA’s strategic research focus, OTC expects to perform transit research, particularly with respect to mobility for the economically and physically disadvantaged, cost efficiency, coordination of services, safety, preparedness and emergency response.

At the end of the grant period we expect the OTC to be recognized nationally as a resource for innovative research, education and technology transfer for enhanced productivity of transportation systems and to have made significant contributions to this end.

OTC’s leadership in these areas will attract increasing participation by public and private entities so that a significant portion of our program will be sustainable following the expiration of the grant.

From the outset, the OTC will focus on the following four core strengths currently in place within the State:

· Bridges – Structural Health Monitoring, Repair and Retrofit Alternatives. Forty percent of bridges currently maintained by ODOT are either “structurally deficient” or “functionally obsolete” (ASCE, 2005). According to a recent ODOT report, over $7 billion will be needed to replace all substandard bridges in the state. Within the larger Great Plains region, seven states (Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas) account for approximately one quarter of the national bridge inventory, and nearly one-third of the nation's structurally deficient or functionally obsolete bridges. These statistics within the region and state merely mirror the national problem of our decaying transportation infrastructure. Research within the OTC will focus on the management, monitoring and life extension of our bridge and foundation systems, including bridge-vehicle interactions. In addition to concentrating on alternatives to bridge replacement, research on various retrofit and repair methods are envisioned. Our goals will be to find ways to mediate structural load limitations, and increase traffic capacity. The repair and retrofit methods will be evaluated as part of the overall comprehensive bridge and pavement management systems that will help transportation administrators with highly constrained budgets to make sound decisions. Also, the OTC seeks to become an active partner in the national long-term bridge performance evaluation program. Recent events in Minnesota have underscored the urgent need for this effort.

· Pavements – Pavement conditions data for Oklahoma are equally alarming. An estimated 46% of major roads in the state are in poor or mediocre condition. Driving roads in need of repairs threaten public safety and cost Oklahoma motorists over $1 billion annually in extra vehicle repairs and operating expenses (OAPA, 2005). Recognizing the urgency of addressing our surface transportation infrastructure needs, Oklahoma legislators increased funding for state roads and bridges by an additional $270 million in the FY07 budget (Norman Transcript, 2006). In spite of these funds, our needs for maintaining and upgrading the existing pavements and for constructing new pavements are far greater than the resources available. Exponentially increasing truck traffic, growing axle loads and expanding infrastructure for economic growth all exacerbate the challenge OTC research will focus on developing innovative, economical and implementable technologies for monitoring, designing, constructing and maintaining our pavement systems. Cost effective implementation of mechanistic design guides, rehabilitation and recycling are vitally important research questions. The materials aspect of our research will encompass concrete, asphalt and soil. The OTC is also uniquely qualified to develop and deploy ITS technology to monitor and improve the performance of transportation infrastructure and to provide a platform for decision support in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of transportation infrastructure.

· Intermodal Freight Logistics – Oklahoma lies at the Crossroads of America. The “Mother Road,” Route 66, runs lengthwise through the State and represents at once the vision and promise of our national highway system, the transition to the Interstate system, and the sad decay of the national systems. Population, traffic and truck freight volume continue to grow along Oklahoma’s arteries – Interstate 35 and Interstate 40. Both of these corridors intersect with Interstate 44 and with the McClellan-Kerr Navigation System which provides water-borne freight opportunities up and down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. As “America’s Crossroads,” the growth of the Oklahoma economy will continue to rely on the efficient and secure movement of freight in the state. To this end, one must understand and be able to model freight volume and mix, including origin-destination paths and mode choices. A considerable wealth of expertise, both academically and professionally, has been developed in the state regarding modeling of freight flows, not only in the US but also within Oklahoma through OTC support. While current models can effectively generate and display freight flows on the national highway system, prediction of future freight volume and mix requires incorporation of economic forecasting models. Also, current models can be enhanced by incorporating intermodal freight analyses to determine potential intermodal points in the state that will lead to a significant increase in freight flow through the state. Oklahoma’s economy does not only depend on the flow of freight but also on the public transit infrastructure. The poor conditions of Oklahoma bridges and pavements create serious mobility problems for both passengers and freight through the state. Modeling and analysis of current conditions leading to improvements in the public transportation infrastructure will clearly stimulate the state’s economy.

· Safety and Security – Recently there has been a growing interest among transportation stakeholders in developing a system for coordinated efforts to deal with emergencies arising from terrorist threats, natural disasters, and severe accidents. In the post 9/11 era, it has been recognized that a proactive program is crucial to reducing the possibility of using transportation vehicles as instruments of terrorist attacks and selecting infrastructure as a target. Recent natural and manmade disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the I-40 bridge collapse show the vulnerability of transportation infrastructure safety and security. The OTC could play a key role in infrastructure hardening assessment, emergency response preparedness and training, and advancement of decision support tools for risk assessment, management, and recovery. Safety and security can also be addressed through enhanced universal mobility. The nation’s passenger transportation system is dominated by the automobile. As capital costs for transit systems and operating costs of automobiles continue to grow, households with economic disadvantages, the disabled and the elderly tend to bear the burdens of these increasing costs to a greater extent than the general population. Moreover, the negative side effects such as health hazards resulting from the disproportionate numbers of these populations living near transportation facilities or areas of high vehicle emissions require that equitable solutions be developed. Thus, equity issues can be addressed through enhanced universal mobility as well.

