RESEARCH

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

  1. 2016-2019: Application Development and Participant Training for Wyoming Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program, U.S. DOT –  the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
  2. 2016-2019: Performance Measures and Independent Evaluation Support for Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program, U.S. DOT –  the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
  3. 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).
  4. 2016-2018: Robust Driver Attention Monitoring by Combining Driving Behavior and Physiological Measurements, National Institutes of Health (NIH).
  5. 2016-2017: Developing an Automated Hazardous Materials Placard Recognition System, Wyoming Homeland Security.
  6. 2016-2017: Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Program (DDETFP) Grants for Research Fellowship (GRF), U.S. DOT –  the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
  7. 2015-2017: Calibrating Crash Modification Factors for Wyoming-Specific Conditions: Application of the Highway Safety Manual - Part D, Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT).
  8. 2015-2016: Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment in Wyoming, U.S. DOT –  the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
  9. 2015-2016: Hazardous Materials Flow Study, Laramie County Emergency Management Agency.
  10. 2015-2016: Exploring an Effective Field Data Collection Methodology for Hazardous Materials Transportation, Albany County Emergency Management Agency.
  11. 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).
  12. 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).
  13. 2014-2019: Safety Effectiveness of Regulatory Headlights Signs in Wyoming (Phase-I and II). Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT).
  14. 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).
  15. 2015: Wyoming Commodity Flow Study, Wyoming Office of Homeland Security.
  16. 2014: Major Equipment Program. University of Wyoming.
  17. 2013-2015: Developing an Effective Shoulder and Centerline Rumble Strips/Stripes Policy to Accommodate All Roadway Users. Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT).