Human Factors Undergrad Visits White House

Morgan Price, an undergraduate research assistant at the Public Policy Center, was chosen to meet President Barack Obama at a  White House reception during African American History Month this February after appearing in Mary F. Morten's documentary, Woke Up Black.

"We briefly chatted and it was absolutely surreal," Price said. "We were there in part to promote the movie and we did that by talking with political figures, musicians, actors, and athletes."

Price and four other African American youths from the Chicago area were featured in the documentary, which followed their daily experiences for two years. The idea was to show the politics and policies of the country from the perspectives of individuals whose voices are often absent from the larger debate.

Morten was invited to attend the White House reception, as she is closely connected with President Obama and the First Lady due to her advocacy work. She in turn invited Price to accompany her.

Price currently works with the Human Factors and Vehicle Safety Research Program and focuses on teen driving research. "After my visit to the White House, I realized I would really like to tie injury epidemiology into policy somehow, and see where I could go politically," she said. Price will graduate this May with a BS in Engineering, and plans to pursue her PhD in injury epidemiology with an emphasis in policy.