Bryan Glass of Ballwin, Mo., a sophomore in computer science and computer engineering, and Michelle Vaughan of Chesterfield, Mo., a junior in computer science and computer engineering are researching the feasibility of automated transportation as part of an Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experiences (OURE) project. Here's how Bryan and Michelle describe their project:

Vehicular accidents are the leading cause of death for people between the ages of one and twenty-nine and account for 44.3 percent of all accidental deaths. Though technological advances have made driving more comfortable and safer, vehicles remain unchanged at their core. More safety devices than ever are available for personal vehicles, but as long as a person is behind the wheel there are limitations. Fatigue, distractions, medical problems, and inexperience may all lead to an increased chance of injury. As drive-by-wire driving systems become more popular, the advent of completely automated vehicles will become a distinct possibility. This technology would eliminate the human factor and provide many more options. Fuel consumption could be minimized by controlling speed through a computer. In many transportation systems, the conversion to autonomy also resulted in an increase in allowable speed. Road conditions, traffic, and construction can all be detected using sensors and a wide area connection.

Continue reading "A look into the transportation's future" »

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UMR is one of four universities slated to receive $3 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation for new research, the DoT announced late last week. The allocation is part of an $18.5 million in transportation research funding for 13 U.S. universities through DoT's Research and Innovative Technology Administration.

Speaking of UMR transportation research, be sure to tune in the PBS's NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on Monday night to catch some of UMR's transportation researchers discuss their work and the state of the nation's infrastructure.

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A reusable crash barrier developed by UMR Chancellor John F. Carney has made an impact on highway safety over the years. Now, the chancellor's invention is being cited as an example of university research that helps make the world a better place.

The chancellor's cylindrical crash cushions -- like the ones pictured here, at a St. Louis exit ramp -- are among the 100 university research projects described in The Better World Report, Part Two: Technology Transfer Works: 100 Innovations from Academic Research to Real-World Application.

The report is published by the Better World Project, an undertaking of the non-profit Association of University Technology Managers. Released in April, the report "shows how technology transfer -- the process of licensing and commercializing academic research -- improves people’s lives, contributes to the economy and supports tomorrow's discoveries,” says AUTM President John Fraser.

Carney's work also caught the notice of The Kansas City Star, which reported on the citation over the weekend.

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With terror alerts adding to the restrictions airline passengers face -- and those restrictions slowing people down even more at the airport -- it might be quicker and easier to fly yourself to your destination.

UMR's mechanical and aerospace engineering department can help you with that. This fall, Bob Oetting will offer a Private Pilot Ground School to teach prospective pilots everything they need to know to pass the FAA's Private Pilot, Recreational Pilot and Sport Pilot written tests. The group will meet on Monday and Thursday nights in September and October.

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As part of her annual Farm Tour, U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson (pictured) visited campus today to meet with a pair of UMR chemical engineers who've devised a way to make ethanol using things like corn stalks, rice hulls and various types of wood - like the leaves and branches typically left over by the forestry industry.

Missouri recently made the switch to E10 to replace straight gasoline. We'll need 13 billion gallons of ethanol per year to keep up with demand. If we go with E85, we'd need 123 billion gallons of the stuff. If 100 percent of the state's corn grain were used for ethanol production, it would only yield 30 billion gallons. Considering some of that grain also has to go to the food market for people and animals, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that an alternative fuel source is needed.

Enter Neil Book and Olliver Sitton.

Continue reading "Wood you use ethanol?" »

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Bill Ankner, director of the Missouri Transportation Institute at UMR, spoke at today's Chancellor's Council meeting about the various projects MTI is involved in.

One project in particular seemed to grab the audience's attention. Ankner described how MTI is working with Delcan Traffic Monitoring to provide real-time traffic information using cell phone signals. A quick Google search served up this article, which gives more detail about the work:

If cell phone signal traffic monitoring technology continues building steam, we all may be acting as traffic probes on the highway.

Missouri is the latest state to implement a program that measures traffic congestion on major roads based on the average time it takes drivers' cell phone signals to pass from cell tower to cell tower along those roads....[I]n February, Missouri became the first to carry out a statewide implementation, covering 5,500 miles of its busiest roads -- generally interstates and numbered routes. ...

Continue reading "Real-time traffic monitoring" »

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From the editors: In a first for the United States, engineers in Kansas City are looking across the Atlantic for a solution to the city's congestion and accident rate. In short, they plan to have people drive on the left side of the road. We asked Mohammad Qureshi, assistant professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering, UMR director of the Missouri Transportation Institute and director of the Missouri Local Transportation Resource Center, to share his thoughts about the "design first."

As the article states, the diverging diamond design has strong potential to be efficient and safe, dependent on two things. First the use of appropriate channelization (i.e. use of islands) to separate the on-ramp and off-ramp movements from the through movements. Proper channelization can reduce the crossing conflict points from six to two points. Second, sufficient spacing needs to exist between the ramps to allow for safe weaving of the on-ramp and off ramp traffic. With good signing and channelization, this design could turn out well.

An overhead view of the plan is available here.

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Eight UMR students this semester are working with Bill Ankner, director of the Missouri Transportation Institute at UMR, to develop a business plan for a public transit system for Interstate 44. The study, funded by a $70,000 grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation, will focus on the project's feasibility and help officials determine the best way to run a commuter shuttle bus service from Fort Leonard Wood to Rolla and Lebanon.

