The Safe Passages REU Site will be hosted by the Western Transportation Institute (WTI) at Montana State University (MSU). The main goal of the program is to address the nation's need for a diverse group of innovative transportation researchers and professionals capable of developing creative and interdisciplinary solutions to a growing host of complex issues related to the nation's rural transportation infrastructure. The research will seek solutions for motorist safety, safe wildlife and fish passage across the roadway and environmental protection. A ninety mile stretch of U.S. Highway 191 near MSU, which follows pristine mountain waterways and passes through part of Yellowstone National Park, will provide an ideal field site for undergraduate students to develop innovative solutions to these issues.
WTI research staff and faculty will mentor a diverse group of 8 undergraduate students from all fields of engineering, as well as ecology, biology, and the environmental sciences. In addition to their project involvement, the students' REU experience will be enriched by research seminars, training workshops, and similar educational activities over the course of the ten week program. The program will improve the students' understanding of the depth and breadth of rural transportation issues, enhance their analytical, research and communication skills, and foster their ability to draw important connections between diverse disciplines such as engineering, biology, ecology, and the environmental sciences in a real-world laboratory.
