UIC Grant from the Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE)

Two years ago, SAFETEA-LU designated the University of Wisconsin- Madison as one of ten National University Transportation Centers. Led by the Director Dr. Teresa Adams, CFIRE will "...focus on issues of sustainability and freight transport as it advances technology, knowledge and expertise in the planning, design, construction and operation of sustainable freight transportation infrastructure and its associated systems."

CFIRE selected UIC as a consortium partner along with three other universities (UW-Milwaukee, UW-Superior, and University of Toledo) with a proven track record of research in freight transportation. As a consortium member, UIC will receive a grant over the 5-year span of the CFIRE program. Kawamura is the Principal Investigator for the UIC team, and will be joined by two assistant professors from the Department of Civil and Materials Engineering, Jie Lin and Kouros Mohammadian, UTC Interim Director Piyushimita (Vonu) Thakuriah, METSI Director/Research Professor Joe DiJohn, and UTC Research Assistant Professor Paul Metaxatos to form the core team.

The UIC team's activities will place a priority on supporting efforts that will advance state-of-the-art freight transportation planning, concentrating in urban areas. Also, over the span of the grant, the program will support a number of graduate students who will work on freight-related research, education, and outreach activities.