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October 2005
ITS Institute research garners media attention
The growing success of the ITS Institute hasn't gone unnoticed by the media.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune published an extensive interview with ITS Institute director Max Donath September 10 in an article titled "U Research on Driving Hits New Gear." The article touched on the new SAFETEA-LU grant and a variety of research areas under study at the Institute, such as vehicle systems that would prevent teens from driving if they have been drinking or don't buckle up.
The University's UMNews Web site also ran coverage of the ITS Institute and its increased funding, along with details of the teen driver initiative.
The September-October issue of Minnesota magazine—a publication of the U of M Alumni Association—featured an article about the HumanFIRST Program's cell phone study. To view it online, visit the Minnesota magazine Web page under the headline "Don't Dial and Drive."
In addition, the Star Tribune cited research by Shashi Shekhar, professor of computer science and engineering and a CTS Faculty Scholar, in a September 12 article about evacuation planning for major cities. Shekhar has created geospatial software that was used in the development of a Twin Cities evacuation plan. His research team had previously tested the software in a simulated evacuation of a 10-mile radius around the Monticello nuclear power plant (see the ITS Research Projects for more about Shekhar's research). Shekhar was also part of a group that evaluated the New Orleans evacuation plan about a year ago.