along with the university of utah, usu is an anchor in the utah science technology and research (ustar) program, which is aimed at optimizing the university and region's most marketable strengths with the goal of bolstering utah's high-tech economy. seven ustar teams currently perform research at utah state. ustar and usu's advanced transportation institute developed charging technology for electric buses. now, buses can be powered through wireless induction technology. the bus stops over magnetic pads that will charge the bus while passengers load and unload. a prototype of the technology began service on the university of utah campus in 2012.