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Dr. Benjamin Colucci of UPRM receives FHWA Administrator's Public Service Award


Submitted by Jacob Heiden

Congratulations to Dr. Benjamin Colucci of the University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez for receiving the FHWA-USDOT Administrator's Public Service Award. This award recognizes outstanding leadership and accomplishments in advancing transportation education, research, and workforce development and strong partnership with the Federal Highway Administration. Dr. Colucci is a SAFER-SIM researcher, colleague, and friend to many. On behalf of the SAFER-SIM family and the extended transportation community, congratulations on this well-deserved honor!

Below is the a message from Dr. Benjamin Colucci:


Greetings from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez.

I’m glad to share with my SAFER-SIM EXTENDED FAMILY this official communication and plaque that Brandye L. Hendrickson, FHWA Acting Administrator gave unexpectedly to the Puerto Rico LTAP Director (SAFER-SIM Researcher) during the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Program. This event was held on Tuesday, January 9, 2018 as part of the Universities & Grants Program activities during the 97th TRB Annual Meeting held in Washington, D.C.

The FHWA-USDOT Administrator’s Public Service Award recognizes advances in transportation education, research and workforce development as well as contributions in the area of safety for over 24 years through the Puerto Rico LTAP and the Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Program that is also administered through the T2 Center at University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez.

I wanted to share this memorable moment with my extended family of researchers in SAFER-SIM since it recognizes the areas of safety, transportation education, research and workforce development which are essential elements in SAFER-SIM and that we have been working together in our respective and joint projects since our first award with RITA-USDOT and now with the Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST-R).

I sincerely thank all of you faculty researchers, undergraduate and graduate research students and friends from the University of Iowa, University of Wisconsin – Madison, University of Massachusetts – Amherst, University of Central Florida and University of Puerto Rico - Mayagüez, my Alma Mater, for letting me be part of this extraordinary SAFER-SIM research initiative and learning from you in this extraordinary field of driver simulation.

I will certainly continue serving in those areas where you believe I can contribute to move safety research, workforce development and outreach to the next level, addressing all road users needs and contributing to the state of the art using simulation to better understand driver and pedestrian behavior in our mission of saving lives and improving our highway network to be the safest in the world.

With much appreciation,

Benjamin Colucci, PhD, PE, FITE, PTOE
Co-PI UPRM SAFERSIM
Director, Puerto Rico LTAP

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