November was a buzz with excitement at the Rural Equitable Accessible Transportation (REAT) Center. Fifth through eighth grade students of the Miracles in Me Academy had a unique opportunity to visit the Center. FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Graduate students conducted an interactive tour to show students how they gather and assimilate data from hands on research. The students of the Miracles In Me Academy had the opportunity to use the full size driving simulator, Cave Virtual Reality system, and remote automated vehicles. The students were able to experience how local research can be applied to help solve real problems in their own community.

The Center is positioned in Innovation Park and is an extension of the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. The REAT Center’s focus is on improving transportation infrastructure across rural Florida. REAT is home to a true ‘CoLab’ of engineering disciplines and shares lab space with the Resilient Infrastructure and Disaster Response (RIDER) Center. REAT and RIDER are working together through this shared space to create a dynamic environment to provide experience to solve real world challenges.