WASHINGTON D.C. - U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today announced that $463,400 was awarded to the Youngstown State University Center for Transportation and Materials Engineering to create more sustainable transportation infrastructure technologies. The funds, awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, will help YSU students research and develop the advanced manufacturing resources needed to create a 21st transportation network.

"A modern transportation infrastructure is essential to attracting 21st-century jobs, and YSU is doing the research needed to ensure Ohio has sustainable and modern transportation infrastructure in place," said Brown. "These funds will provide the resources needed to bring the latest transportation infrastructure technologies to our state."


Youngstown State University is one of 60 University Transportation Centers nationwide. YSU will use these funds to continue to update Ohio's transportation network using new technologies. The grant is for the fiscal year 2010.

Brown has been working to promote economic development across Ohio by supporting the growth of emerging industries. Brown is a proponent of partnerships among institutions of higher education, industry, organized labor, and workforce boards. Brown recently introduced the Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success (SECTORS) Act, which already passed the House of Representatives. SECTORS organizes stakeholders connected to a regional industry-multiple firms, unions, education and training providers, and local workforce and education system administrators-to develop plans for growing that industry. Despite Ohio's 10.1 percent unemployment rate, there is still demand in today's labor market for skilled workers. To address this disparity, the SECTORS Act provides grants for sector partnerships among institutions of higher education, industry, organized labor, and workforce boards. A summary of the bill can be found here.

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