Rust Belt to Smart Belt:
Autonomy, Economic Development,
& STEM Education
Models for Inclusion, Change
& Vibrant Communities
National Association of Development Association Conference
October 17, 2022

Pittsburgh
Past

Pittsburgh
Today

Carnegie Mellon University
From Simple Roots to a World Leader in Robotics & AI
Ranked
● Computer Science
● Artificial Intelligence
● Robotics
● Information & Technology Management
● New Media
And
• 1st
Robotics Department in the World
• 1st
Machine Learning Department in the World
• 1st
Ph.D. in Robotics in the World
• Home to the National Robotics Engineering Center
(Commercialization Center)
• Home to the Army National Artificial Intelligence Hub
# 1

National
Robotics
Engineering
Center
(NREC)
10-million-dollar initial
investment
500-billion in total direct
funding raised to date
50 times the original
investment
Spinoffs valued at over
25 billion

Where is the next
innovator who is going
to change the world?

Robotics Scholars
riss.ri.cmu.edu
1. Education
2. Access
3. Engagement

Learn More
● Rachel Burcin –
rachel@cmu.edu
● Robotics Scholars at
● Carnegie Mellon
University

Through our PA Rural Robotics Initiative, the
Innovation Institute for Tomorrow officially
serves 25 school districts and over 50 school
buildings, supporting over 33,000 students in 8
rural counties across NW PA including: Erie,
Crawford, Warren, Venango, Clarion, Jefferson,
Armstrong and Forest counties.
Unofficially, the Innovation Institute has been
serving students across the entire
Commonwealth since Spring of 2020.
Mission: Provide sustainable, world-class
STEM education opportunities to every child
to prepare them for 21st century careers. With a
focus on equity, access, and belonging, the
Innovation Institute for Tomorrow strives to
turn the Rust Belt to the Smart Belt through
robotics, AI, and computer science.

The Innovation Institute for Tomorrow
has been successful in providing these
opportunities through the commitment
of our regional K-12 districts,
successfully obtaining grant awards,
and creating a recognized STEM
ecosystem.
Innovation Institute ecosystem partners
include: K-12 Schools, Colleges and
Universities, Business and Industry,
State and Local Government, Nonprofits,
Educational Robotics Companies, and
Workforce and Economic Development
Agencies.
The Innovation Institute aligns job
training and education experiences with
economic development and labor
demand in sectors that promise growth
and advancement for our students and
communities.
Career
Ready PA
Coalition

Mission is achieved by:
● Acquiring STEM
education resources
and providing
exceptional learning
experiences for students
to prepare them for the
21st century workforce
● Creating and providing
professional
development
opportunities to train
and empower teachers
● Supporting K-12 and
postsecondary
administration in
developing their STEM
vision and assisting in
creating desired
community-driven
outcomes

What’s next for our ecosystem?
● Creation of a STEM Innovation Hub in Franklin, PA
● Address issues of equity, access, and belonging in all
communities
● Continue to collaborate to connect kids to meaningful
career and education pathways that will lead to family
sustaining jobs
● As a thoughtful partner, assist and educate ecosystem
members to support workforce and economic
development initiatives through programming, projects,
and policy

Learn More:
Tim Heffernan - tim@ii4t.com
www.paruralrobotics.com

18
Rust Belt to Smart Belt:
Autonomy, Economic Development,
& STEM Education
Models for Inclusion, Change
and Vibrant Communities
Presented during the
National Association of Development Association Conference
October 17, 2022

19
A private, global research university,
Carnegie Mellon stands among the
world's most renowned educational
institutions, and sets its own course.
With cutting-edge brain science,
path-breaking performances,
innovative start-ups, driverless cars,
big data, big ambitions, Nobel and
Turing prizes, hands-on learning, and
a whole lot of robots, CMU doesn't
imagine the future, we create it.
CMU’s main campus is located in the Oakland
neighborhood of the City of Pittsburgh, PA

