Events

November 4, 2013 at 1:45 am

Science Café: Roadway Design for Dummies, Nov. 20

Join Dr. Deb McAvoy, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, as she turns the Front Room into a test driver laboratory, complete with video displays, and tests the reactions times of drivers, with the help of the audience. This Science Café discussion, “Roadway Design for Dummies,” is Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 5 p.m. in the Baker Front Room.

Attend the event or watch on A&S TV.

With more than 200 million drivers on U.S. roads, not everyone understands or plays by the same rules of the road. But with more than 10 million motor vehicle crashes per year, improving road safety is critically important.

“Different drivers have different needs, and we need to know how to better accommodate those needs,” McAvoy says. For example, when some people see a “stop” sign in the distance, they slow down in preparation; others do not react to the sign until the last minute.

Through researching and testing, McAvoy comes up with alternative roadway designs that will accommodate a wider variety of drivers and their perceptions.

Watch on A&S TV

Café events are free and open to students, faculty and staff. Café Conversations and Science Cafés are both venues for students to share their interests informally during a conversation exchange in a friendly setting. The Science Cafe is hosted by Dr. Sarah Wyatt, Professor of Environmental & Plant Biology and Vice President of the Ohio University Chapter of Sigma Xi. The two series are sponsored by the Ohio University chapter of Sigma Xi and the Office of the Vice President for Research. Find the Science Café on Facebook and Twitter.

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