Professor appointed to Transportation Research Board

A Purdue University Calumet School of Management professor has been appointed to the Executive Committee of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academy of Sciences.

Amlan Mitra, associate professor of economics, will serve on the TRB’s Executive Committee on Transportation and Economic Development.

As a board member, Mitra, of Naperville, Ill., will provide expertise and advice about transportation and economic development. Other duties include helping prepare transportation policy development papers and reviewing related research papers.

One of six primary divisions of the private, non-profit National Research Council., the TRB serves governmental, public, engineering and other scientific entities by analyzing national transportation policy issues, providing opportunities for information exchange and acquisition, and managing cooperative research and other research programs.

“The Transportation Research Board recognizes the strategic economic interest in developing our region’s transportation and logistics industry,” Paul McGrath, head of Purdue Calumet’s Department of Finance and Economics, said. “Consistent with Purdue Calumet’s vision to share our expertise in support of greater regional economic prosperity, Dr. Mitra no doubt will make a significant contribution to the Board’s critical role to these ends.”

Mitra holds degrees in economics from the University of Calcutta (India), Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and a doctorate from Northern Illinois University.

He has conducted research about transportation, distribution and logistics. He said he “strongly believes that transportation infrastructure will play a significant role in the economic development of northwest Indiana.”

Mitra also has written about regional transportation in a 2006 newspaper opinion column.

News Release Date: April 9, 2008