20

21
“[Since 1987] The University Transportation Centers
(UTC) Program advances the state-of-the-art in
transportation research and technology, and
develops the next generation of transportation
professionals…”

22
What does a UTC do?
✔ Research
✔ Education and Workforce Development
✔ Technology Transfer
✔ Collaboration

23
Mobility21
• Strong emphasis on Technology Transfer through public
and private partners for real-world deployments
• Cross-Sector collaboration
✔ University Transportation Center Partner Consortium
✔ University Transportation Center Advisory Council
✔ Interdisciplinary Research Teams
• Education & Workforce development
• Equity Focus

24
Research Development & Deployment Thrusts
• Moving People and Goods
• Connected and Automated
Vehicles
• Safety of Vulnerable Road Users
• Assisting the Disadvantaged
• Infrastructure Support
• Policy and Regulations

25
Collaboration
190+
Deployment
and Equity
Partners

26
Education & Workforce
Cross-sector Research
Collaboration

27
How Information is Shared
In addition:
• National Mobility Summit
• Smart Mobility Connection
• Webinars
• Publications
• Conference Presentations
• Spin-off Companies

28
o 494 seminars, workshops, and trainings for students, transportation organizations such as ITS, ITE,
and ASCE, state and local transportation agencies, and more general groups such as chambers of
commerce and labor unions.
o Reported 66 research deployment projects, 146 publications, 604 media stories mentioning UTC
faculty and their research, our Smart Transportation Dispatch weekly newsletter has 4,489
subscribers.
o CMU UTC Spinoffs that have created over 100 jobs in Pittsburgh:
▪ Ottomatika: AV company purchased by Delphi and then spun off into
Aptiv/Motional
▪ Roadbotics: Acquired by Michelin, low-cost road surface monitoring
▪ Rapid Flow Technologies: Acquired by Miovision, world’s first decentralized
adaptive traffic signals
▪ Virtual Traffic Lights: Using connected vehicle technology
▪ Phlux Technologies: Enabling advanced capabilities in robotics and automation
▪ TraffiQure Technologies: Applying AI to Traffic Management

29
Policy Papers
Informed, research-driven policymaking is central to improving our transportation
sector. Our expertise in this area helps guide civic leaders to harness the power of
intelligent transportation systems, while managing the inherent risks and
protecting constituents. Based in the rigorous, cutting-edge findings of Carnegie
Mellon University faculty and drawing upon Heinz College’s expertise in
data-driven public policy, our policy papers are a roadmap for the future of
transportation policy.
Driving Warning Technologies
and Partial Vehicle
Automation
How to Make Sense of Bus Transit
Automation
Mixed-Autonomy Era of
Transportation
Unpacking Myths & Realities of
Connected & Automated
Vehicles
Proposal for a National Task
Force on Connected Vehicles
Improving Clean Energy Policy
Through Research-Driven
Insights
How COVID-19 Affects Major
Trends and Forces Shaping the
Future of Transportation
Developing Relevant Policy for
the Future of Transportation
Identifying Alternative Fuel
Technologies for Transit Buses
Transportation R & D & D:
Research & Development &
Deployment
through partnerships

30
Executive
Education

31
How to Get Involved
✔ Sign-up for Newsletters
✔ Propose Research Ideas
✔ Attend Webinars/Seminars
✔ Share Internship & Job
Opportunities
✔ Invite UTC researchers to
speak at events/conferences

32
Finding the
University Transportation Center
Near You
www.transportation.gov/utc/list-centers

33
42 UTCs Across the US

34
Learn More
Lisa Kay Schweyer
LKSchweyer@cmu.edu
Mobility21
mobility21.cmu.edu
UTC Listing
transportation.gov/utc/list-centers

Rust Belt to Smart Belt:
Autonomy, Economic Development,
& STEM Education
Models for Inclusion, Change
& Vibrant Communities
National Association of Development Association Conference
October 17, 2022