William Colglazier, executive officer of the National Academy of Science and chief operating officer of the National Research Council, will speak as part of the KU Transportation Research Institute's Emerging Challenges in Transportation Lecture Series. The series illuminates prevailing transportation research needs for students, faculty and the public.

Colglazier's lecture, Science and Technology in Addressing Critical Issues Facing the Nation, is free and open to the public. Colglazier will discuss transportation-related problems such as global warming and dependency on foreign oil and what new technologies can be used to help solve these problems. The event begins at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1, at Room 2 of Spahr Classroom in Eaton Hall. A reception will follow.

KU News Article

Congressman Jerry Moran excited about the research happening at the University of Kansas during his visit on December 4, 2006. Moran was instrumental in KU TRI receiving $14.5 million in funding for transportation research.

Kansan News Article

KU TRI is off to a fast start in funding 15 to 16 different projects. Currently, the institute has awarded approximately $1.3 million in funding coupled with money matched by external and in-kind funds of approximately $2 million to fund research on everything from electric buses, diesel-powered aircraft, hydrogen-powered vehicles, alternative fuels and back strain of truck drivers.

Oread News Article

After spending 21 years advising members of the Cabinet, Congress and President Clinton on the impact of science and technology on society, John H. Gibbons is coming to Lawrence to spend a day sharing his expertise with students and faculty at the University of Kansas.

Gibbons will speak Thursday, Nov. 16, at the Spahr Classroom in Eaton Hall. The presentation begins at 4:30 p.m., with a reception following. The public is welcome to attend.

This week, as the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority begins to test a new plug-in hybrid electric bus, KU Transportation Research Institute engineers will help monitor how it performs and measure what impact it has on air quality.

The bus works by running on electricity until the battery is nearly depleted. Then it switches to a backup diesel engine and operates like a conventional diesel-electric hybrid. It is later plugged into an electrical outlet to recharge the battery. Using grid power for some of its operation significantly reduces its use of petroleum fuel.

Mr. John Powell will present a seminar titled Chattanooga electric bus experiment on Wednesday, September 6th at 3 pm in the Spahr engineering classroom, 2 Eaton Hall.

Honea, a former director of the National Transportation Research Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is the institute's first director.

KU News Article