Spring Break
Transportation lab dreams BIG
Yixin Chen
Issue date: 7/23/08 Section: News
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BIG stands for Border Intermodal Gateway, which was established in 2006 under the Department of Civil Engineering to conduct research related to transportation on the border, including planning, traffic simulation, traffic operations and management and intelligent systems.
The lab is directed by Ruey Long Cheu, associate professor of civil engineering.
"I particularly enjoy teaching students and watching them grow from fresh students, who know nothing about transportation, to the master and Ph.D. level," Cheu said. "UTEP offers a good environment encouraging students."
When Cheu was a high school student, he crossed the Malaysia-Singapore border every day to go to school.
"I have been very familiar with border crossing since my high school years," Cheu said. "The problems that I encountered in border crossing prompted me to pursue a career in transportation. UTEP is just the right place to do research on border crossing."
According to Cheu, traffic in the city and at border crossings present different problems and challenges.
"For traffic in the city, you work with the Department of Transportation, which is in charge of freeways and major routes and you also work with the city, which is in charge of small routes," Cheu said.
The agency that oversees border crossings is the Department of Homeland Security.
"In the city, if certain routes are congested, there are always many alternatives, but in border crossing, there are limited choices," Cheu said.
Cheu hopes the transportation program will become the number one program for Hispanics. He expects to educate more students achieving master's and doctoral degrees to serve the needs of the border community.
Right now there are three Ph.D. students, three master-level students and five undergraduate students working on different projects in the lab.
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Viewing Comments 1 - 7 of 7
Ass
posted 12/27/08 @ 6:45 AM MST
Nice lab, very informotive!
Catherine Dering
posted 2/19/09 @ 3:26 AM MST
I do question if now is the right time to be looking at this though, and it also bothers me when people who've shown they're not super responsible with the money they already have ask for more. (Continued…)
Vadovo Baldai
posted 2/24/09 @ 7:17 AM MST
Thanks to author! I like articles like this about transportation lab dreams BIG , very interesting.
Courtney Bailey
posted 3/06/09 @ 8:01 AM MST
Nice review! Thanks!
Maria Ricard
posted 3/06/09 @ 8:22 AM MST
Good scene, interesting post, thanks.
Dawn Redden
posted 3/07/09 @ 9:06 AM MST
Nice review! Thanks!
Susan Goatman
posted 3/07/09 @ 9:45 AM MST
Good and interesting article, thanks!
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