News Note: Massachusetts Institute of Technology to be the lead partner in a Center of Excellence program

The FAA selected the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to be the lead partner in a Center of Excellence program on aircraft noise and emissions mitigation. MIT will lead a team from other colleges and universities, as well as industry and government, to research and develop solutions for mitigating existing and anticipated noise and emissions-related problems. Such efforts will include noise-abatement flight procedures, airport controls and compatible land-use management. The center will conduct basic research and engineering and will develop prototype solutions. The FAA’s estimated funding for the center is $900,000 to $1.75 million over three to 10 years. Under the FAA’s Center of Excellence program, the FAA teams with and helps to fund academia-led projects. There are five other Centers of Excellence, including Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., which was selected in March 2001 as the team leader for GA research.