II.

II. PROGRAM ACTIVITIES

II.A Research Selection

Research Selection Goal: The OTC will provide an objective process for reviewing and selecting research that balances the multiple objectives of the UTC Program.

1. Baseline Measures: The baseline measures for activities pertaining to research selection are reported in Appendix A for FY06.

2. Research Selection Program Outcome. OTC will provide an equal opportunity for the submission of problem statements from OTC universities, relevant state and federal agencies including Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT), Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), and Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST) and private enterprise. In addition, the TRB Research Statement database and the NCHRP Problem Statement database will be used as a resource for problem statements. Faculty and professional staff from affiliate institutions will be provided equal opportunity to submit research proposals for review. The selection program will utilize experts from within state agencies combined with nationally known experts from outside the state to evaluate and rank research proposals. The criteria for selection will be established in order to meet and match the multiple Center goals, including the human research development through the involvement of students in research. The methods for selection will be established to ensure meritorious and objective review, free from conflicts of interest that may distort the objective review of competing proposals. An overview of the selection of problem statements and research proposals is given in Section II.A.3.

The process will value collaboration among the OTC institutions and others, particularly industry, practitioners and regional University Transportation Centers so as to address complex research questions having regional and national importance. Initially the center will focus on infrastructure stewardship, safety and security. The focus will be adjusted and refined with time, as needed, so that the OTC can emerge as a center of excellence for providing implementable solutions to pertinent current and emerging transportation problems.

3. Planned Activities: OTC expects to become a national leader in infrastructure stewardship through the following key initiatives:

· Evaluation, management, repair, and retrofit of bridge systems including service monitoring and life extension of bridge and foundation systems, and vehicle-bridge interactions;

· Developing efficiency for freight movement over the nation’s intermodal transportation systems, with particular emphasis on alternative routes for truck traffic and intermodal distribution points that encourage a greater percentage of freight to be moved by rail and water, and enhance traffic safety;

· Cost effective and innovative evaluation, maintenance, and management of pavements including improved materials, mechanics-based design and rehabilitation, and deployment of ITS (Intelligent Transportation System) technology; and

· Enhancing roadway traffic, transit and infrastructure safety and security through improvement of universal mobility, hardening assessment, emergency response preparedness, and development of decision support tools for risk assessment and management.

OTC is envisioned as a national leader in developing and pursuing a research program that would enhance the design, construction, maintenance and management of transportation infrastructure. The Center is built as a partnership between the two public comprehensive research universities (OSU and OU) and one historically black university (LU) in Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT), the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA), and Oklahoma’s current and future private enterprises that are engaged in using, designing and building our transportation infrastructure. The Center will ensure active involvement of pertinent federal transportation agencies including FHWA, FTA, FRA, and TRB in the selection process so as to address national priorities. The over-riding theme of OTC is to enhance economic development including the intelligent stewardship of our transportation infrastructure through the implementation of new materials, new methods, and new ideas.

We propose to develop a two-tier research program that will include: (i) Short duration projects (up to one year) on focused topics having relevance to the Center goals, and (ii) Multi-year (up to three years) projects that are particularly consistent with the broad program goals. Short duration multi-year projects differ only in the length of the project. The solicitation and selection process will be the same in both cases. For each tier, two categories of projects are envisioned. Topics for projects in the first category, called “pull” projects, will be identified in the “Request for Proposal (RFP)” based on problem statements received from OTC institutions, state agencies (ODOT, OTA, etc.), federal agencies (FHWA, FTA, RITA, etc.), and industry together with their rating. Those submitting problem statements will be strongly encouraged to use national databases such as the Research Statements database maintained by TRB, the Problem Statement (unfunded) database maintained by NCHRP and the Secretarial initiatives as a resource. Also, they will be encouraged to use the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (T-FHRC) as a resource for research topics. Topics in the second category, called “push” projects, will be proposed by the researchers, rather than being associated with an RFP problem statement. Those submitting proposals for push projects will be strongly encouraged to use state and federal agencies and databases in developing their research ideas. A flow-chart of the research selection process is given in Figure 1.

