Programs & Labs
Winter 2002
Chihak honored as Student of the Year
Ben Chihak (second from left) receives the award from USDOT administrators Mary Peters, Jennifer Dorn, and Ellen Engleman
Benjamin Chihak, a graduate research assistant in the ITS Institute's HumanFIRST Program, has received the Institute's Outstanding Student of the Year Award for 2001.
Chihak's contributions to the HumanFIRST Program include the analysis of data to explore various passing lane configurations and the design and implementation of a custom audio system for a new driving simulator. Previously, Chihak was a research assistant with the Human Factors Research Laboratory, where he worked on the Intelligent Vehicle Initiative Field Operational Test Program. In other projects, he conducted a technical review of technologies to combat right-angle crashes at rural intersections, collected and analyzed data for investigating the effectiveness of rumble strips, and developed an educational tool to assist lay people in their understanding of human factors.
"Receiving this award demonstrates to me that human performance continues to be recognized on an institutional level as a key component of the ITS universe," Chihak says.
Chihak is working towards a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology at the University of Minnesota and plans to one day work in a policymaking capacity for the federal government. Chihak received the award in January at the Transportation Research Board 81st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. The award was presented by Ellen Engleman of the USDOT's Research and Special Projects Administration, Mary Peters of the Federal Highway Administration, and Jennifer Dorn of the Federal Transit Administration.