| Department Colloquium |
Wednesday
Dec. 7, 2005
Science Center 170
2:00—3:00 p.m.
Lunch: 12:00 in
Buntrock Commons #221
Phone: 507-646-3120
email: russell@stolaf.edu
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"From St.
Olaf Physics to Transportation Engineering"
Paul
Morris `04
Civil
Engineering, Graduate School
University
of Minnesota
I will present the results of my Master's thesis research
project in Transportation Engineering. The goal of my research is to predict the frequency and severity of
median crossing crashes on divided highways to prioritize the installation of
guardrails in Minnesota.
To accomplish this I estimate the frequency of vehicles
running off the road into the median, model the behavior of the vehicles as
they cross the median, and predict the severity of collisions with oncoming
vehicles or a guardrail. While this
sounds complicated, I will show that most of this is based on tools learned in
beginning Physics and Statistics courses. I will also comment on my experiences as a graduate student since being
at St. Olaf.
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