Professional Outreach


MSU

The establishment of the proposed Center will complement the efforts currently undertaken by the NCPP to conduct outreach and technology transfer, especially in transferring research and educational advances in highway pavement preservation to the broad transportation community. The Center will use the links established by the NCPP with a variety of state and local highway transportation agencies and private companies to accomplish its outreach mission. Contacts with the Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) in Michigan (run by Michigan Technological University) and other LTAPs will be leveraged to reach local transportation agencies.

 

In order to promote technology transfer the Center will:

 

  1. Establish a clearinghouse (Website) for disseminating research reports, research papers, newsletters and periodicals.  The Center will also establish a presence in new social media outlets (facebook, linkedin). These will serve as a forum for discussions, announcements etc.
  2. Publish newsletters and synthesis reports highlighting Center activities and mail them to the transportation community at large.
  3. Publish an annual report, which will summarize the activities and accomplishments of the Center.
  4. Encourage publications on Center-funded research projects, including scholarly papers in peer-reviewed journals, technical reports, and guidelines to address specific issues.
  5. Encourage presentations of Center-funded research results at national/international technical conferences such as the Transportation Research Board Meeting and national/international transportation related conferences.
  6. Encourage committee memberships of Center associated faculty in transportation related international, national and regional technical committees.
  7. Rent booth space to showcase research and educational activities at major national and regional conferences (e.g., Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, National Association of County Engineers).
  8. Support the UTC program and the USDOT by providing:
  • A copy of each technical report completed by the Center to the UTC program
  • Support to the UTC program Website by supplying all requested information such as projects, students, project information, etc.
  • Up-to-date information to USDOT regarding project progress.
  • Technical assistance to or partnerships with USDOT/RITA research clusters.
  1. Be represented at conferences and meetings by:
  • Requiring each graduate student or principal investigator funded by the Center to make at least one presentation related to each research project at a national level conference or meeting.
  • Organizing a reception/fair at the TRB meetings to highlight research results generated by the Center. Representatives of federal, state and local transportation agencies and industry will be invited to the fair.
  1. Disseminate technology and results to agency and industry professionals by:
  • Designing and implementing short courses on infrastructure preservation techniques for working professionals from various state highway agencies and industry. These would be conducted through the National Center for Pavement Preservation (NCPP).
  • Providing copies of technical papers and reports on research results generated by the Center to any interested agency or entity. Most of the materials will be readily available through the Center Website.