Contact: Bob Ratliff
Mississippi State University and the state's top transportation agency are joining together in a $5 million research and technology development effort.
An agreement recently signed with the Mississippi Department of Transportation covers a variety of research, education and service activities, said Clay Taylor, the university's associate dean of engineering for research and graduate studies.
"Areas of work covered by the agreement include bridge and roadway construction research, material testing and quality assurance and traffic engineering and planning," Taylor said. "Other types of projects include wetlands mitigation, litter abatement, evaluation of archaeological sites, and continuing technical education for MDOT employees."
The five-year contract will be coordinated through the university, but participation in the program is open to all Mississippi institutions of higher learning, said Robert L. Robinson, MDOT executive director.
"Everyone wins in this agreement," Robinson said. "MDOT will gain invaluable research data and project solutions, while graduate students and university faculty members will further their studies and provide a valuable service to the state and to local communities.
"As an added bonus, the money that is provided will be spent at our universities and colleges, rather than possibly leaving the state," Robinson said.
Taylor said reducing the time required to implement research contracts is another major advantage for the transportation department.
"In the past, it has taken several months for a contract to be implemented," Taylor said. "Having the agreement already in place will reduce the amount of time to just a few days. That's important for MDOT because many of its projects are time-sensitive."
Funding for the center will be provided by the transportation department, which will assign projects through Mississippi State's soon-to-be-established Transportation Research Center.
Veteran civil engineering professor James Epps will serve both as program manager for the agreement and director of the new center.
"Ideas for research and other projects will originate with MDOT, which then will contact the center," Epps said. A specific team will handle each project.
"The working group could be from one school or from a combination of state institutions of higher learning," Epps said, adding that expertise in fields required by the project will determine each group's makeup.
Robinson said the bottom line of this new agreement is to save money and speed up state transportation projects.
"This is a breakthrough partnership," he said. "Mississippi State is a state-of-the-art institution of higher learning with a special discipline in engineering. The transportation needs of Mississippi will better be served through this partnership."