TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Dr. Daniel S. Turner, professor of civil and environmental engineering at The University of Alabama and director of the University Transportation Center for Alabama, has been elected president of the Council of University Transportation Centers.

Active in numerous professional organizations, Turner served as chair of the Institute of Transportation Engineers’ Transportation Educators Council and Legislative Committee, was president of the ITE’s Southern District, served as a committee chair of the Transportation Research Board, and was the national president of the American Society of Civil Engineers. In addition to serving as president of the CUTC, Turner currently holds a position on the Board of Direction of ABET Inc. and is a section chair of the Transportation Research Board.

Turner specializes in traffic safety, highway design and transportation management and policy. During the past 20 years, he has conducted 98 research projects for approximately $34 million, written 293 books, articles and technical reports, and developed or conducted 67 short courses.

The CUTC was established in 1979 by the major transportation research centers and institutes in the United States. CUTC provides a forum for the centers to interact collectively with national transportation agencies, professional organizations and industry. CUTC's membership includes 80 of the nation's leading transportation research and education centers, representing more than 110 universities. Collectively, CUTC members have advanced the state-of-the-art in all modes and disciplines of transportation. In doing so, the members of CUTC have made significant and lasting contributions to the nation's mobility, economy, and defense.

In 1837, The University of Alabama became the first university in the state to offer engineering classes and was one of the first five in the nation to do so. Today, the College of Engineering has about 1,800 students and more than 95 faculty. It has been fully accredited since accreditation standards were implemented in the 1930s.