Selection of pull projects will be guided by the following elements. Selection of the push projects will be guided by the same process except Element (a):

(a) Problem statement solicitation and rating: Research problem statements will be solicited at least once a year from faculty and professional staff at the OTC institutions, state transportation agencies, relevant federal transportation agencies, industry and practitioners. The problem statements submitted will be reviewed and ranked by the OTC Research Committee (RC). The RC will include members from each OTC institution, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), ODOT, OTA, industry and other pertinent organizations. The initial Research Committee has been appointed (see Appendix G). Moreover, the Executive Director will serve on the RC as an ex-officio member. The Executive Board will have the authority to select the RC members. It is envisioned that the FHWA representative will be responsible for coordinating feedback from pertinent federal agencies including RITA, FTA and FRA. Likewise, the industry representative(s) will be responsible for coordinating input from pertinent sectors of the transportation-related industry. The selected problem statements will be included in the

Solicit PS

Receive PS

Review and rank PS

RFP for “Push” projects

RFP for ranked PS*

(Pull projects)

Review proposals

Proposal meets broad program goals?

No

Rank high for funding?

Rank high for funding?

Multi-year project

Short duration project

Annual report with deliverables dedeliverables

Final report

Annual report satisfactory?

Approve continued funding

* “Push” projects will constitute a small part of the

overall research program..

Figure 1 Proposal Selection Flow Chart

RFP as topics for potential “pull” projects. Criteria for rating problem statements will be established such that they reflect regional and national research needs and priorities, OTC strengths, and other pertinent factors. The selection/ranking criteria will include relevance of the topic to OTC goals (see Section II.B.3), state and federal research needs, OTC strengths (human, facilities), contribution of the research project to OTC’s diversity goals, potential for collaboration, potential for success, and potential for implementation.

(b) Objective and competitive process using independent reviews (both “pull” and “push” proposals): All research projects will be peer reviewed. The Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) is a state agency charged with promoting economic development through applied research. OCAST has a 20-year record of providing high-quality peer reviews for proposals to state sponsored research initiatives. The OTC will leverage this unique Oklahoma asset to assure that the review process is equitable and free from conflicts of interest.

Specifically, to implement and manage the peer review process for OTC, OCAST will: provide assistance in preparing and distributing the RFPs; work with the RC in developing a pool of potential reviewers; secure review sites and handle the logistics; develop, along with the RC, instructions for reviewers; receive hardcopy proposals with hard deadlines; mail proposals to reviewers; coordinate reviews and panel rankings and final rankings; provide reviewers’ debriefing for possible improvements to the review process; and prepare technical summaries of the projects to be awarded. Note should be made that OCAST’s involvement in RFP preparation will be limited to the mechanics of the proposal submission. The research areas solicited and the selection criteria shall be under the sole control of the OTC. A copy of the Services Contract Agreement being worked out between OTC and OCAST is included in Appendix E.

The process will proceed as follows: With OCAST’s assistance, the RC will prepare the RFPs, including the topics for possible pull projects (selected from the problem statements under Element (a) above). The RFPs will also include push projects. OCAST will assure that the RFPs are distributed to all potential submitters on an equal basis and will receive the proposals. Reviewers will be selected by the RC. OCAST will contact the selected reviewers; and arrange for their travel, accommodations, and the facilities needed for the panel review (for both pull and push projects). The output of the review process will be a determination of which proposals merit funding and a ranked list of the meritorious proposals. OCAST will also provide each submitter with written review comments. Upon receiving the ranked list of proposals, the RC will consider its resources and the priorities of the OTC, and recommend to the Executive Board how many of the meritorious proposals should be funded. In making its recommendation, the RC will begin with the highest ranked proposal and continue down the list of meritorious proposals. The RC will not be permitted to reorder the proposal rankings. However, the RC will not be obliged to commit all of the Center’s available funds in a competition. All the research projects supported by OTC with UTC funds will be awarded through the aforementioned competitive process.

(c) Incentives given to proposals involving two or more OTC institutions: From its inception, OTC leadership has made concerted efforts to promote collaboration among OTC institutions (OU, OSU, and LU). As a result, many previous and current projects have multi-institutional involvement. These collaborations often lead to better research outcomes, and it has become one of our major strengths. We plan to continue enhancing this culture as a UTC in making funding decisions. Also, as a national UTC, we plan to provide leadership in establishing collaborations with other UTCs, particularly with those in neighboring states. The OTC is in the process of signing a formal memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Southwest University Transportation Center (SWUTC), located at the Texas A&M University and is in discussions with the other National UTCs focused on leveraging assets.

(d) Industry needs and industry involvement: In addition to being a resource for matching funds, industry and practitioners play a key role in the implementation of knowledge and new technologies created in UTCs. Although OTC has an Advisory Committee (AC) comprised of industry members from all transportation modes and others, it has achieved only limited success in research partnership. Although the AC has provided feedback and endorsement of OTC research topics and results, but has not become a resource of topics. As a UTC, we seek to become more proactive in garnering industry research collaboration. We will strongly encourage researchers to identify projects in close collaboration with industry and practitioners, whenever feasible. Priorities may be given in making funding decisions to projects that address industry needs and that involve industry collaboration, particularly a cash match. The Advisory Committee (AC) will make recommendation on who will serve as the industry representatives on the RC. Also, the AC will be a resource for student internships and will play a key role in the implementation of research results.

(e) The OTC leadership will make concerted efforts to blend national needs with those of the state and region in setting research priorities. Also, an appropriate balance between basic and applied research will be established and maintained.

(f) The research selection process will include such factors as: (a) if the project meets the over-arching goals of the Center; and (b) if the proposal addresses topics of local, regional and national significance, and could be completed on time; (c) if the research plan addresses leveraged dollars, saved dollars and cost avoidance.; (d) the degree to which students, including undergraduates, will be prepared for careers in the transportation industry.

OTC will strongly encourage all researchers to conduct a thorough literature review and make direct contact with other pertinent research organizations, including FHWA, FTA and FRA, to prevent apparent duplication of efforts and to effectively communicate activities undertaken and advances made by the Center. Also, the Center plans to take advantage of the FHWA/UTC coordination meetings that are conducted at FHWA’s Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center in the areas of Operations R&D, Safety R&D, and Infrastructure R&D.

4. Performance indicators: Reporting requirements for UTCs list two measures as indicators of the research selection process: (1) Number of transportation projects selected for funding, and their breakdown, namely basic research, advanced research, and applied research, and (2) total budgeted costs for the projects in (1). These measures are relatively straightforward to monitor and will be performed by the OTC staff member (Administrative Assistant).

II. B Research Performance

Research Performance Goal: The OTC will create and review ongoing programs of basic, advanced and applied research, the products of which will be judged by peers and other experts in the field to advance the body of knowledge in transportation.

1. Baseline Measures: The baseline measures for activities pertaining to research selection are reported in Appendix A for FY06.

2. Research Performance Program Outcome. By the year 2010, the OTC will be recognized as a leader in the overall stewardship of bridge and pavement systems that encourage the selection of maintenance and management tools, including structural health monitoring and the selection of repair and rehabilitation alternatives, and the use of new materials and methods in repairing existing structures or constructing new structures. Further, the OTC will have encouraged reduction of traffic congestion by conversion of intermodal freight movement of goods toward alternative freight loaded transportation corridors (e.g., railways and waterways) and conversion of automotive traffic to public transit options.

The OTC will also aspire to serve as a leader in the enhancement of universal mobility and computer and human integration and transportation issues having significance to Federal Transit Administration and other pertinent agencies.

All three OTC universities have transportation-related research and educational projects/programs. Some of these projects and educational activities are being pursued under the auspices of the OTC (e.g., highway and transit projects), while other projects are funded directly by ODOT, OCAST, NSF, etc. It is expected that as the OTC starts functioning as a UTC, more of the research and educational activities (degrees offered, internship, short courses, etc.) will be brought under the OTC umbrella.

3. Planned Activities. As a national UTC, OTC will establish and maintain a healthy portfolio of basic and applied research projects. In addition to establishing a merit-based research selection process (see Section II.A.3); the Center will institute a process to monitor timely progress of funded projects. The process will also address research quality and implementation of research results. Some elements of this process are provided below:

· Periodic Progress Report (PPR): Researchers will be asked to submit periodic progress reports for each project. The report will clearly delineate the progress made during the period, difficulties encountered, if any, measures undertaken to address them, and activities planned for the next period. Researchers will also be asked to identify the relevance of the work performed to state, regional and national needs. They will also be asked to report any implementable items together with a realistic implementation plan. The Executive Director will coordinate the QPR and may recommend, (to the Executive Board) discontinuation of a project due to lack of progress.

· Annual Report: For multi-year projects, researchers will be asked to submit an annual report. The Executive Director will seek assistance of pertinent federal agencies and professionals to review these reports. The review process will be designed to ensure quality and accountability.

· Final Report: A comprehensive final report documenting the important findings of the study will be required on each project. As in the case of the annual report, the final reports will be reviewed for quality and study objectives.

· Research Day: Researchers will be encouraged to participate in Research Day – a combined ODOT-OTC event that serves as an important element in technology transfer.

· Research Quality: OTC plans to institute tracking metrics to measure research quality and performance including number of publications in journals and conference proceedings where manuscripts are subjected to a rigorous peer review process, as well as publications in regional, national, and international conferences and symposia proceedings where only abstracts are subjected to review. Intellectual property (e.g., disclosures, applications, patents, copyrights, licensed technology) will also be used as a measure of research quality. As shown in Figure 1, continued funding of multi-year projects will depend upon satisfactory annual reports with identifiable deliverables. Moreover, OTC expects to ensure quality through presentations made by researchers at such events as the ODOT-OTC Research Day and review of final project reports using internal and external resources. The Executive Director will work closely with the RC, EOC and AC members to ensure that research quality measures are implemented appropriately and make changes as needed.

