December 3, 1999

Dear Colleagues,

Assumption College, with a grant from the US Department of Transportation's Research and Special Programs Administration, has established a University Transportation Center (UTC) under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century. The theme of this new UTC is Transportation and Environmental Education for the Twenty-First Century (TEE-21). Assumption's Center is unique among all national Centers 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 in the natural sciences and humanities. Second, the Center's programs are designed to contribute to our young people's understanding of the important issues they will face in making transportation decisions as adults in the next century. We are concerned with the education of our youth on issues surrounding the relationship between transportation and the environment. Our task is to support the development and dissemination of education and science curricula incorporating that relationship. We invite you to join us in this venture to help our young people appreciate the relationship between transportation and the environment.The Blackstone River Valley Corridor has been selected as the initial research and teaching "laboratory" for examining the relationship between transportation and the environment. Approved by our Research and Education Advisory Boards on October 1, 1999, the Blackstone River Valley Corridor alliance involves an important partnership with the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission and its National Park Service staff.Assumption's University Transportation Center is an opportunity for you to extend your work and expertise in the areas of transportation and the environment as well as share it with a national audience of teachers, environmentalists and transportation professionals. In addition, for those who are interested in examining the implications of our theme as a new perspective for teaching science and math or for working with science an math teachers, the Center is an opportunity for supporting such exploration. We are offering an opportunity for you to explore curricular resources, to create partnerships with others, and to link with both public and private organizations concerned with the issues related to our Center's theme.

Research and curricular grants are also available to those of you interested in furthering research and/or curricular development projects in the natural sciences that have application for the teaching of science in grades K-12 using the Center's theme. Application for awards should be in the form of a letter describing the project and its applicability for teaching science. For further details, please contact the Center's director.The University Transportation Center's mission depends upon the creation of a network of teachers and partners throughout the region that may become an educational model for the Nation. Let us know what you are doing, what you would like to do and how we might assist you in those goals. Link up with the Center to share your projects and ideas with other educators, transportation experts and environmental specialists. Receive national exposure for your web pages, curriculum projects and program brochures by linking up with the Center's website.We are excited about the many possibilities of working together and sharing resources to develop creative partnerships as we explore the University Transportation Center's theme for the 21st Century. For further information, please contact Dr. Charles W. Estus, Sr. (508) 767-7262, or Dr. Kathleen Livingstone, SSJ, (508) 767-7585. We look forward to hearing from you.

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Dr. Charles Estus