The U.S. Department of Transportation announced $4.9 million in funding has been awarded to support four new university transportation centers. The largest individual award, for $1.9 million, was awarded to Ohio State University for research related to highly automated transportation systems. Northwestern University received funds for research involving communications technology. The University of Pittsburgh’s funding will go toward studying automated vehicle options for the disabled, and Georgia Institute of Technology will use its award to research public transportation and travel trends. Each of the schools serves as the head of a partnership with other institutions of higher learning.