{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://norcross.house.gov/press-releases?ID=C473D5EE-89B0-4AD1-8B43-6C29BD2A1A43", "Norcross Announces $5.2M from Department of Defense for National Security Research at Rowan", "2021-10-28", "2021", "2021-10", "Democrat", "House", "NJ", "Donald Norcross", "N000188", "norcross.house.gov", "norcross", "https://norcross.house.gov/press-releases", "page_html", "GLASSBORO, NJ \u2013 U.S. Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) announced today that the Army Corps of Engineers-Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded a $5.2 million grant to Rowan University\u2019s Center for Research and Education in Advanced Transportation Engineering Systems (CREATES), the center\u2019s single largest award to date, to help the United States protect its national security interests in the Arctic region.\n\n\u201cRowan University is making its mark as a hub of innovation and research,\u201d said Congressman Donald Norcross, who recently visited CREATES\u2019 research facilities. \u201cThe development of new materials and methods for cold-weather construction is essential for our national security and will be broadly applicable as we continue our work to address climate change. I am proud that the next generation of engineers are playing a key role in these vital research programs right here in New Jersey.\u201d\n\nWorking in partnership with two labs from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers\u2019 Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC), the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) and the Geotechnical and Structural Laboratory (GSL), CREATES is developing innovative construction materials for cold regions.\n\nSince CREATES opened in 2016, its researchers have earned nearly $17 million in grant funding and equipment from the Department of Defense encompassing 23 projects. The newest two-year grant funds the continued research and development of new technologies and paving materials for bridges, roads and airstrips for a cold-weather region undergoing rapid climate change.\n\n\u201cNew technologies and materials will facilitate a quick and safe deployment of troops and the establishment of military bases in the Arctic region,\u201d said Dr. Yusuf Mehta, civil and environmental engineering professor in the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering and director of CREATES. \u201cEventually, these projects will serve as a major step toward securing our northern borders and securing Arctic infrastructure.\u201d\n\nThe grant-funded work also provides hands-on research experience for post-doctoral associates and graduate and undergraduate students. The projects include:\n\nDemonstrating self-deicing pavement systems under real-world conditions\n\nImproving asphalt binders with plastics\n\nEvaluating fiber-reinforced, hot-mix asphalt in the lab and at full scale\n\nDeveloping a \u201cself-healing\u201d asphalt mixture using asphalt binders modified by nanoparticles\n\nStudying the use of warm-mix asphalt technology in cold regions\n\nPrevious research has led to the development of innovative construction materials, such as geogrid-reinforced flexible pavements and self-deicing materials\n\nA critical part of the testing and evaluation relies on the center\u2019s Heavy Vehicle Simulator, the only such device at a college or university in the northeastern United States. Housed at Rowan University\u2019s South Jersey Technology Park through a cooperative agreement with CRREL, the $3 million machine can simulate decades of vehicular traffic on highways and airplane runways in less than half a year while controlling temperature and other environmental conditions.\n\n\u201cWe are very thankful for this partnership with Rowan University,\u201d said Wade Lein and Danielle Kennedy, research civil engineers at CRREL. \u201cWe\u2019re on the precipice of answering concerns about how our infrastructure performs in cold climates. The research we\u2019re doing is solving the needs of the future and that\u2019s where we need to be as scientists and engineers in this space. We look forward to the next five years and beyond.\u201d\n\n\u201cJust five years ago, Rowan University opened this facility with the goal of becoming one of the elite transportation and research institutions in America,\u201d said Rowan University Provost Tony Lowman. \u201cTime and again, Dr. Yusuf Mehta and his team of researchers have demonstrated the real-world value of scientific inquiry. We\u2019re exceedingly proud of their accomplishments and we deeply appreciate the continued support from the Department of Defense and our longtime research partners at the Army Corps of Engineers.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-03-30T11:08:25Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://norcross.house.gov/press-releases?ID=C473D5EE-89B0-4AD1-8B43-6C29BD2A1A43"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5614652074873447, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}