I am pleased to share that the University of Delaware has been awarded a new Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) CRISI Grant of approximately $14.4M! I, Professor Monique Head am the PI along with Professor Allan Zarembski and Joe Palese as co-PIs, will establish a Center for Hands-On Training and Learning Environment for the Next Generation Railroad Technical Workforce (dubbed the HTL Center). The HTL Center will educate the next generation of railroad technical professionals through technical training, experiential learning opportunities, and data sharing using the High Tonnage Loop (HTL–2.7 mile loop of track) at the Transportation Technology Center (TTC), which is owned by the Federal Railroad Administration and ENSCO (contractor providing the Care, Custody, and Control contract for the TTC). The HTL track is a great testbed for accelerated, real-world testing, where I completed track testing and monitoring efforts per another FRA funded project of mine with Piero Caputo and Jeremiah Dzeble a few weeks ago with support from Daniel Einbinder ENSCO Rail and FRA senior program manager Hugh Thompson. The newly supported CRISI project aligns with the selection criteria by attracting and training the next generation of railroad industry workers. I look forward to working with my colleagues from the University of Delaware, Oklahoma State University, AP Sensing, Morgan State University, Michigan Technological University, OptiFuel Systems, Global Rail Group, Loram Technologies Inc., and ENSCO, Inc., particularly Matthew Dick P.E., as we embark on this effort and achieve the objectives of the new HTL Center and beyond. We are grateful for this opportunity and express gratitude for all those involved who helped to support these efforts so we can continue to have an impact with industry and the next generation. hashtag#Hengineer hashtag#research hashtag#workforcedevelopment hashtag#training hashtag#nextgeneration ELATES at Drexel
