{"id":79418,"date":"2026-09-17T10:16:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T14:16:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/?p=79418"},"modified":"2026-09-17T10:16:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T14:16:12","slug":"2026-chattanooga-connect-demonstrates-the-future-of-transportation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/2026-chattanooga-connect-demonstrates-the-future-of-transportation\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Chattanooga Connect demonstrates the future of transportation"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Lori

UTC Chancellor Lori Bruce and Interim Vice Chancellor for Research Mina Sartipi welcomed attendees and provided opening remarks at Chattanooga Connect. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n

The third annual Chattanooga Connect conference, hosted by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Research Institute (UTCRI), was held Sept. 14-16. The three-day event brought together transportation, technology, government, research and industry leaders to discuss how to move emerging technologies from promising pilots to broader, real-world deployment.<\/p>\n

Conversations spanned connected and automated transportation, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, digital infrastructure, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) and other innovations shaping the future of mobility.<\/p>\n

Interim Vice Chancellor for Research Mina Sartipi, the founding director of UTC\u2019s Center for Urban Informatics and Progress, welcomed attendees and highlighted these technologies\u2019 potential impact on Chattanooga, the state of Tennessee and the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cChattanooga is a very special place, and UTC is an important part of what makes this innovation ecosystem possible,\u201d Sartipi said. \u201cOur faculty and students work side by side with the city, EPB, CARTA and industry partners who are willing to take risks, be early adopters and move innovation from research into the real world. Together, we have created an environment where we can develop, test and deploy new technologies\u2014and build solutions that can scale in Chattanooga and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chancellor Lori Bruce discussed the University\u2019s momentum and how working with community partners can propel everyone forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat excites me is seeing all these pieces come into alignment,\u201d Bruce said. \u201cThe research affects the students, the students we\u2019re able to attract allow the faculty to do even better research, and all the different parts work together.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do think it mirrors Chattanooga. It mirrors how the different components of the city, the government and industry, are aligned.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2024, the City of Chattanooga received a $2 million Stage 1 Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) grant to plan and prototype connected roadway technologies that improve safety and mobility.<\/p>\n

Demonstrations of UTCRI\u2019s autonomous vehicle, V2X and intersection-safety technologies were held Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the Waterhouse Pavilion as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation-funded SMART project.<\/p>\n

\"Randy

UTC Executive Director of Economic and Workforce Development Jermaine Freeman, left, UT System Assistant Vice President and Chief Economic Development Director Victoria Hirschberg and UT System President Randy Boyd spoke on the panel \u201cFrom Ideas to Impact in Tennessee: AI, Quantum and Mobility.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

Stan Caldwell, director of the U.S. Department of Transportation\u2019s SMART Grants Program, attended and participated in a panel titled \u201cSMART: Moving from Pilot to Deployment.\u201d The event\u2019s keynote speaker was Michael Halem, principal deputy assistant secretary for research and technology at USDOT.<\/p>\n

A panel titled \u201cAutonomous Mobility: From Pilot to Public Service\u201d discussed lessons learned, public acceptance, implementation challenges and scaling pilots into public service. The panelists included Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly and Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority CEO Charles D. Frazier.<\/p>\n

Dr. Rick Mukherjee, director of the UTC Quantum Center, spoke on a panel moderated by EPB CEO Janet Rehberg about quantum technology\u2019s capabilities and its future impact on the transportation industry.<\/p>\n

UT System President Randy Boyd and UTC Executive Director of Economic and Workforce Development Jermaine Freeman discussed turning advances in artificial intelligence, quantum technology and mobility into reality through entrepreneurship, research and collaboration.<\/p>\n

Boyd said events like Chattanooga Connect offer valuable networking opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to be a connector,\u201d Boyd said. \u201cToday has been an opportunity to connect people \u2026 When you come to these things, it\u2019s an opportunity to listen to some speakers and maybe get new ideas, but probably the most important thing that you do is in the breaks and being able to network and make new connections.\u201d<\/p>\n

Freeman spoke about how he sees UTC\u2019s role in local industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are the chief provider of talent in the area,\u201d Freeman said. \u201cWhat I try to help all of our workforce partners and our employers understand is that regardless of what your hiring need is or what your talent need is, we can help you. We can source that talent for you.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether it\u2019s help with research, applied research or theoretical research; whether it\u2019s workforce talent because you\u2019re looking to hire new employees; or you need interns, we can help you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sponsors of Chattanooga Connect included EPB, LG, IonQ, the City of Chattanooga, the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, CO.LAB, DENSO, and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.<\/p>\n

Photo gallery by Angela Foster<\/h4>\n

On Wednesday, Sept. 16, a press conference was held to demonstrate UTCRI\u2019s autonomous vehicle, V2X, and intersection-safety technologies at the Waterhouse Pavilion as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation-funded SMART project.<\/p>\n

\"Three <\/a>
Demonstrations of UTCRI\u2019s autonomous vehicle, V2X and intersection-safety technologies were held Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the Waterhouse Pavilion as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation-funded SMART project. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a>
Demonstrations of UTCRI\u2019s autonomous vehicle, V2X and intersection-safety technologies were held Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the Waterhouse Pavilion as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation-funded SMART project. <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a>
Demonstrations of UTCRI\u2019s autonomous vehicle, V2X and intersection-safety technologies were held Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the Waterhouse Pavilion as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation-funded SMART project. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Two <\/a>
Demonstrations of UTCRI\u2019s autonomous vehicle, V2X and intersection-safety technologies were held Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the Waterhouse Pavilion as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation-funded SMART project. <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a>
Demonstrations of UTCRI\u2019s autonomous vehicle, V2X and intersection-safety technologies were held Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the Waterhouse Pavilion as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation-funded SMART project. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Two <\/a>
Demonstrations of UTCRI\u2019s autonomous vehicle, V2X and intersection-safety technologies were held Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the Waterhouse Pavilion as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation-funded SMART project. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a>
Demonstrations of UTCRI\u2019s autonomous vehicle, V2X and intersection-safety technologies were held Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the Waterhouse Pavilion as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation-funded SMART project. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a>
Demonstrations of UTCRI\u2019s autonomous vehicle, V2X and intersection-safety technologies were held Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the Waterhouse Pavilion as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation-funded SMART project. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a>
Demonstrations of UTCRI\u2019s autonomous vehicle, V2X and intersection-safety technologies were held Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the Waterhouse Pavilion as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation-funded SMART project. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Two <\/a>
Demonstrations of UTCRI\u2019s autonomous vehicle, V2X and intersection-safety technologies were held Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the Waterhouse Pavilion as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation-funded SMART project. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Learn more<\/h4>\n

UTC Research Institute<\/a><\/p>\n

Center for Urban Informatics and Progress<\/a><\/p>\n

Visit UTC<\/a><\/p>\n

How to apply<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The third annual Chattanooga Connect conference, hosted by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Research Institute (UTCRI), was held Sept. 14-16. The three-day event brought together transportation, technology, government, research and industry leaders to discuss how to move emerging technologies from promising pilots to broader, real-world deployment.<\/p>\n

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