This program was a fantastic introduction to the world of research, and the entire team provided a substantive enriching experience. I plan on pursuing a graduate degree in Biomedical Engineering and feel well-equipped to confidently approach this next educational step thanks to the CIRP REU program.

Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Student (Summer 2018)

"During my summer with the Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, I had the opportunity to work on two projects regarding pedestrian and driver safety. Under the mentorship of Dr. Aditya Belwadi and Dr. Seri Park, a collaborator from Villanova University, I assisted on a pilot study involving the integration of eye-tracking with virtual reality for pedestrian research. This project was completed entirely in the 10 weeks while I was with the program, and I played an instrumental role in the experiment design, data capture, and analysis. I was also first author on the resulting manuscript, which was submitted to the Transportation Research Board.

For my second project, I worked with Valentina Graci, PhD and Thomas Seacrist, MBE to design fixtures for a study addressing reaction time in autonomous vehicle take-over scenarios. We altered an evasive maneuver simulation sled to include pedals and a steering wheel and developed a stimuli-synchronizing system with a microcontroller and relay.

I am entering my fifth and final year as a Mechanical Engineering student at the Rochester Institute of Technology. I previously completed industry co-ops ranging from orthopedic implant design to auto manufacturer data analysis. This program was a fantastic introduction to the world of research, and the entire team provided a substantive enriching experience. I plan on pursuing a graduate degree in Biomedical Engineering and feel well-equipped to confidently approach this next educational step thanks to the CIRP REU program."