4. Performance Indicators: RITA reporting requirements call for tracking two parameters as indicators of research performance: number of transportation research reports published, and number of research papers presented at academic/professional meetings. These indicators will be monitored by the Administrative Assistant and reported to RITA.

II.C Education

Education Goal: The OTC will encourage and develop a multidisciplinary program of course work and experiential learning that reinforces the Center’s theme.

1. Baseline Measures: The baseline measures for activities pertaining to research selection are reported in Appendix A for FY06.

2. Educational Program Outcome: OTC is envisioned to become a key player in transportation education and outreach, particularly in multi-disciplinary education, land surveying and transportation management.

3. Planned Activities: Several educational initiatives are expected as an outgrowth of the OTC. Compatible with our research focus, it is expected that the Center will help integrate course offerings in engineering, with particular emphasis on pavements and bridges, repair and retrofit of existing structures, and transportation materials. Also, it is expected that the Center will invest resources to develop new courses that are important to its research and educational mission. Further, the Center expects to become a catalyst for the development of new degree programs and/or revival of existing degree programs, with an emphasis on Native American and minority involvement. Some examples of the type of educational activities the Center might pursue are cited below.

· OTC plans to support development and delivery of new courses in strategic areas. A course on Urban Transportation Network Analysis that will analyze the network traffic flow problems based on the user equilibrium concept, and will include choice of travel modes, distribution of trips among various possible destinations, and choice of routes between an origin and destination in congested urban transportation networks is cited as an example. Another pertinent course on Transportation and Supply Chain Management may be developed that will emphasize design and analysis of transportation and supply chain systems, including descriptions of components, and interactions, and trade-offs between these components.

· The OTC recognizes, and plans to respond to, the national need for Land Surveyors. It is expected that OTC will have resources to develop a technology program for Land Surveying, with emphases on the mathematics skills required for surveying combined with the legal and historical background necessary for effective Land Surveying.

It is realized that institutional requirements have to be met to initiate the aforementioned programs, and non-OTC resources will be needed to sustain them. As in the case of research, funding for ALL educational activities that use UTC funds will be awarded through the competitive process outlined before.

A second committee, called Education and Outreach Committee (EOC), will facilitate solicitation of education and outreach-related problem statements, and review and rank the problem statements submitted. Also, the EOC will provide assistance in preparing request for proposals, and suggest names of potential reviewers. A priority for the EOC will be the preparation of an RFP for projects that will encourage Native Americans to prepare for careers in the transportation field. The initial The initial EOC has been appointed (see Appendix G). The Executive Director and a representative from the FHWA will serve as ex-officio members.

Presently each OTC institution offers transportation-related courses at OSU and OU, each offering about equal numbers of courses and LU offering fewer courses. With increased OTC activities in research and education, enrollments in these courses are expected to increase. The course offerings are listed in Table 1.

Institution	Courses offered
OSU	CIVEN 3693: Engineering Materials Lab.; CIVEN 3633: Transportation Engineering; CIVEN 5303: Systems Analysis; CIVEN 5313: Highway Traffic Operations; CIVEN 5383: Geometric Design of Highways; CIVEN 5653: Asphalt Materials & Mix Design; CIVEN 5673: Concrete Materials & Mix Design; CIVEN 5693: Pavement Design & Analysis; CIVEN 5703: Soils in Construction; CIVEN 5010: Timber Design; CIVEN 5243: Use & Design of Geosynthetics; CIVEN 5010: Advanced Pavement Design & Analysis; CIVEN 5513: Advanced Reinforced Concrete Design; CIVEN 5523: Advanced Steel Structural Design
OU	CE 3884: Transportation Engineering; CE 5303: Asphalt Materials & Mix Design; RCPL/CE 5373: Transportation Economics; CE 5404: Soil Stabilization; CE 5453: Public Mass Transportation Systems; RCPL 5463: Computer Mapping and GIS Planning; RCPL 5483: Urban and Regional Transportation Planning; CE 5493: Transportation Land Development; CE 5693: Structural Design of Pavements; CE 5473: Design of Concrete Mixtures & Materials; CE 5753: Structural Design of Woods; CE 5773: Structural Design – Steel II; CE 5783: Structural Design – Concrete II; CE 5793: Design of Prestressed Concrete Structures; CE 5020: Bridge Design; AME 5750: Vibrating Systems; AME 5763: Finite Element Analysis
LU	IT 4006 Aviation Internship, TE 1601 Management of TSA, TE 3623 Transportation Systems

Table 1: Transportation Related Courses Taught at OSU, OU, and LU

The OTC has several experiential learning programs to facilitate transportation education, including the Bridge Squad program at OU, the Roadway Squad program at OSU, the Summer Transportation Institute (STI) and Summer Job/Internship program at LU. Generally, undergraduate students participate in the OU and OSU programs, while high school students participate in the LU STI program. Also, for the past two years, the OTC has offered summer internships (six in CY06 and seven in CY07) to undergraduate students. These internships have been primarily supported by geotechnical and structural design firms with transportation emphases. The OTC expects to expand this program to provide experience-based learning opportunities to more students, and make effort to address diversity in pursuing these activities. The OTC also expects to increase the number of research assistantships available to students in order to provide experience-based transportation education to more students.

