SPTC is the USDOT 2023 Region 6 University Transportation Center, and The University of Oklahoma is a partner of IBT/ABC-UTC at FIU.

Recent Webinar Recordings

SPTC Receives OU VPRP Award for Transdisciplinary, Convergent Research

Each year OU Vice President for Research and Partnerships competitively selects a group to receive “Award for Excellence in Transdisciplinary Research.” This year (2026) Southern Plains Transportation Center received this prestigious university-wide award. The SPTC group includes 11 individuals from six different schools and five different colleges across Norman Campus: Musharraf Zaman (Lead, Civil Engineering), Syed Ashik Ali (Civil Engineering), Mohammad Shams Ud Duha (Educational Psychology), Royce Floyd (Civil Engineering), Aikaterina Kyprioti (Civil Engineering), Tamera McCuen (Construction Science), Rene McPherson (Geography and Environmental Sustainability), Michel Molina (Oklahoma Transportation Library), Arif Sadri (Civil Engineering), Baharak Sajjadi (Petroleum and Geological Engineering), and Yan Zhang (Electrical and Computer Engineering). The citation notes SPTC as a strong transdisciplinary research center, addressing some of the nation’s most challenging transportation infrastructure and safety problems. The citation also notes “Faculty members from multiple engineering disciplines are working collaboratively to develop novel materials, technologies and tools to enhance climate-resiliency, sustainability, and extend infrastructure life. They are also developing innovative and cost-effective methods for rapid infrastructure inspection and monitoring and assessing infrastructure vulnerability to weather extremes.”   

Who We Are

The Southern Plains Transportation Center (SPTC) is a consortium of 11 academic institutions dedicated to providing solutions for extreme weather-related transportation challenges across the region. Representing every state in the region, each member institution has demonstrated expertise in addressing weather-related infrastructure issues, leveraging their connections with state departments of transportation, private stakeholders, and other partners. 

SPTC also has access to key facilities such as the National Weather Center, NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory, Radar Innovations Laboratory, and the Oklahoma Mesonet. With these resources, partnerships, and talent, the Center is uniquely qualified to respond to weather extremes and will support transportation research that will help increase the longevity and resilience of transportation infrastructure.   

About the Consortium

The SPTC is a U.S. Department of Transportation Region 6 Regional University Transportation Center. The Center was established in 2013 based on an award from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R) to conduct a multidisciplinary program of transportation research, education, and technology transfer.

The eleven consortium members consist of:

Upcoming Events

Announcements

  • SPTC is excited to partner with Dr. Dong Zhang on the Autonomous Cargo Carriers for Enhanced Logistics in Rural and Tribal Areas (ACCEL-RT) project, with SPTC Director Musharraf Zaman serving as co-principal investigator. You can read more about this project here.

SPTC’s video about their partnership with ODOT. Featured image is their sign against a pebbled wall. Since filming, Tara Cullum has received a promotion to Director of Administration at the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.