News Story
3/31/2010 - Seminar Series on Transportation Research, Education, and Evolving Technology
Sponsored by: Center for Integrated Transportation Systems Management, and National Center for Smart Growth, University of Maryland
Wednesday, March 31
Seminar: 2:00~3:00pm; Reception: 3:00~3:30pm
Location: CEE Main Conference Room, 1179 Glenn Martin Hall
Title: Exploratory Advanced Research at Federal Highway Administration
Speaker: David Kuehn
Cookies, coffee, and soft drinks will be provided beginning at 1:45pm.
Short Biography
David Kuehn became the first Program Manager for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Exploratory Advanced Research Program. The Program Manager serves as the senior advisor to agency leadership on the communication and coordination of exploratory advanced research activities and fosters partnerships with other Federal agencies, national scientific societies and organizations, and the academic community in support of the Program. The program focuses on longer term and higher risk research with the potential for transformational improvements to the transportation system.
David also served as a national expert on statewide and metropolitan transportation planning, transportation and land use, environmental justice, public involvement, transportation planning and environment, and transportation planning performance measurement for FHWA. David entered federal service as a Presidential Management Fellow.
Before working at the federal level, David worked in local government and as a consultant in southern California. He holds a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Southern California and a B.A from the University of California, Irvine and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).
Abstract
The transportation industry is facing unprecedented challenges. In order to meet those challenges, the industry needs to engage in high-risk, breakthrough research. Relying only on incremental improvements will not meet future needs. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is building capacity for high-risk, high-impact research by engaging research partnerships across sectors and across disciplines. Federal legislation established an exploratory advanced research (EAR) program that addresses longer term and higher risk breakthrough research with the potential for dramatic long-term improvements to plan, build, renew, and operate safe, congestion-free and environmentally sound transportation systems. The FHWA EAR Program funds exploratory advanced research across the range of issues critical to the transportation industry. Using full and open competition and expert review to identify areas of research focus and assess technical excellence, the FHWA has awarded funding for 29 projects during involving 20 different universities and colleges, 13 private businesses, eight state and local agencies and five federal laboratories including the Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center. Research includes both foundational work that anticipates the questions and future needs in applied research and the application of innovations from other industries to the transportation sector. This presentation will discuss the role of EAR in preparing for the future of transportation and processes FHWA uses for partnerships that are leading the way.
Published March 25, 2010
