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Dr. Dennis D. Truax - Director
The Mississippi Transportation Research Center (MTRC) functions to conduct scholarly research designed to advance current transportation-related technologies in the State of Mississippi. It serves to support educational opportunities for the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) personnel, and others associated with the MDOT, to strengthening of their professional expertise, enhancement their work-related effectiveness, and advance their professional careers. MTRC also engages as a basis for information exchange with peer transportation centers and other identified organizations and corporate entities as deemed appropriate by MDOT. Finally, this center strives to develop, execute, and administer work assignments under a Master Agreement which expedites research efforts at Mississippi’s universities in support of the missions and research needs of MDOT.
When MDOT identifies a problem or subject area for a research project, the appropriate MDOT Division prepares a draft scope of work for the project. The MTRC assists in preparation of the draft as needed. With MTRC working in a supporting role, the MDOT division defines the research team at the various State Institution of Higher Learning universities to provide the needed work. The MTRC then assists the principal investigator(s) in developing a detailed scope of work, task list, progress schedule, and cost estimate for Work Assignments under the Master Agreement.
The MTRC provides credit and non-credit instructional programs as requested by the MDOT. Overall the MTRC and the Division of Academic Outreach and Continuing Education (AOCE) at Mississippi State University would provide administration of credit instructional programs. Both university and non-university personnel would provide the course instruction as needed, and the center, as supported by CEE and the Bagley College of Engineering, would maintain equipment and facilities as required for providing courses. Courses shall be selected by MDOT in coordination with the MTRC and executed through Work Assignments. A single Work Assignment may provide for more than one course.
A number of states support Transportation Research Centers. These peer centers communicate and exchange information on activities and research. The MTRC will participate in these exchanges as approved by MDOT. This exchange can take several forms and activities will be defined, approved, and reviewed by MDOT, as appropriate, on a regular basis. For example, representative of MTRC will attend technical and professional meetings deemed appropriate by MDOT.
| 2/15/14 - 12/31/22 | Dennis D. Truax | Mississippi Transportation Research Center |
| 2/15/17 - 12/31/22 | Isaac Howard | MDOT Specific Materials, Design, and Construction Procedures for Chip and Scrub Seals |
| 2/15/18 - 12/31/20 | Pengfei Li | Development & Evaluation of Wi-Fi Highway Performance Evaluation System on Highways |
| 2/15/16 - 12/31/20 | Isaac Howard | Soil Cement Manual of Practice: Interconnected Framework for Pavement Design, Laboratory Mixture Design, and Construction Quality/Assurance |
| 2/15/18 - 12/31/20 | Isaac Howard | Conversion Factors and Regression Parameters to Back Cast Strength and Modulus of Cementitiously Stabilized Materials |
| 2/15/18 - 12/31/19 | John Boyd | Vegetation Management Program |
| 2/15/18 - 12/31/19 | Daniel Carruth | High-Quality Simulation for Maintenance and Transit operator Training |
| 2/15/18 - 12/31/19 | Li Zhang | Performance Measures of Traffic Signal Control Systems |
| 5/1/18 - 12/31/18 | Dennis D. Truax | 2018 Mississippi State Mississippi Summer Transportation Institute |
| 5/1/17 - 12/31/17 | Dennis D. Truax | 2017 Mississippi State Mississippi Summer Transportation Institute |
| 2/15/14 - 12/31/17 | Isaac Howard | Field Aging Effects on Asphalt Mixed at Different Temperatures and Hauled Different Distances |
| 5/1/16 - 12/31/16 | Dennis D. Truax | 2016 Mississippi State Mississippi Summer Transportation Institute |
| 2/15/14 - 12/31/16 | Li Zhang | Origin Destination (O-D) and Travel Time (TT) Data |
| 5/1/15 - 12/31/15 | Dennis D. Truax | 2015 Mississippi State Mississippi Summer Transportation Institute |
