The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a $2.12 million grant to Dr. Eun Sug Park from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) and Dr. Elaine Symanski of Baylor College of Medicine to support a four-year study evaluating the impact of a regulatory intervention to reduce shipping emissions on public health.
environment
Driving Innovation Forward: TTI’s EERF Unveils New Cutting-Edge Capabilities
Accounting for about 29 percent of the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the transportation sector is the largest contributor of GHG emissions in the United States. In an effort to reduce those numbers, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s (TTI’s) Environmental and Emissions Research Facility (EERF) has emerged as a leader in the race to find […]
Rain or Shine: TTI’s SEC Lab Pioneers Roadside Environmental Management
As the wear and tear of time puts a toll on our roads and our environment, it’s imperative to have measures in place to combat potential issues that may arise. With the ever-changing climate and increasing environmental regulations, now more than ever it’s essential that the best products are being used on our roadways — […]
CARTEEH Team Attends UTC Grant Kickoff Meeting at USDOT
A consortium led by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) was recently awarded a U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) grant for a tier-1 University Transportation Center (UTC). The grant provides continued funding for the Center for Advancing Research in Transportation Emissions, Energy, and Health (CARTEEH) over the next five years. On May 8, CARTEEH leadership […]
TTI’s Ramani Appointed to USEPA’s Subcommittee
Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Associate Research Engineer and Division Head of Air Quality, Energy and Health Tara Ramani was recently appointed to serve as a member of the Mobile Sources Technical Review Subcommittee (MSTRS) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Air Act Advisory Committee. As a representative member from an academic institution, Ramani […]
Joint Effort by TTI, Texas A&M AgriLife Helps to Protect Endangered Species From Road Projects
Unintended encounters with cars and trucks are nearly always bad news for animals. But not only do creatures face dangers on existing roads, they’re often imperiled from the moment that road construction begins. Animals of all types and sizes need to move about their habitats to forage, breed and simply exist, and that movement can […]
TTI, CARTEEH Supporting Transportation Electrification Efforts
The rapid appeal and growth of electric vehicles (EVs) over the last few decades are part of a fundamental shift in the constantly evolving transportation system. Stakeholders with interests in transportation, energy and emissions are finding they need to come together to plan for the future of the nation’s transportation system, including considering the idea […]
Environmental Research at TTI
The behavior of the brown pelican, the fascinating migration of monarch butterflies, and rangeland management are not usually associated with transportation research. But all that is changing. Over the last few years, researchers with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) have developed a portfolio of environmental projects never considered part of transportation research. TTI already […]
Entrepreneur Yanzhi “Ann” Xu Co-Creates Start-Up Company to Commercialize Electric Vehicle Charging Demand Software
Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Research Scientist Yanzhi “Ann” Xu is the co-founder of ElectroTempo, Inc., a start-up company for electric vehicle charging demand software technology. The company was incorporated Nov. 19, 2020. The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents granted approval at its board meeting May 20, 2021, for Xu, as a TTI […]
Transportation and Public Health at the Crossroads: SMART Infrastructure to Improve Health Equity
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the world, including how we view our transportation system. But that interruption in “the way we’ve always done things” has also provided us an unprecedented opportunity to take a step back and reassess our habits, systems and interactions to achieve healthier outcomes. One strategy to do so demands that transportation […]
TTI, The Nature Conservancy Complete Comprehensive Assessment of Low-Cost Air Quality Monitors
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) and its Center for Advancing Research in Transportation Emissions, Energy and Health (CARTEEH), in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy in Texas (TNC), recently completed a study entitled Analysis of the Performance and Calibration of Low-Cost Air Quality Monitors. The study assesses the performance and calibration of low-cost air quality […]
CARTEEH Researchers Publish First Book on Traffic-Related Air Pollution and Human Health
Researchers from TTI’s Center for Advancing Research in Transportation Emissions, Energy and Health (CARTEEH) published the 1st edition of Traffic-Related Air Pollution on Aug. 19, 2020. Associate Research Scientist Haneen Khreis led the editing of the book, working with CARTEEH Director Joe Zietsman and Associate Research Engineer Tara Ramani along with Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, a research […]
Paving the Way: TTI Pavement Research Provides Economic, Environmental Benefits
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) has a varied and productive history of applied research for the National Cooperative Highway Research Program. These projects provide excellent value by solving the myriad of problems facing transportation professionals. Two recent projects in the pavement area, Short-Term Laboratory Conditioning of Asphalt Mixtures and The Effects of Recycling Agents […]
Study Shows Air Pollution a Key Contributor of New Childhood Asthma Cases Across Europe
Up to 11 percent of new childhood asthma cases could be prevented each year if European countries complied with current World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines, according to a study of 18 European countries co-led by Texas A&M Transportation Institute Associate Research Scientist Haneen Khreis, who is also on the Center for Advancing Research […]
At a Glance — The Intersection of Health and Transportation
Photo (bottom, right) credit: Amani A/Shutterstock.com
It’s Complicated: Transportation’s Relationship with Public Health
The intersection of transportation and health is a place where ironic and dissonant circumstances often collide. A driver whose life was nearly ended in a crash with one motor vehicle will typically depend upon another motor vehicle — a hospital-bound ambulance — to save his or her life. A person chooses to walk or bike […]
Health in Transportation Corridor Planning Framework
Why and when should transportation agencies try to address health concerns? “The simple answer is because transportation decisions can impact health in the community. Considering these impacts early, as decisions are made, supports better outcomes.” — Federal Highway Administration In 2016, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) published the Health in Transportation Corridor Planning Framework, a […]
TTI Creates New Heat Map Showing Relationship between Traffic-Related Air Pollution and Childhood Asthma Across the United States
Asthma cases attributable to traffic-related air pollution dramatically decreased between 2000 and 2010 A team of air quality and health researchers led by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) has created a first-of-its-kind, county-by-county interactive heat map and city-by-city table detailing the distribution of childhood asthma due to traffic-related air pollution across the United States. […]
CARTEEH Symposium Spotlights Common Focus of Transportation and Public Health Professionals
The interests of transportation and public health together occupy a somewhat paradoxical space. Vehicle emissions constitute a public health threat, at the same time that health care and health-promoting activities often depend on access to vehicular mobility. That reality was one of several themes explored by professionals at the Transportation, Air Quality, and Health Symposium […]
Register Now for the Transportation, Air Quality, and Health Symposium
Transportation is a major source of anthropogenic air pollution. Transportation-related air pollution has been linked to premature mortality and a wide spectrum of global diseases including asthma, lung cancer, stroke, autism, dementia, diabetes and obesity. Reducing transportation energy consumption and emissions can improve air quality and reduce adverse impacts on public health and health equity. […]