Volpe Center: Volpe Center Highlights

Information Resources

Volpe Center Highlights - January/February 2001

Papers and Presentations

On December 1, 2000, Dr. Richard R. John, Director of the Volpe Center, gave a presentation on "Challenges to Innovations in Transportation" at the Workshop on Innovative Transportation Technologies and Concepts held in Memphis, Tennessee. In addition, the approximately 80 attendees heard presentations on the role that technologies such as alternate fuels, information technology, and nanotechnology could play in enhancing the future transportation enterprise, as well as overviews of the transportation operations of such large organizations as Federal Express and the U.S. Department of Defense.
On November 15, 2000, Ms. Anya Carroll of the High-Speed Ground Transportation Division gave a presentation titled "U.S. Directions in Research and the Expectations: An Update" at the Second Annual Rail-Highway Grade Crossing Safety Research Workshop sponsored by Transport Canada in Montreal, Canada. The presentation reviewed the current Federal Railroad Administration/Volpe Center grade crossing research program and focused on two specific projects related to innovative technologies for grade crossing applications.
Ms. Alexandra Kuchar of the Vehicle Crashworthiness Division presented a paper titled "A Systems Modeling Methodology for Estimation of Harm in the Automotive Accident Environment" at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers' International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition held in Orlando, Florida, from November 6 to 9, 2000. The paper describes a computational approach for evaluation of changes in the vehicle fleet, such as restraint use or increased sport-utility sales, in terms of resulting overall passenger safety within the automotive crash environment.
On November 5, 2000, Dr. David Jeong of the Vehicle Crashworthiness Division presented a technical paper titled "Characterization of Deformable Materials in the THOR Dummy," at the 28th Annual International Workshop on Human Subjects for Biomechanical Research Workshop held in Atlanta, Georgia. The paper describes a methodology to determine material properties of urethane, rubber, and foam materials that are used to construct an advanced crash test dummy called THOR (Test device for Human Occupant Restraint). Co-authors of the paper were Mr. Peter Kwok also of the Vehicle Crashworthiness Division and Mr. Joseph Canha, formerly of the Center.
On November 7, 2000, Mr. James Lamond of the High-Speed Ground Transportation Division presented a paper at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers' International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition held in Orlando, Florida. The paper, titled "Railroad Vehicle Glazing Standard Development," presented the results of a Volpe Center project to develop new railroad vehicle glazing standard recommendations for consideration by the Federal Railroad Administration and the American Public Transportation Association.
In early November 2000, Mr. Michael Dyer of the Technology Applications and Deployment Division completed a Final Report, titled "Regulatory Assessment: Salvage and Marine Firefighting Requirements of 33 CFR Part 155," in support of rulemaking under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. The report, which was prepared for the U.S. Coast Guard's Office of Safety, Security, and Environmental Protection, provides data and analyses of estimated costs (dollars) and benefits (barrels of oil not spilled) for salvage and marine firefighting resource requirements.

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