| 10/1/05 - 12/31/16 | Isaac Howard; Farshad Amini | Long Term Monitoring and Performance of Paving Fabric Interlayer Systems to Reduce Reflective Cracking |
| 2/15/12 - 12/31/15 | Li Zhang | Real-Time Transit Vehicle routing Optimization in Emergency Evacuations (NCITEC Project) |
| 2/15/12 - 12/31/15 | Li Zhang | Cost Share for NCITEC Project |
| 2/15/12 - 12/31/15 | Li Zhang | Intermodal Transportation Systems Risk Analysis and Resilience in New Madrid Seismic Zone: The Impact to Mississippi (NCITEC Project) |
| 2/15/12 - 12/31/15 | Isaac Howard | State Study #250 - Full Depth Reclamation for High Traffic Applications |
| 5/1/14 - 12/31/14 | Dennis D. Truax | 2014 Mississippi State Mississippi Summer Transportation Institute |
| Fall 2013 - 12/15/14 | Sandra D. Eksioglu and Xiaopeng Li | Analyzing the Impact of Intermodal-Related Risk to the Design and Management of Biofuel Supply Chain |
| Fall 2013 - 42 months | Isaac Howard | Field Aging Effects on Asphalt Mixed at Different Temperature and Hauled Different Distances |
| 5/1/13 - 12/31/13 | Dennis D. Truax | 2013 Mississippi State Mississippi Summer Transportation Institute |
| 5/1/12 - 12/31/12 | Dennis D. Truax | 2012 Mississippi State Mississippi Summer Transportation Institute |
| 2/1/12 - 6/30/14 | Isaac Howard | Full Depth Reclamation for High Traffic Applications |
| 2/1/12 - 6/30/15 | Seamus Freyne | Acceptable Vibrations on Green Concrete |
| 2/1/12 - 6/30/13 | Lesley Strawderman | Driver Speed Limit Compliance in School Zones: Assessing the Impact of Sign Saturation |
| 5/1/11 - 12/31/11 | Dennis D. Truax | 2011 Mississippi State Mississippi Summer Transportation Institute |
| 5/1/10 - 12/31/10 | Dennis D. Truax | 2010 Mississippi State Mississippi Summer Transportation Institute |
| 10/1/09 - 12/31/11 | Li Zhang | I-55 Integrated Diversion Traffic Management Benefit Study (Updated 11/17/14) |
| 10/1/09 - 12/31/11 | Feng Wang | Evaluation of MDOT’s Distress Thresholds for Maintained Pavement Projects |
| 10/1/09 - 12/31/11 | Wei Zheng | Instrumentation Computational Modeling for Evaluation of Bridge Substructures Across Waterways |
| 5/1/09 - 12/31/09 | Dennis D. Truax | 2009 Mississippi State Mississippi Summer Transportation Institute |
| 10/1/08 - 6/30/10 | Feng Wang | Emergency Evacuation Study for the Greater Jackson Area (Dynasmart-P Development) |
| 10/1/08 - 3/31/13 | Isaac Howard | Properties of Flexible Pavements Due to Bituminous Surface Treatments |
| 10/1/08 - 9/30/10 | Isaac Howard | Utilization of Rap in Construction (Phase II High Rap Surface Course) |
| 10/1/08 - 3/31/10 | Waheed Uddin | Performance Evaluation of Roundabouts for Traffic Delay and Crash Reduction in Oxford, MS |
| 10/1/08 - 3/30/12 | Tom White | Strain Resistant, Extended Performance Pavements, an Alternate to Sub drainage |
| 10/1/08 - 3/30/12 | Jordan Whittington | In-House Support to State Study No 217 |
| 10/1/08 - 3/30/12 | Chris Saucier and Miriam Smith | Development of a Method for Estimating Lateral Earth Pressures for Retaining Structures Sited in Expansive Clay Deposits |
| 10/1/08 - 3/30/10 | Li Zhang | Framework of Calculating the Measures of Resilience (MOR) for Intermodal Transportation Systems |
| 5/1/08 - 12/31/08 | Dennis D. Truax | 2008 Mississippi State Mississippi Summer Transportation Institute |
| 10/1/07 - 9/30/09 | Isaac Howard | Laboratory and Field Study of Chip and Scrub Seals to Develop Asphalt Maintenance Toolbox |
| 10/1/07 - 9/30/08 | Isaac Howard | Use of Maturity Meters in Construction |
| 10/1/07 - 9/30/10 | Tom White | Open Graded Friction Courses for HMA Pavements |
| 10/1/07 - 9/30/10 | Isaac Howard and L. Allen Cooley, Jr. | Effect of Coarse Aggregate Cleanliness and Moisture Content on Stripping Susceptibility & Long Term Performance of HMA |
| 5/1/07 - 12/31/07 | Dennis D. Truax | 2007 Mississippi State Mississippi Summer Transportation Institute |
| 10/1/05 - 9/30/06 | Waheed Uddin | Ground Penetrating Radar Study-Phase (Technology Review & Evaluation) |
| 10/1/05 - 9/30/06 | Emmett Crockett | Enhancing Mobility to Improve the Quality of Life in the MS Capitol Region |
| 10/1/05 - 9/30/07 | Jordan Whittington | Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Drainage Layers |
For more information about funded projects, how to apply, or to access the original reports, please visit: http://mdot.ms.gov/portal/research.aspx.
