John K. Pollard
John Pollard is an Operations Research Analyst, who joined the Volpe Center in 1971, after three years with NASA. Following a decade of work related to energy-consumption behavior, he began his current assignment in the Human Factors Division in 1981. Mr. Pollard completed his undergraduate studies at Tulane University with double majors in psychology and economics and double minors in physics and philosophy. He earned an MBA at Harvard in 1967.
His major projects have included:
- On-road testing of the effectiveness of radar-based collision-warning devices;
- An early field evaluation of air passenger/baggage matching;
- An investigation into the causes of reports of sudden acceleration in automobiles;
- Field research into the causes of fatigue among merchant mariners and locomotive crews;
- A diary survey of locomotive engineers that quantifies their work and sleep schedules;
- Conduct of flight experiments to simulate the ride-quality of future high-speed ground systems and evaluation of their effects on passengers.
Currently, Mr. Pollard is chiefly engaged in research for the Federal Railroad Administration. He is evaluating new technologies to warn operators of loss of alertness, consulting on the design of studies to measure the effectiveness of various fatigue countermeasures, e.g., napping on duty, and investigating various aspects of the design of rail passenger equipment as they affect the ability of riders to escape safely in an emergency.
Phone: 617/494-3537
E-mail: john.pollard@dot.gov
