Director's Statement

Among the University Transportation Centers across the nation, The Center for Transportation and Environmental Education (TEE-21) is unique in two very important respects. First, it is set within the context of a small, liberal arts college and the Center's programs are designed to reflect Assumption's liberal arts educational mission. Second, the Center's programs are designed to contribute to our young people's understanding of the important issues they will face in making their transportation decisions as adults in this century. The education of our youth (K-12) on issues surrounding the relationship between transportation and the environment is our concern, the development and dissemination of education, science and social studies curricula that incorporate that relationship is our task.

Green and Clean

We welcome the opportunity given us by the University Transportation Center Program to demonstrate that a liberal arts college has a unique and needed contribution to make in partnership with its more technically oriented sister institutions under the umbrella of the US Department of Transportation's Research and Special Programs Administration.

Since its inception three years ago, TEE-21 has dedicated itself to creating pedagogical strategies that incorporate the study of interactions between transportation and both the natural and built environments for teachers K-12 in its programs of education, research and technology transfer.

Among Assumption’s faculty and students it sponsors the development of undergraduate, graduate and continuing education courses of study that embody the Center’s theme. This is especially important for faculty and students in the College’s education program where students are given the opportunity to examine the Center’s theme as they learn the methods of primary and secondary teaching. Important, also, is the incorporation of our theme in those academic courses which education students may use to fulfill teacher certification requirements in history, social studies and natural science. The Center efforts have been rewarded, and this year ends with four offerings listed in the graduate and continuing education programs and nineteen in the undergraduate program that address some dimensions of the Center’s theme. Those academic offerings are now supported by a d’Alzon Library book fund for the purchase of course-related publications.

Workshops modeling pedagogical strategies as well as courses using our theme carry graduate and continuing education credit for teachers. This past year we were particularly pleased to partner with the Rhode Island Heritage Harbor Museum in conducting a series of roundtables that have resulted in a social studies research workshop for teachers offered in the summer of 2002.

Interdisciplinary research is encouraged not only between academic disciplines but also between teachers, environmentalists and transportation professionals. Two types of research are funded by the Center. The first is scientific research within the field that can demonstrate reasonable transfer opportunities and, in addition, can be understood, is relevant to and can be utilized by teachers and administrators in grades K-12. The second is curricular research designed to develop innovative materials and methods for incorporating an examination of transportation and environmental issues in grades K-12. This year’s research program results will be presented at the annual conference to be held on 31 May 2003 and will be published on the Center’s web site.

To complete the four-year program of offering grant monies for scientific and curricular research, a call for proposals was sent out in Septemer 2002. As a result, six proposals were accepted and presented with an award in December 2002 to develop scientific and curricular research. Their results will be submitted and presented at a Projects Conference 6 September 2003.

The web site itself is designed as a national resource for teachers who wish to explore the use of our theme in their classrooms. In order to make it more appealing to students K-12 as well as to their teachers and others interested in working with the Center, a new website design was contracted and launched this year. Students, teachers and others have lauded the design and efficiency of use on even the older classroom machines. We are particularly delighted with the graphic representation of our theme in its pages. It has become a means to distributing the varied curricula and research results from the grant program across the United States.

Mission Statement

Through programs of research, education and technology transfer, the University Transportation Center at Assumption College

• encourages and supports partnerships between primary and secondary teachers, environmentalists and transportation professionals in the development of ways to introduce students (K-12) to the interactions between transportation and the environment as part of their math, science and social studies curricula.
• supports the development of education and science curricula that incorporate its theme for use in training future teachers as well as in courses of study in continuing and graduate education.
• serves as a national clearinghouse for curricular resources that incorporate the interaction between transportation and the environment for use in the education of our nation’s youth.