Transportation
Engineering is a relatively old branch of engineering whose importance
has been stressed by the engineering community for some period of time.
Traffic safety, however, is relatively a new field and its emphasis has
been growing since epidemic nature of roadway fatalities has been
discovered in the last few decades.
Our research group focuses
on various transportation engineering topics including:
Traffic Safety
Connected Vehicle
Naturalistic Driving Study
Big Data
Intelligent
Transportation Systems
Driving Simulations
Human Factors
Highway Geometric Design and Traffic Engineering
Traffic
Management
Optimization-Simulation Applications in Transportation
Artificial Intelligence Applications in Transportation
Transportation
Modeling
Advanced Traveler Information Systems
Statistical, Data Mining and Econometrics Applications in
Transportation Engineering
DRIVING SIMULATION LABORATORY (WYOSIM)
The
transportation program at the University of Wyoming has the only
Driving Simulator Lab in the State of Wyoming. The motion-base driving
simulator consists of both a passenger vehicle and a freight truck open
cockpit cabs. The University of Wyoming Driving Simulator’s passenger
vehicle cab is a 2004 Ford Fusion, with all driver controls fully
operational. The freight truck cab is a 2000 Sterling AT9500. The two
cabs are interchangeable as a roll away component mounted on a three
degrees of freedom D-Box motion platform, comprising 4
electro-mechanical linear actuators. The motion base provides two
rotational and one translational degrees of freedom (roll, pitch, and
heave), the provided motion cues immerse the driver into a real driving
experience with kinematic changes in velocity and acceleration. The
simulator has a high-fidelity control loading system that provides
force-feedback on the steering wheel and brakes based on the vehicle
state. Rich audio cueing is provided via 3000W 5.1 multi-speaker sound
system. In addition, one low frequency vibration transducer is mounted
on the vehicle floor to provide engine and road feel vibrations.
Moreover, the open source packages allow to modify vehicle dynamics
models, produce different levels of weather conditions, and collect
various data as needed for research. The simulator is equipped with a
high definition SimObserver system to capture and analyze digital video
recordings. The system allows for capturing and playing back six
synchronized views of a simulation experiment along with recorded
driving data. An iPad 7” touch screen tablet is mounted on the
dashboard. The tablet allows the simulation of human/ In-Vehicle
Electronic devices interactions. The simulator has an open architecture
software with the complete source code of simulation creator tool. The
open architecture offers flexible tool that allows to develop driving
scenarios and build roadways that replicate the actual environments to
suite any research needs.
FUNDED PROJECTS AS PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
2016-2019: Application Development and Participant Training for Wyoming Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program, U.S. DOT – the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
2016-2019: Performance Measures and Independent Evaluation Support for Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program, U.S. DOT – the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
2016-2018:
Driver Performance and Behavior in Adverse Weather Conditions: An
Investigation Using the SHRP2 Naturalistic Driving Study Data, U.S. DOT – the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
2016-2018: Robust Driver Attention Monitoring by Combining Driving Behavior and Physiological Measurements, National Institutes of Health (NIH).
2016-2017: Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Program (DDETFP) Grants for Research Fellowship (GRF), U.S. DOT – the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
2015-2017: Calibrating
Crash Modification Factors for Wyoming-Specific Conditions: Application
of the Highway Safety Manual - Part D, Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT).
2015-2016: Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment in Wyoming, U.S. DOT – the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
2015-2016: Hazardous Materials Flow Study, Laramie County Emergency Management Agency.
2015-2016: Exploring an Effective Field Data Collection Methodology for Hazardous Materials Transportation, Albany County Emergency Management Agency.
2015-2018: Calibration
and Validation of the Crash Modification Factors – Highway Safety
Manual (Part D) - in Wyoming, University Transportation Centers
(UTC)/ Mountain Plain
Consortium (MPC).
2015: Concept to Countermeasure- Research to
Deployment Using the 2nd Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2)
Naturalistic Driving Study (NDS) Data, U.S. DOT - the Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA).
2014-2019: Safety Effectiveness of Regulatory Headlights Signs in Wyoming (Phase-I and II). Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT).
2014-2017: Updating the Highway Safety Manual
2010 - Part C: Regional Consideration of the Rocky Mountains and Plain
Regions. University Transportation Centers (UTC)/ Mountain Plain
Consortium (MPC).
2015: Wyoming Commodity Flow Study, Wyoming Office of Homeland Security.
2014: Major Equipment Program. University of Wyoming.
2013-2015: Developing an Effective Shoulder and
Centerline Rumble Strips/Stripes Policy to Accommodate All Roadway
Users. Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT).
