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Mid-South Community College of West Memphis announced on Wednesday that it will use a $419,383 grant from the National Science Foundation to establish a center to study transportation and logistics technology.

Mid-South Community College's Mid-America Transportation Technology Center will be supported by Wal-Mart Stores Inc., FedEx Corp. and J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc., which operate some of the largest private fleets in the world.

"This is a historic step forward for Mid-South Community College and for our region," MSCC President Glen Fenter said.

The grant project is part of a larger effort to create employer-validated skill standards; develop a defined educational program from high school through a bachelor’s degree; develop course guides for applied science degrees; and create a model for other community colleges.

Northwest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville, the University of Memphis, the American Society of Transportation & Logistics, and the Arkansas Association of Two-Year Colleges join Mid-South Community College in the grant project.

The National Science Foundation is an independent federal agency created to promote the progress of science; advance national health, prosperity and welfare; and secure national defense. With an annual budget of about $5.5 billion, NSF is the funding source for approximately 20 percent of all federally supported research conducted by U.S. colleges and universities.