4. Performance Indicators: As required by RITA, educational performance will be measured by tracking the number of transportation-related courses offered by OTC institutions. Both undergraduate and graduate students participating in the educational program will be tracked, as required by RITA. The Administrative Assistant will coordinate the collection of this data and report to RITA annually.

II.D. Human Resources

Human Resource Goal: The OTC will increase the number of students, faculty and staff who are attracted to and substantially involved in the undergraduate, graduate and professional programs of the Center.

1. Baseline Measures: The baseline measures pertaining to human resources, as required by RITA, are reported in Appendix A.

2. Human Resources Program Outcome: Since opening the door for transportation research and education in 2001, the OTC has been very successful in attracting financial support from both state and federal agencies (through Congressional appropriation). Specifically, in FY05, the Center received $1.5 million for transportation research (through Federal Highway Administration) and another $4 million for transit research (through Federal Transit Administration). The Center also received funds from ODOT ($160K) and from OTA ($200K). Because of these funds, several students (undergraduate and graduate) and faculty members are currently working on various transportation and transit related research projects (see Appendix A). As such, the OTC expects to grow steadily, the primary growth occurring in the area of internships, and transportation-related degrees. With SAFETEA-LU designation of UTC funding, the internship program is expected to grow substantially. Also, as we begin to place more emphasis on transportation education, it is expected that more students will become interested in pursing transportation-related curriculum tracks. The number of students supported on OTC projects is expected to remain stable or grow modestly. Matching funds are expected to provide additional impetus for growth.

3. Planned Activities: Students attending transportation-related education today, through degree programs and experiential learning, will become the transportation workforce and leaders of tomorrow. The OTC will maintain and enhance its human resources through transportation research and education that are compatible with the Center’s theme. We believe that the current activities, namely the Bridge Design Squad at OU, the Roadway Design Squad at OSU, the Summer Transportation Institute and the Summer Job/Internship program at LU, will continue to be supported by ODOT giving our students opportunities to pursue progressive transportation-related education. With industry support, OTC initiated a summer internship program. In CY06, six students participated in this program that was fully funded by industry. This year, the level of participation has increased to seven, with about one-third of students supported by OTC and the remainder supported by the industry. With allocated OTC resources, we expect the student internship program to grow. Our industry partners are extremely supportive of this program. . With OTC support, programs at LU are expected to grow. Moreover, it is expected that strategic academic programs, both undergraduate and graduate, will grow. Research assistantships are also expected to help maintain and modestly grow our human resources. Further, OTC activities (research and educational) are expected to be an impetus for increased faculty participation at each OTC institution. Following examples are cited as an illustration.

· Multidisciplinary Graduate (M.S.) Degree Program: With increasing complexities and challenges involved in addressing many transportation problems and issues, tomorrow’s work force would be able to better serve with a multidisciplinary educational background. The OTC institutions will be encouraged to pursue such tracks (e.g., M.S. in Electrical Engineering or Industrial Engineering with a transportation emphasis or Ph.D. in General Engineering with a transportation emphasis). Although no new degree programs may be required to pursue this, resources will be needed to restructure existing courses.

· Also, OTC would be supportive of developing an undergraduate degree program in Transportation Management with four areas of emphasis: Surveying, Safety, Security and Hazardous Materials. The OTC support might be used to develop and deliver pertinent courses, as well as to manage and market the program. OTC may also support the development of some degree programs at the graduate level. Rehabilitation Counseling Program (M.S. level) and Physical Therapy Program (Ph.D. level) may be cited as an example. The first program may address disabilities (including transportation related), drugs or alcohol use and transportation issues, while the second program may be related to injuries, including transportation-related injuries as well as the effects of enhancement and/or implementation of transportation systems that contribute to improving the health conditions of the youth, disadvantaged, elderly and disabled.

4. Performance Indicators: Baseline measures 7, 8 and 9 pertain to the number of transportation-related advanced degree programs, number of students enrolled in these degree programs, and the number of students receiving transportation-related degrees. RITA requires that each of these baseline measures track impacts on master and doctoral level students. The OTC staff will work with OSU, OU and LU to compile these indicators and report to RITA annually.

II.E Diversity

Diversity Goal: The OTC will encourage students, faculty and staff who reflect the growing diversity of the US workforce to become substantively involved in the undergraduate, graduate and professional programs of the Center.

