Kayla Sykes was honored at the Council of University Transportation Centers (CUTC) 2015 Annual Awards Banquet on January 9, 2016. For the past 24 years, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has honored an outstanding student from each UTC at this special ceremony held during the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting. This year, students were recognized during the ceremony by the Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Research and Technology, Greg Winfree, and CUTC President, Joel Volinski. During the banquet, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx gave the keynote address and Norman Mineta, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation, and Edd Hauser, director of the Center for Transportation Policy Studies at University of North Carolina-Charlotte, were honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards.
USDOT Assistant Secretary of Research and Technology Greg Winfree and Joel Volinski, President of the Council of University Transportation Centers, honored Kayla Sykes as the 2015 CVI-UTC Student of the Year, on Saturday, January 9, 2016, in Washington, DC. (Photos by Leslie E. Kossoff/LK Photos)
Kayla was selected for the 2015 Outstanding Student of the Year Award from the CVI-UTC for her outstanding academic performance and excellence in research. Kayla is a Graduate Research Assistant for the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI). She completed her graduate coursework for her Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech in Fall 2015. Kayla has presented several posters related to her research with VTTI at both the Undergraduate Research Symposium and the Civil Engineering Research Day at Virginia Tech. Kayla also presented a poster regarding her CVI-UTC project and Master’s research at the 9th Annual UTC Spotlight Conference on Connected and Automated Vehicles on November 4, 2015.
Kayla’s Master’s thesis focuses on a human factors analysis of an in-vehicle Active Traffic and Demand Management (ATDM) system. She worked closely with VTTI employees to create an in-vehicle device that provides the following information to the driver: 1) dynamic speed limits, 2) dynamic lane use/shoulder control, 3) High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) restrictions, and 4) other traveler information through variable message signs (VMS). The study’s research questions address driver distraction, desirability, and driver behavior while using the in-vehicle system in various traffic conditions. The results of this study will add to the body of knowledge for the effectiveness of in-vehicle signage and ATDM features.
Kayla has accepted employment with Toxcel following graduation and plans to continue to focus on improving transportation through human factors research and implementation.
Learn more about Kayla’s CVI-UTC project Human Factors Evaluation of an In-Vehicle Active Traffic and Demand Management (ATDM) System.