Alexandria “Alli” Rossi-Alvarez, a doctoral student in the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech conducting research at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI), has been named a University Transportation Center (UTC) Student of the Year. She is a primary investigator on the Safe-D project Allusion 2.
Erem Memisyazici brought a wealth of knowledge to his position as a senior research specialist in VTTI’s Division of Vehicle, Driver, & System Safety due to his 10 years of data reduction experience. In his current role, Erem is involved in data collection on various studies, both on the Virginia Smart Roads and in Northern Virginia. He provides assistance in many areas, whether it relates to projects under the Safe-D University Transportation Center or graphic design renderings for developing technologies.
USDOT’s University Transportation Centers (UTC) program as part of the Office of Research, Development and Technology, in collaboration with the Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS/JPO), presented a series of video forums focused on emerging technologies and research in transportation.
Fueled by the inevitable changes in our transportation system, the Safety through Disruption (Safe-D) University Transportation Center (UTC) endeavors to maximize the potential safety benefits of disruptive technologies through targeted research that addresses the most pressing transportation safety questions. With the outstanding leadership of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute in a mentoring collaboration with the new transportation research group at San Diego State University, a Hispanic-serving institute known for educating the transportation workforce, our geographically balanced consortium encompasses the largest collection of transportation safety researchers in the nation and provides unparalleled expertise, facilities, and resources to conduct impactful research towards our long-term vision. The Safe-D Center will focus its efforts in three key areas: (1) cutting-edge research by leading transportation safety experts and their students; (2) education and workforce development with programs for all levels from grade school through college to continuing education for professionals; and (3) fully supported technology transfer including practitioner training partnerships, social networking, commercialization, and intellectual property management.
The mission of Safe-D is to proactively promote safety through a data-driven collaboration among the nation’s brightest researchers.
The vision of Safe-D is a nation with a systemically safe transportation system.
The Safe-D consortium was assembled by the Director, Dr. Zachary Doerzaph, with the expressed intent to make significant progress toward a nation with systemically safe travel through research, education and workforce development, and technology transfer efforts.