News

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded nearly $2 million to a national research consortium that includes lead institution Ohio State University as well as the University of California-Irvine and the University of Texas at Austin. The grant will create a new Tier 1 University Transportation Center (UTC). According to the DOT, these centers aim to “advance research and education programs that address critical transportation challenges facing our nation.”

Over 80 percent of annual car crashes could be prevented by vehicular  communications, a recent NHTSA report demonstrates. To improve vehicular communications and substantially improve safety benefits for all, TxDOT funded the Communications and Radar-Supported Transportation Operations and Planning (CAR-STOP).

In 2013, 32,719 fatalities resulted from traffic crashes, most of which were caused by driver error. Across the globe, people are facing longer commutes and five Texas communities are in the top 26 most congested cities in the United States. Traffic congestion creates about 4.8 billion hours of travel delay and affects the environment through increased carbon footprints and higher fuel consumption.

WNCG PhD Student, Ahmed Alkhateeb, recently presented an invited talk during the Graduation Day at the Information Theory and Applications (ITA) Workshop 2015. Graduation Day features outstanding graduate students and postdoctoral researchers seeking academic positions and provides them with an opportunity to present their work to a broad audience of researchers and faculty. They are the only ITA talks presented by students, and several past Graduation Day presenters have subsequently joined academic institutions. Alkhateeb was nominated to represent UT Austin during the ITA 2015 event.