AZTrans

The Arizona Laboratory for Applied Transportation Research at Northern Arizona University

AZTrans was founded informally by Craig Roberts in the early 2000s. As the first Transportation Engineering faculty member within the Department of Civil Engineering, Construction Management, and Environmental Engineering, Dr. Roberts paved the road for applied transportation engineering at Northern Arizona University. AZTrans was officially incorporated within the Department and the College of Engineering, Forestry, and Natural Sciences in 2018.

Mission statement

The mission of AZTrans (The Arizona Laboratory for Applied Transportation Research) is to improve the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of transportation systems through research which results in immediately implementable solutions. Housed on campus at Northern Arizona University, AZTrans maintains a state-of-the-art research and teaching traffic signal laboratory, equipment, and software for performing traffic safety research, and is fully equipped to conduct traffic simulation and developing and constructing prototype equipment for traffic data collection. Core to the mission of AZTrans is contribution to student success, which is achieved through hands-on involvement of students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, in all facets transportation research.

Education

Current Research

Past Research

Member of Pacific Southwest Region 9 UTC

The Pacific Southwest Region UTC is the Region 9 University Transportation Center funded under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s University Transportation Centers Program. Established in 2016, the Pacific Southwest Region UTC (PSR) is led by the University of Southern California and includes seven partners:

• California State University, Long Beach
• University of California, Davis
• University of California, Irvine
• University of California, Los Angeles
• University of Hawaii
• Northern Arizona University
• Pima Community College

The Pacific Southwest Region UTC conducts an integrated, multidisciplinary program of research, education, and technology transfer aimed at improving the mobility of people and goods throughout the region. 

Our program is organized around four themes:

• technology to address transportation problems and improve mobility
• improving mobility for vulnerable populations
• improving resilience and protecting the environment
• managing mobility in high growth areas