Better understanding of transportation problems in Southern Nevada got a boost recently through a grant to UNLV by TRW Inc. and its operations in the Las Vegas area.

TRW executives Robert L. Strickler, president and general manager of TRW Environmental Safety Systems Inc., and L. Dale Foust, who heads TRW's Las Vegas area operations, recently presented a $30,000 donation to the UNLV Transportation Research Center (TRC). According to TRC director Edward Neumann, the donation will be used to acquire computer equipment and software needed for transportation studies conducted on behalf of local, state, and federal agencies, as well as for undergraduate and graduate instruction.

"TRW is proud to help support the important programs conducted by the TRC and values the partnership that we have developed with the UNLV College of Engineering," Strickler said during the presentation ceremony at UNLV. The computers and software will expand the TRC's capabilities in wide areas of its research.

TRW, which has more than 300 employees in the Las Vegas area, supports higher education institutions like UNLV that offer engineering and scientific research programs which enhance the body of knowledge available to business and government. TRW has supported a number of transportation programs at universities around the country for several years.

"This grant will enable us to improve the quality and quantity of our research at a time when Las Vegas and Nevada are struggling with incredible growth and the transportation problems that accompany growth," said Neumann.

The TRC was established in 1988 as a unit of the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering. Its faculty and staff possess the professional expertise and facilities to examine a wide range of transportation problems. TRC staff members maintain working relationships with numerous federal, state, and local transportation agencies and are involved in many research projects of importance to Nevada and the country. Over the past six years, the TRC has conducted more than 50 research projects.

The center conducts research on issues concerning the transportation of hazardous and radioactive waste, urban transportation planning, traffic safety, traffic operations, air quality, and public transportation. TRW's financial support will enhance the TRC's capabilities that also include outreach efforts to high school students, local professionals, and professional organizations.

TRW is a major company that specializes in a wide range of advanced technology systems and products for the energy, environmental, automotive, space, defense, and governmental management markets. Its Las Vegas operations are based in Summerlin and are involved in studies of Yucca Mountain for the U.S. Department of Energy.