Michael Rakauskas
Research Fellow, HumanFIRST Program
Office: L-103 Mechanical Engineering
Phone: 612-624-4614
E-mail: rakau001@umn.edu
Research projects
Rakauskas's CTS research projects
The focus of Mick Rakauskas’ research is to reduce crashes and fatalities by improving the design of road environments and discovering ways to reduce driver impairment. He has led a number of studies evaluating driving performance when affected by alcohol intoxication or distractions such as phone conversations, information seeking, and common in-vehicle tasks. His current work aims to explore perceptions of speed as affected by environmental factors such as roadside objects or other vehicles. Mick has also worked on a number of other topics including the development and implementation of ITS technology to prevent crashes at high risk rural intersections; the design of visualizations and warnings to raise driver awareness of the road environment; nighttime pedestrian visibility; and safety cultures of rural and urban populations.
Mick is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Minnesota with a focus on Human Factors in Design. He obtained his masters degree in Human Factors, Applied Psychology at Clemson University, SC. He is a member of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.