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Move-in
Day
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Kathy
Kayser
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Some 2,925 first-year students moved into 37 residence halls
Saturday, Aug. 28. Each dorm had a welcoming theme, and
upperclass
students wearing brown and green T-shirts greeted
families and
assisted new students. Here, resident adviser Paul McIntosh
dons a straw hat and shades in keeping with his hall's
upbeat
message: "Don't Worry, Be Humphreys." For more
move-in
day scenes and a profile of the entering class, see article
"Fall semester commences Sept. 1." |
Virginia's
Smart Travel Laboratory keeps traffic flowing in metropolitan
areas
By
Charlotte Crystal
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Rebecca
Arrington
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| Brian
Smith, assistant professor of civil engineering, is
co-director
of the Smart Travel Lab, based at U.Va., which interprets
signals
from highway video cameras to monitor traffic flow. The lab
works with VDOT's Virginia Beach Smart Traffic Center to
help
its staff quickly spread the word about traffic slowdowns or
accidents by notifying drivers via message signs on the road
and highway advisory radio announcements. |
If
Brian Smith has his way, traffic forecasts will someday be as
common
as weather forecasts.
Research
under way at Virginia's Smart Travel Laboratory at U.Va. will
help
drivers in metropolitan areas better predict traffic patterns
and
adjust their travel plans accordingly, whether to ease a
daily commute
or avoid holiday traffic, such as that expected during the
coming
Labor Day weekend, said Smith, co-director of the lab and a
research
assistant professor of civil engineering.
The
lab also expects to help the Virginia Department of
Transportation
analyze massive amounts of traffic data piped in from the
congested
Washington and Hampton Roads metro areas. More effective
interpretation
of the data will help VDOT respond faster to changing traffic
conditions
and improve the flow of traffic.
Established
in 1998, the lab conducts cutting-edge research that combines
historical
data with traffic-simulation models to create forecasts of
traffic
volume and travel times. U.Va. researchers also have helped VDOT
design and upgrade its sensing systems and identify and fix
faulty
sensors.
The
lab is directed by Smith and Cathy McGhee, a civil engineer with
the Virginia Transportation Research Council, the research
arm of
VDOT. Other U.Va. professors of civil and systems engineering
who
specialize in transportation issues and a contingent of
undergraduate
and graduate students round out the center's staffing.
Funding is
provided primarily by U.Va., VDOT, the Virginia
Transportation Research
Council and the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The
lab is currently working with VDOT's Smart Traffic Center in
Virginia
Beach, which receives traffic data from 600 vehicle sensors and
features a wall of 38 video monitors linked to cameras set up
along
19 miles of the area's most congested roads, Interstates 64 and
264. Smart Traffic Center controllers monitor the camera images
24 hours a day and can respond to traffic slowdowns or accidents
quickly by contacting a Freeway Incident Response Team and
notifying
the traveling public of the adverse conditions via variable
message
signs and highway advisory radio announcements. Full
story.
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