1. Baseline Measures: Because of privacy concerns, the OTC does not plan to collect any specific data on diversity. However, we do expect to be able to cite examples of successes in maintaining and enhancing diversity in annual reports.

2. Diversity Program Outcome: The OTC expects to recruit, train and retain a diverse student population that is representative of the changing population in the US. OTC expects to become a leading UTC in involving African Americans, Native Americans and other under represented groups in transportation education and outreach.

3. Planned Activities: The OTC plans to address diversity in three ways. First, Langston University, a Historically Black University (HBU), is a full partner in the OTC. As an HBU, Langston University’s primary mission is to provide opportunities for groups that are under represented in colleges and universities. The inclusion of Langston as a full partner in the OTC assures the participation of African Americans in the OTC.

Second, as stated in Sec. II.A.3.a, “contribution to diversity” will be a review criterion for every proposed research project. Major research funding agencies such as the National Science Foundation routinely require similar statements in research proposals. Our experience shows that including diversity in the research proposals is an effective way to integrate diversity into the research activities.

Third, the OTC will solicit proposals and fund at least one project in the first year with the primary aim of addressing diversity. We feel that one of the greatest strengths of the OTC will be the open, competitive, vigorous, peer-review process that we have established. All program funds, including those for diversity projects, will be allocated through the peer review process. We believe that this process will fully unlock the creativity of the community and draw in talented people to make major contributions who might otherwise not be involved with OTC.

a. Areas in which proposals will be selected

The project(s) under the diversity initiative will be open to all students regardless of their demographic profile. However, successful proposals will identify and address issues which are of particular relevance to the full inclusion of African Americans and Native Americans as transportation professionals.

The OTC model for inclusion of underrepresented groups is illustrated below

Early engagement → Recruiting → Transition → Retention → Enhancement

Early engagement – Members of underrepresented groups tend to veer into alternate career paths well before their senior year of high school. Successful efforts to attract members of underrepresented groups must begin in K-12. Examples of possible programs include:

· An on-campus Summer Academy for High School Students: Langston University already runs a highly successful program (the most recent program included 16 African American and 2 Native American students) that could be expanded to include the involvement of OU and OSU, or a new academy could be initiated for Native American Students.

· High School Design Squads and Competitions: With support from the partner universities, approximately 15 high schools (including Sequoyah High School, which is sponsored by the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah, OK) each sponsor a robotics team in an annual competition. This program engages high school students with college students and faculty members in a competition of the “minds and hands.” The robotics competition has proven to be highly effective in attracting students to study engineering. This model could be adapted to bridge or roadway design.

· Teacher Institutes: High school teachers from across Oklahoma come to the university campuses each year for in-service training. An on-going part of the training provides the teachers with instructional modules that the teachers can take back to their classrooms. Each module illustrates a technical or scientific principle. When the modules are introduced into high schools that have large minority populations, they have been effective in attracting students from underrepresented groups into STEM fields. Modules specific to transportation could be developed.

Recruiting – OTC may sponsor diversity-based recruitment efforts, in collaboration with Minority Engineering Programs (MEP), to respective underrepresented communities as well as the community colleges that serve as feeder schools to the OTC institutions. This may involve summer camps; and seminars and tours targeted to African American, Native American, women and other underrepresented groups.

Transition – Transition to the university environment is often much more difficult for members of underrepresented groups. Each of the partner universities has an on-campus, transition program prior to the start of the Fall semester. These programs emphasize math, communication, personal development, group identification, team building, study habits, test taking strategies, and acclimation to college life. The possibility exists for OTC to leverage off of one or more of these programs.

Retention -- Self studies of Oklahoma universities have identified the leading reasons for students from underrepresented groups dropping out of college. Among the leading causes are failure to make at least one personal connection at college and the failure to meet self-imposed academic standards. Although, funding is also an important issue, there are major efforts at each of the partner OTC institutions to address the challenge of funding as it relates to retention of underrepresented groups. OTC intends to leverage off of the efforts, but not to duplicate them. The OTC may address retention through

· Living/Learning Communities in which students with similar backgrounds and majors have clustered class schedules, access to academic excellence workshops, and participation in community building exercises. Students may, if they choose, live in proximity to each other.

· An Academic Excellence Office that includes counseling in innovative study techniques, stress and time management, and the unwritten rules of the college classroom.

· Peer Mentoring in which students assist students under the guidance of a professional academic counselor.

Enhancement – Enhancement opportunities complement the educational experience and accelerate the professional development of students. Enhancement opportunities may include:

· Summer Internships: Experience has shown that summer internships, in which students are placed in meaningful summer employment, reinforce the instruction that students have received, prepare the students for subsequent class work, promote networking and professional development, provide needed funding for continued education, and often lead directly to permanent employment opportunities. With non-UTC funding, OTC already operates a small summer internship program. This program could be expanded to include a diversity dimension.

· Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU): The partner universities have extensive and very positive experience bringing undergraduates into research laboratories. Although many students have been influenced to go on to graduate school through an REU, the primary benefit is the close professional relationships that develop between the undergraduate, the faculty members, and the graduate students working in the same lab. In addition, the REU experience often makes students more competitive when they seek scholarships and permanent employment. OTC could provide REU supplemental funding to OTC research projects when the Principle Investigators identify appropriate undergraduates.

b. Solicitation and Selection of Diversity Proposals

ALL diversity-related proposals will be funded through a fair and competitive process as described in Section II.A. The Education and Outreach Committee will solicit problem statements and prepare the RFP for diversity-related projects. This committee has been formed (see Appendix G).

c. Rationale for selected areas

As the OTC considered diversity, two questions came to the fore: “Is there an area in which OTC is particularly well positioned to make a major or a unique contribution?” and “What project might OTC initiate?”

Regarding the first question, OTC is committed to the inclusion of all underrepresented groups. However, the OTC is in an excellent position to address the inclusion of African Americans and Native Americans among transportation professionals. The focus on African Americans follows directly from Langston University’s standing as a Historically Black University with a large African American student body. The continued development of the LU programs, as discussed in Sec. II.C and Sec. II.D, is expected to make a significant contribution to the inclusion of African Americans in the professional transportation work force. However, OTC wishes go beyond these programs. Hence, the OTC plans to solicit proposals for a project that will specifically address diversity issues.

To date, there have been no formal efforts to reach out to Native American students and scholars and to encourage them to explore opportunities in the transportation field. However, the OTC is well positioned to make a national contribution in this area. A major factor in this opportunity is the strong interest of the Interim Director and of a member of the OTC Executive Board, who are prominent members of Oklahoma’s Native American community; and the long standing commitment of ODOT, OTA, LU, OU, and OSU to Native American issues. Other elements of the opportunity include:

· Oklahoma’s large Native American population.

· OSU and OU’s consistent rank in the top five nationally for engineering degrees granted to Native Americans.

· The relationships formed between tribal leaders and the universities through Oklahoma’s TTAP program, which is based at OSU.

· 12% of the engineering faculty at OU and OSU who are Native American.

· The engineering colleges at OU and OSU have established formal ties with Sequoyah High School in Tahlequah, OK and Comanche Nation College in Duncan, OK for research and education enhancement projects.

· Lessons learned in highly successful programs to encourage Native Americans to enter medical school.

With regard to the question of a specific diversity project: the OTC is deeply committed to the concept of peer review prior to spending UTC funds on programs or projects. However, the partner universities each run very successful diversity programs (some of which were briefly described above) with highly qualified, full-time professional staff members. OTC believes that theses programs demonstrate the commitment and proficiency of the partner universities in addressing diversity. These programs and the staff will be available to serve students working in the OTC and could be leveraged or expanded in a cost effective manner to address the specific needs of OTC students. OTC is also completely open to initiating new and unique programs if, in the opinion of the peer reviewers, the new programs will serve needs not currently addressed. Given the pool of talent and experience at the partner universities, the OTC fully expects that the RFP will generate exciting proposals for effective, cost efficient diversity projects.

4. Performance Indicators: Because of privacy concerns, the OTC does not plan to collect any specific data on diversity. However, we do expect to be able to cite examples of successes in maintaining and enhancing diversity in annual reports.

II.F Technology Transfer

Technology Transfer Goal: Availability of research results to potential users in a form that can be directly implemented, utilized, or otherwise applied.

1. Baseline Measures: RITA requirements call for data on the numbers of transportation seminars, symposia, distance learning classes, and other pertinent technology transfer activities for transportation professionals. The requirements also ask for data on the numbers of transportation professionals participating in these events. Technology transfer data for the FY05 events are reported in Appendix A.

2. Technology Transfer Program Outcomes: Through the activities described in Sec. II.F.3, the OTC will assure that the research results are rapidly and effectively conveyed to practitioners in the transportation field.

3. Planned Activities. The OTC plans to pursue an aggressive technology transfer plan. The plan will utilize our current strengths in a number of areas. Specifically, we plan to pursue the following:

· OTC maintains an effective web site. Currently we are in the process of enhancing the web site with the aim of making it information-rich and easy to navigate. This will be an ongoing effort.

· OTC has been offering periodic seminars and workshops utilizing both in-house and external expertise. We expect to enhance this activity. At least three seminars/workshops are planned annually.

· Short courses will be developed as an outcome of research and scholarship activities. At least one short course is planned for the first year and the frequency increased in subsequent years.

· We plan to use the semi-annual meetings with the OTC Advisory Committee as a vehicle for transferring technology.

· We plan to work closely with ODOT in organizing an annual event, “Research Day,” to discuss ongoing and completed research projects. Engineers and others from different field divisions, industry and ODOT’s central office are expected to benefit from this activity.