Military bases might be closing, but cars and highways are forever. Aiming to salvage some defense dollars and technologies, as well as bolster a related sag in the private sector, the U.S. Department of Transportation plans to help industries develop new transportation products and markets, such as cleaner cars and smarter highways. The UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies will host the second in a series of four regional DOT seminars on Tuesday, Oct. 26, that represent the first steps toward the transition from defense to civilian applications. Seminar topics for the daylong campus conference, held at the Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center, include transportation and the environment, infrastructure rehabilitation and maintenance, and new vehicle technology. Attendees will tour the UC Davis fuel-cell laboratory, participate in the interactive driver simulation lab, see a display of the telecenter project, and ride and view an assortment of alternative-fueled vehicles.