Academic Program
The CCSA faculty and program areas will support an academic program that will train students to apply advanced computational methods to address complex safety and security problems.
The program is under development, but will offer graduate degrees in advanced safety analyses & engineering and elective courses that supplement degree programs in engineering, statistics, science, and public safety. The program will seek every opportunity to involve students at all levels in the research to provide practical hands-on experience to supplement their education.
Degree Programs
In the Spring of 2014, the Center will support a Master’s degree program in Transportation Safety Science and Engineering. This program will provide students with a robust education in science and engineering for the analysis of safety issues though the application of advanced methods and technologies. It will include course options in safety data mining, vehicle dynamics, highway and barrier design, and strategies and opportunities for the systematic identification and mitigation of safety deficiencies. Courses will be taught by the faculty associated with the Center and provide both the theoretical underpinnings as well as practical insights gained in years of work in industry and research. Students will have opportunities to participate in research at the Center as well formulate projects to address real problems as thesis or dissertation projects. The degrees will be tailored to meet requirements for degrees through other Mason Colleges & Schools. The intent is to produce graduates that will be readily able to move into careers in the public and private sectors. Future plans are to support other advanced degrees through the Center.
Professional Development / Continuing Education
The CCSA will provide various learning opportunities to Mason students, local professionals and agencies, and even the national and international safety community. These include:
- Rich educational opportunities for graduate students pursuing unique Transportation Safety Science and Engineering degrees at Mason.
- Professional Development Programs to enrich working professionals in their efforts to understand collision safety and analyses and apply to enhancing safety and security.
- An environment for visiting scholars and exchange students to interact with the CCSA research team and to conduct research using the wealth of data and facilities available.
- Working relationships with industry in pursuit of improved highway and vehicle safety to demonstrate the potentials of scientific and analytical approaches to improve transportation safety and security.
- Continuous papers and presentations to professional and research forums to advance the state-of-the-art and improve engineering practice.
- Distance learning options will evolve through the program to allow the advanced methods for collision safety and analyses to benefit all those endeavoring to improve transportation safety and security.
Student Involvement
The Center for Collision Safety and Analysis will promote the development of the next generation of professionals in safety and security by offering classes, programs, and activities specifically oriented to interested students. The CCSA faculty will take an active role in teaching at all levels and will serve as academic advisors for student thesis and dissertation efforts. Opportunities include team taught classes in Science and Engineering curriculums that will focus on the applicability of the concepts and technologies. For example, classes in the Transportation Engineering program (in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering) could demonstrate how highway crashes occur and barriers are selected to mitigate the consequences. Classes in Physics might be useful to demonstrate the application of dynamic impact theory and the nature of tools used to analyze the effects under varying conditions. Directed studies, uniquely designed degree programs, guest lectures, visiting faculty, and student projects will provide abundant opportunities to enhance learning at George Mason University. Contract research efforts will also provide opportunities to support students while they pursue their degrees and provide hands-on learning through roles on the research teams.