Faculty Advisor: Principal Scientist in Research and Development at a leading automobile manufacturer; PhD. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Center for Applied Biomechanics (CAB) in University of Virginia

Research Practicum Introduction

Each year, more than a million people are killed on roadways around the world. Vision Zero is a global movement to end traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries by taking a systemic approach to road safety. In the United Nations (UN) Decade of Action in reducing traffic injury, designing safe vehicles is one of the five important pillars in achieving Vision Zero. With the technological advancement in the past decades, it became clear that the future of Connected, Autonomous, Shared, and Electric (CASE) Vehicles is upon Us. As a result, new challenges arise in designing safer vehicles as new systems are being deployed and new requirements must be met.

This practicum will provide an opportunity for students to learn effective research and writing skills through a project focused on the science and engineering of designing safer vehicles. Vehicle design is an excellent example to understand the design of complex systems. Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of designing safe vehicles and the state-of-the-art of the safety technologies. Students can leverage these advanced technologies to perform in-depth research and analysis of crash data, develop design specifications, and propose design features to mitigate certain types of injuries.

Important aspects of this program include lectures about the five pillars of road safety. Important design concepts and biomechanical principles will be introduced in lectures too. This program will teach students to brainstorm and develop their own ideas, verify the feasibility of the idea, and implement the idea in design. As students research their own topic, emphasis will be placed on navigation of relevant sources, identification of research gaps, and the opportunity to write a 6-8 page academic paper or academic report based on research findings. The final project could be a design challenge, review of existing design/regulations, or a literature review on selected topics. Students have the freedom to choose from a pre-defined problem or identify their own research topics under the guidance of the faculty advisor.

Possible Topics For Final Project

• [Engineering and Regulation] How to develop future crash test standards for school buses?

• [Engineering and Regulation] How to develop crash test standards for autonomous shuttles?

• [Design focused] Design of a wheelchair-friendly mobility solution

• [Design focused] Comparison of different pedestrian protection design solutions

• [Data analysis focused] Exploration of Equity in Crashworthiness Safety – why is female more likely to die or injure in car crashes?

• [Data analysis focused] Exploration of pedestrian safety around the globe.

• [Literature review] Future development of connected vehicles

• [Literature review] How far are we from zero fatalities?

Program Detail

• Cohort Size: 3-5 students

• Duration: 12 weeks

• Workload: Around 4-5 hours per week (including class time and homework time)

• Target Students: 9-12th grade students interested in STEM majors.

• Prerequisites: Students should have a solid background in math, science, and preferably coding experience.