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2023 Annual Report

Letter from the Director

Dear Stakeholders and Partners,

I am thrilled to share with you exciting news about the remarkable growth and achievements of the Center for Transportation Research. With great pride and enthusiasm, I convey our center’s tremendous progress and impact in the last year. The center has undergone a remarkable transformation and expansion, and I am delighted to highlight some of the key accomplishments and developments that have taken place.

Our center has established itself as a hub of cutting-edge research, innovation, and collaboration in the state. Our dedicated team of faculty, researchers, and students have worked tirelessly to advance knowledge in transportation. We were successfully selected as the lead institution for the Center for Freight Transportation for Efficient and Resilient Supply Chain (FERSC) by the United States Department of Transportation. This effort is housed within CTR and is led by Dr. Ming Jin, Department Chair of Industrial Systems Engineering and Director of the Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment. We are contributing to solving some of the most pressing challenges facing the transportation industry today, from sustainable mobility solutions to cutting-edge traffic management systems.

In addition, we were selected as a consortium member for the Center for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety (led by the University of New Mexico) and the Center for Regional and Rural Connected Communities (led by North Carolina A&T University). These partnerships have allowed us to expand the reach of our research and outreach.

Our commitment to fostering collaboration and interdisciplinarity has also driven our success. We have forged partnerships with government agencies, private sector organizations, and other academic institutions to develop innovative solutions that benefit our local and global communities. The TEAM TN (Technology Enabled Advanced Mobility) effort brings together over 100 partners from throughout the state. This effort has shown the leadership of CTR and the university in building a mobility future that drives economic growth in the state of Tennessee.

Looking ahead, we are committed to further growth and progress. We aim to continue pushing the boundaries of transportation research, further deepening our collaborations, and expanding our influence in shaping the future of transportation systems. Our vision is to become a global leader in transportation research, setting new standards and pioneering innovations that transform how we move and connect with the world. The development of the Future Mobility Institute as a gateway for research at the university is continuing. The web presence for this initiative is located at https://mobility.utk.edu. I encourage you to check it out.

In closing, I express my deep appreciation for the dedication and hard work of everyone who has been a part of this journey. The success of the Center for Transportation Research is a testament to the commitment of our community, and I have every confidence that our future will be even brighter.

Sincerely,
Kevin Heaslip, Ph.D., PE
Director, Center for Transportation Research University of Tennessee Knoxville

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