“Through the Texas Transportation Institute, we are doing great work in developing materials and safety devices for the transportation industry. This work is more far-reaching than most of the general public knows,” said newly appointed Texas A&M University System Chancellor Michael McKinney following a tour of the Institute March 6.
The visit lasted through noon, focusing on key points which served as an introduction for McKinney who took over the helm of the System Nov. 22. TTI Director Dennis Christiansen welcomed the chancellor and kicked off the meeting with an overview presentation, which was followed by summaries of TTI’s work in areas including ground-penetrating radar, teen driving safety and congestion research.
TTI presenters included Tom Scullion, Russell Henk, Dallas Little, Tim Lomax and Dean Alberson. Kevin Balke and Bob Brydia acted as tour guides to introduce the chancellor to TTI’s traffic operations laboratory, Translink®.
McKinney heard about the Institute’s reputation and working relationships during presentations from Civil Engineering Department Head David Rosowsky, TxDOT Research Engineer Rick Collins and TTI Council Chair David Cain.
McKinney’s visit concluded with a full-scale crash test at TTI’s Riverside Campus facility, where researchers are developing a new guardrail system.
“TTI’s contribution to the state’s economy through improving the transport of goods and materials across our roads and through our pipelines is tremendous,” McKinney said.
You can learn more about Chancellor McKinney by visiting the Texas A&M University System website.