“If it looks like there isn’t the market for this to work, and it looks like this will fail, we will tell you," Ankner said. “But at this point, all indicators are it will be positive."

Farther down the road, the commuter shuttle bus might become part of a federal test program to determine the viability of hydrogen rather than traditional motor fuels, using an existing MoDOT garage near Fort Leonard Wood’s main gate as a hydrogen fuel cell facility.

“What UMR and (the Missouri Transportation Institute) are saying is, if we get this transit system up and running, to use this system as the test site for hydrogen technology," Ankner said, noting that the federal government doesn’t yet have any rural test sites for a hydrogen fuel program.

Read more about the project in the Waynesville Daily Guide.

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In Greene County, Mo., last month, the first vehicle crossed a new bridge made of glass fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP). The bridge replaced a 73-year-old farm road bridge that was closed because it was no longer structurally sound and not very functional.

Today the project, originally funded by the National Science Foundation, was featured in an article on its website.

This bridge of the future was developed in a joint effort between University of Missouri-Rolla researchers and those at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Strongwell Corp. and Hughes Brothers Inc. The project is a finalist for an ASCE award.

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A reader asked for more information about the technology behind the UMR-Greene County bridge project that is up for a national award. The UMR University Transportation Center, from which this research originates, has all kinds of information about this research on its website. A good place to start would be with the UTC's selection of journal articles (links are PDF).

In addition, Fabio Matta, a researcher with the UMR Center for Infrastructure Engineering Studies, suggests these online documents about the use of fiber-reinforced polymer materials for infrastructure applications:

• Paper presented at the 2005 Federal Highway Administration conference in December 2005 (PDF). The paper discusses how glass fiber-reinforced polymer rebar may be used in bridge construction, and details its use in the Greene County, Mo., bridge.

• A slideshow presentation (PDF) of the research, from the same conference.

• The research group's most recent publication: Development of a Cost-Effective Structural FRP Stay-In-Place Formwork System for Accelerated and Durable Bridge Deck Construction (PDF).

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Composites News International reports that a UMR bridge project in Greene County, Mo., has a fifty-fifty shot at receiving a major national award. The project, which involves the use of strong but lightweight fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) materials to strengthen the bridge, is one of two finalists for the American Society of Civil Engineers' 2006 CERF Pankow Award for Innovation.

UMR has been a leader in the use of FRP to extend the longevity of aging bridges and recently received a $1.2 million grant to use the technology on Missouri bridges.

The CERF Pankow award winner will be announced on Wednesday, April 26, in Washington, DC. Stay tuned.

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Building a bridge is no small feat, but the 30 members of the UMR Steel Bridge Team take on the challenge with enthusiasm each year as they design and build a steel bridge model for regional and national competitions.

Continue reading "Team Watch -- A bridge is not made by steel alone" »

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We’ve all sat through long traffic lines, maneuvered our way through road construction zones, and tried to decipher highway signs and exits with the growing suspicion that we may never reach our destination. But while we may have endured our share of driving dilemmas, we may not realize there are people out there committed to eliminating them. Mohammad Qureshi, assistant professor of civil engineering at UMR, makes a career out of studying the daily grind on our nation’s roads and highways, and is finding ways to make them smoother, both physically and conceptually.

Continue reading "Faculty View -- Mohammad Qureshi" »

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The spacious, three-story structures lab in UMR’s Butler-Carlton Hall gives Gary Greene ample room to conduct some research with a twist. The UMR Ph.D. student is using the roomy facility to simulate an earthquake’s twisting movements on a 48-foot reinforced hollow concrete box girder to see how an earthquake might affect highway bridges in Missouri. His work may one day lead to bridges that can better withstand an earthquake’s powerful effects.

Continue reading "Student View -- Gary Greene" »

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Antonio Nanni, the Vernon and Maralee Jones Missouri Distinguished Professor in the civil, architectural and environmental engineering department at UMR, is researching how fiber-reinforced polymers can be used to build new bridges and repair and rehabilitate deficient bridges. He leads the Center for Infrastructure Engineering Studies at UMR, which recently received a $1.2 million grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation to improve the strength and stability of bridges in the state.

Continue reading "Expert Insight -- Fiber polymers" »

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It may have taken four years to build the Golden Gate Bridge, but elementary school students across the country are learning how to construct their own bridge in less than 30 minutes.

Continue reading "Kidz View -- Building a bridge in 30 minutes or less" »

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Show-Me State bridges are falling down

Like the one in the familiar nursery rhyme, many of Missouri’s bridges are in desperate need of repair. Of the state’s 23,495 bridges, 28 percent (or 8,578) were deficient, according to a 2003 study by the Federal Highway Administration. The study’s findings rank Missouri fourth in the country for the number of bridges in poor condition – behind Texas, Pennsylvania and Oklahoma.

Continue reading "A Quick Look -- Transportation" »

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With hundreds of thousands of the nation’s bridges nearing the end of their design lives, cash-strapped states are searching for innovative solutions for rehabilitating and replacing their decaying structures. One answer may lie in the same material that delivered stealth aircraft.

Continue reading "Eye on Research -- Taking space-age materials to new heights" »

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