FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, June 29, 2001
Contact: Karen Whitney
Lori Irving
Telephone:
202-366-0660
FHWA
25-01
FHWA
Awards Small Businesses $1.26 Million To Conduct Innovative Transportation
Research
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today announced that it has awarded a total of $1.26 million to 13 small businesses to conduct 11 innovative transportation research projects as part of the Small Business Innovative Research program (SBIR).
“Applying
new technology to complex real-world transportation problems is one of the major
challenges for transportation,” U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y.
Mineta said. “This program
provides an excellent opportunity for small businesses to help the United States
advance in an arena that affects the quality of life of every American.”
The funding will enable the companies to conduct research activities ranging from development of an early warning driver alert of pedestrian presence to development an ultra violet bulb for automotive headlamps to help make fluorescent materials in pavement markings and signs, for example, more visible for drivers.
Staff
at FHWA’s renowned Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center worked with experts
throughout the agency to identify projects and issues that not only provide an
opportunity for small businesses to participate in the SBIR program, but also
complement ongoing FHWA research and help to support the agency’s strategic
goals. Other U.S. Department of
Transportation administrations also participate in the SBIR program, which is
administered by the department’s Research and Special Programs Administration.
Congress
established the SBIR program to stimulate technological innovation, utilize
small business to meet federal research and development needs, encourage
participation by minority and disadvantaged businesses in technological
innovation, and increase private sector commercialization of innovations derived
from federal research and development.
It
is a nationwide program that is open to all small businesses throughout the
United States.
The following list names the projects and the small businesses that received awards:
“A
Driver Early Warning Alert of Pedestrian Presence,” Creare, Inc., Hanover, N.H.,
and OPTIMUS Corporation, Silver Spring, Md.
"Development
and Implementation of Compact Disk Read Only Memory (CDROM) Training
Program," SayTech Corporation, Indianapolis, Ind.
"Analysis
of Urban and Rural Transportation Corridor Development Conflicts,” Vieux &
Associates, Inc., Norman, Okla.
"Development
and Implementation of Automated Management of Additions/Deletions of Highway
Driveways," Simwright, Inc., Navarre, Fla.
"Software
Package for Fitting and Evaluating Material Models for the Finite Element Code
DYNA3D," APTEK, Inc., Colorado Springs, Colo.
"Development
of an Ultra Violet (UV) Bulb for Use in Automotive Headlamps," Physical
Optics Corporation, Torrance, Calif.
"Recycling
of Portland Cement Concrete Pavement," Road Processing Resources, Inc.,
Vail, Colo.
"Development
of a Sidewalk Assessment Process," Moore Iacofano Goltsman Inc., Berkeley,
Calif.
"Development
of Technology to Increase Native Seed Source," Solis Environmental, Byran,
Texas.
"Development
of an Enforceable Handicapped Parking Placard," Mainstream Engineering,
Rockledge, Fla., and Handiplate, Malibu, Calif.
"Non-intrusive
Wind Field Mapper," Science Research Laboratory, Inc., Somerville, Mass.
For
the SBIR project descriptions
go to http://www.volpe.dot.gov/sbir/sol00/sec8.html on
the Internet.
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