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Center for Infrastructure Renewal

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Texas Transportation Institute

Texas A&M partners with Prairie View A&M to lead national transportation center

April 20, 2023 by Pamela Mize

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (KBTX) -Prairie View A&M University has been selected as the first historically Black college or university (HBCU) to lead a competitively awarded national-tier University Transportation Center by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The National Center for Infrastructure Transformation at Prairie View will focus on improving the durability and extending the life of transportation infrastructure through its research, education, and technology transfer programs.

Prairie View A&M University will lead the National Center for Infrastructure Transformation as part of a consortium that includes several members of The Texas A&M University System, including Texas A&M University, Texas A&M Transportation Institute, and Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station. Other partnering institutions include Arizona State University, Michigan State University, Rutgers University, and Blinn College.

During a special ceremony Monday at the Willie A Tempton, Sr. Memorial Student Center on the campus of Prairie View A&M Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp announced the $2.5 million commitment from A&M System.

Chancellor Sharp says the investment made by the Texas A&M University System is a sign of the trust that the system has in the leadership of Prairie View A&M University and its partnership with the A&M System.

“This historic first for Prairie View A&M University shows the power of its partnership with the A&M System, which made this success possible,” said Sharp. “Prairie View A&M University’s alliance with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute and Texas A&M University is an example of how this kind of collaboration makes it possible for us to compete against the best research institutions in the country and win.”

The National Center for Infrastructure Transformation at Prairie View will receive $4 million per year for the next five years and is one of only five awarded national-tier centers. Its focus will be on practical research to improve the durability and resilience of the nation’s transportation infrastructure for the next century. The Texas A&M System’s contribution will support the administration of NCIT, as well as its programs in education and technology transfer, freeing up more assets to pursue research in better ways to design, construct, and maintain transportation infrastructure.

“Today I stand before you as one of five center directors responsible for leading a national university transportation center for the next five years. The newly awarded National Transportation Center to Prairie View A&M University is unequivocally a historic achievement. Per my discussion with the Office of Sponsor program, this is the largest competitive award that Prairie View has received. So how did this occur? It was through the invisible but divine hands that brought all the right people together to develop a proposal document built on three key elements, and they were innovation, intentional, and unique. Innovation. Given the infrastructure, investment, and job acts, historic investment in American infrastructure, we would have to be about the business of describing how we would change and lead change regarding the statutory research priority to improve the durability at extending the life of the trans transportation infrastructure intentional, the message had to be clear to anyone reading the document that our commitment to leading change was deliberate regarding the projects and programs listed under the categories of research, education and workforce development and technology transfer and collaboration.”

 Dr. Judy Perkins, director of the National Center for Infrastructure Transportation at Prairie View A&M University.

“For 147 years, Prairie View A&M University has, as a part of its mission, been dedicated to achieving excellence and relevance in teaching, research, and service. Today’s announcement that Prairie View A&M University, the first HBCU in the nation will lead one of five national university transportation centers of infrastructure Transformation Insight, that’s a great acronym, demonstrates that Prairie View is an institution of the first class and is committed to realizing its historic mission.

This National Transportation Center will display to the World Prairie View A&M University’s long-held transportation research expertise, and the combined research capacity and capability of the Texas A&M University System.”

Michael McFrazier, Acting President, Prairie View A&M University

This selection of Prairie View A&M University as the first HBCU to lead a competitively awarded national-tier University Transportation Center is a significant milestone for the university, the Texas A&M University System, and the field of transportation infrastructure. It underscores the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in research, innovation, and leadership.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Anand Puppala, centerforinfrastructurerenewal, engineering, Prairie View A&M, TAMU, Texas Transportation Institute, UTC Awards

Dr. Anand Puppala Recently Named Director of the Center for Infrastructure Renewal at Texas A&M University RELLIS Campus

February 8, 2023 by Pamela Mize

Dr. Anand Puppala Recently Named Director of the Center for Infrastructure Renewal(CIR) at Texas A&M University RELLIS Campus

Dr. Anand Puppala, is currently A.P. and Florence Wiley Chair at Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Texas A&M University & Director of Center for Infrastructure Renewal (CIR).

As the Director of the Center for Infrastructure Renewal (CIR), a joint center between the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, he leads the center as a global source for the development of transformative infrastructure solutions. Through cross-industry and government agency collaboration, the CIR facilitates the creation of state-of-the-art methods, technologies and solutions that society needs for infrastructure renewal. The CIR is a unique 138,000-square-foot research, testing and training facility, which was the first new facility on the Texas A&M RELLIS campus. The CIR currently houses researchers who are developing advanced and sustainable materials and structural systems that will reduce cost and extend infrastructure life, safety, resiliency and durability.

He has been conducting research on Stabilization of expansive soils, Sustainable utilization of recycled materials, Dams and embankments, In situ intrusive methods for site characterization, and Pavement material characterization studies. Dr. Puppala’s research is also highly regarded by the professional community.

Despite all of his positions, Dr. Puppala keeps busy discussing his students’ projects, working with faculties, and addressing different research issues. Dr. Puppala sits in various meetings throughout his day, he is a faculty member at the Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and also participates in regular meetings with the Faculty on research on innovative ideas. Dr. Puppala tries to create opportunities and new networking lines at Texas A&M University College of Engineering as well as in other universities and industries.

Please congratulate him on his recent appointment as Director of the CIR.

Anand Puppala

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Anand Puppala, cement, centerforinfrastructurerenewal, composting, construction, Dams and embankments, engineering, fly ash, geotechnical engineering, geotechnics, In situ intrusive methods for site characterization, Infrastructure, infrastructure material characterization, RELLIS, research, soil, Stabilization of problematic soils, Sustainable utilization of recycled materials, TEES, Texas A&M University, Texas A&M University System, Texas Transportation Institute, TTI, Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

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