Vehicle Safety Research a Significant Factor in UI's External Funding

University of Iowa President Sally Mason announced at a news conference last Friday (August 1) that external funding rose to $515.8 million in Fiscal Year 2014, a 1.9 percent ($9.5 million) increase over the previous year.  UI Vice President for Research and Economic Development Daniel Reed said research funding, which makes up a majority of external funding, rose 1.8 percent (or $7.3 million). And he said the funding portfolio is more diverse, reflecting gains in support for transportation and other basic research.

The announcement was made at the UI Research Park’s National Advanced Driving Simulator (NADS), where vehicle safety research has become a significant factor in corporate engagement and research.  Daniel V. McGehee, director of the UI Public Policy Center’s Human Factors and Vehicle Safety Research Program, spoke about some of the latest vehicle research. McGehee is the principal investigator on three automotive safety grants, totalling $17.2 million, funded last year by the Toyota Economic Loss class action settlement in California.  Projects funded by the grants include a national survey on public perceptions of vehicle safety technologies, a national education campaign on vehicle safety technology, a study at NADS that replicates emergency events in a controlled and safe environment, and a study in the UI Department of Neurology to measure and improve younger and older driver behavior when accelerating and decelerating.
 

To read more about the news conference and to view the video, click here.