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.”

Only 13 percent of engineers in the workforce are women, according to the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). The same analysis shows that over 32 percent of women switch out of STEM degree programs in college. Encouragement and support for women in STEM fields has grown in the past few years; however, there’s still work to be done to continue building an environment where female engineers can flourish. Texas ECE and WNCG student Sandy Saab is doing her best to be a part of that effort.

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.