AnnuAl RepoRt - University of Alabama at Birmingham

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UAB UTC Affiliated TRIP Laboratory ® Offers Unique Opportunities for Students in Non-Traditional Transportation Disciplines “Students working in the lab have diverse career goals ranging from transportation science to medicine; however, the common bond is their desire to enhance their research skill set and this goal is accomplished through opportunities to be involved in all stages of the research process – from protocol and driving simulator scenario development to data collection, coding and entry.” Stavrinos says. Once data collection nears completion, students are given opportunities for presenting preliminary findings at scientific conferences – an activity Stavrinos says will be vital for the students’ academic development. TRIP Lab ® Staff (from left), LaKeshia Hyndman, Ashley Gentry, Sharon Welburn, Dr. Despina Stavrinos, Jonathan Feng, Khushboo Jhala, Annie Garner, and Gauri Singh. Not pictured: Nishita Baxi, Lindsay Harrison and Michael Schwartz. What is the best way for students to learn how to design and conduct a research project? In a classroom with a book? We think not. Rather, our experience has shown that the best way to learn how to design and carry out a research project is to actually do one. Unfortunately, students often have limited opportunities to fully participate in the research process because of the demands of their classes and, sometimes, their extramural employment. However, students working under the leadership of Dr. Despina Stavrinos director of UAB’s Translational Research for Injury Prevention (TRIP) Laboratory ® are getting a unique opportunity not only to participate in all stages of the research process but also to earn psychology course credit while doing so. The TRIP Laboratory ® , which is headquartered in the UAB UTC, is committed to helping science acquire a better understanding of the psychological aspects of injury and translating those find-ings to the practice of injury prevention and control. In line with the UAB UTC mission, the TRIP Laboratory ® is attempting to help the nation achieve a significant reduction in the rate of injuries and their resulting deaths and disabilities, especially in the southeastern United States. Since its establishment in June 2009, over a dozen graduate and undergraduate students have been a part of the TRIP Laboratory ® . Under the supervision of Dr. Stavrinos, students assist with the UAB UTC-funded project Distracted Driving in Teens With and Without ADHD, co-sponsored by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, as well as with the UTCA-funded project Impact of Distracted Driving on Traffic Congestion. Dr. Stavrinos is Principal Investigator of both projects. This unique learning experience is made possible, in part, by UAB’s Department of Psychology, which allows students to earn psychology course credits for their work with actual research projects. This arrangement provides students with an excellent opportunity for experiential learning because time for participating in research opportunities is not in competition with time for taking traditional classes since the two activities are combined. Working with the Distracted Driving research project, students not only learn about the research process, but also about how psychology contributes to the transportation field. Their experiences in the TRIP Laboratory are an excellent preparation as they plan their future studies in a transportation context. Recently, the growth and success of the TRIP Lab ® have allowed for the establishment of two new permanent student positions. This summer, Ms. Jennifer Jones became the TRIP Lab’s ® first intern and Ms. Annie Artiga Garner became its first Graduate Research Assistant. It is of more than casual interest that neither Jenny nor Annie set out to work in a transportation-related field. However, through exposure to the activities of the UAB UTC, they both became aware of the enormous professional opportunities offered by the field. “I had not fully appreciated the importance of the relationship between psychology and the process of driving until joining the TRIP Lab and working with Dr. Stavrinos,” says Annie Garner, TRIP Laboratory Graduate Research Assistant. For more information about the TRIP Laboratory ® , visit www.triplaboratory.com. 16 uab utc annual report 2009-2010
“Together, the UAB UTC and the TRIP Lab ® are shaping the lives of future transportation professionals” Jennifer Jones - TRIP Lab ® Summer Intern This summer, Ms. Jennifer Jones joined the TRIP lab staff as its first intern. Jenny, a native of Marietta, GA, obtained a bachelors degree in biology from the University of Georgia in 2008 and worked as a research assistant, specializing in avian influenza detection, at Georgia Tech Research Institute in Atlanta, GA after graduation. Jenny is a second year student in UAB’s School of Public Health where she is pursuing a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Epidemiology. Also, she is employed as a data analyst in UAB’s Bone Marrow Transplant Center. As the TRIP Lab Intern, Jenny developed informational materials for study participants. The brochures stress the importance of refraining from distracted driving by illustrating facts regarding the number of injuries each year that are attributed to distracted driving. Jenny, whose previous work has not been transportationrelated, realized her passion for the field during the UAB UTC-sponsored Injury course taught in the UAB School of Public Health (See p. X for more information on the Injury Course). This internship helped her fulfill the requirements for her MPH. After completing her summer internship, Jenny decided to continue her work at the TRIP Lab as a research assistant for the fall semester. Annie Artiga Garner - TRIP Lab ® Graduate Assistant In August, Annie Artiga Garner, a former TRIP lab research assistant, assumed a new role in the UAB UTC / TRIP Lab ® group as a graduate research assistant. In her new role, Annie will retain her current research assistant responsibilities, such as participant recruitment and database management, and add to that list by taking on an increased supervisory role in the Lab as well as additional administrative responsibilities for the UAB UTC. In addition to these new responsibilities, Annie’s graduate assistantship will allow her to design and manage her dissertation project, thereby fulfilling the requirements for her PhD in Psychology. Her UTC-driven dissertation research will focus on transportation-related issues in adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Annie’s previous work had focused solely on ADHD, but since starting work in the TRIP Lab, she has become quite interested in risky driving tendencies and behaviors among teens with ADHD. education 17
Page 1 and 2: Annual Report Traffic Safety & Inju
Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents Director’s Note
Page 5 and 6: ecause of two exceptional transport
Page 7 and 8: From 2004 to 2008, seat belts saved
Page 9 and 10: Center Staff university of alabama
Page 11 and 12: Office of the Director / Principal
Page 13 and 14: The Advisory Board The UAB UTC’s
Page 15 and 16: First Student Earns Certificate in
Page 17: In the United States, motor vehicle
Page 21 and 22: UAB UTC’s First Minority Enrichme
Page 23 and 24: In 2008 there were an estimated 10,
Page 25 and 26: D2 - Project 1: Capacity Building,
Page 27 and 28: Urban Sprawl Associated with Increa
Page 29 and 30: Traffic Congestion Increases EMS Re
Page 31 and 32: First Wave of UAB UTC Distracted Dr
Page 33 and 34: Products, Technologies, and Researc
Page 35 and 36: Secretary Ray LaHood, United States
Page 37 and 38: Presentations Bose D, Crandall J, T
Page 39 and 40: TRIP ® Lab Students Present Resear
Page 41 and 42: effort to address and resolve press
Page 43 and 44: UAB UTC Provides Distracted Driving
Page 45 and 46: “The University of Alabama at Bir
Page 47 and 48: UTC Leadership and Special Guests 1
Page 49 and 50: PANEL 2: Public Awareness and Educa
Page 51 and 52: UAB UTC Featured in RITA Spotlight
Page 53 and 54: UAB UTC Welcomes New UTC Scientist
Page 55 and 56: UAB UTC Exploring Partnership with
Page 57 and 58: Workforce Development in Real Time:
Page 59 and 60: funding, sources & expenditures 200

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