Safety and Security
Connections
Volpe Connection
When we approach a problem, we call upon the technical, operational, and managerial expertise available throughout the Volpe Center. For example, our human factors specialists are working with change management specialists in other Volpe Center Offices to analyze the impact of consolidating and simplifying Amtrak's safety rule books. Our work on this project exemplifies our ability to work across disciplines.
Academic Connections
At any given time we have several on-site visiting professors from local academic institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tufts University through our Faculty Fellows Program. This program, made possible by the Intergovernmental Personnel Act, allows visiting professors to work on site at the Volpe Center while retaining their faculty positions. They work side by side with our permanent staff, and the collaboration often continues after the staff has returned to their parent institutions.
The Volpe Center also encourages its staff to continue their education as they work at the Center. We have led the way in participating in such educational programs as the Volpe Center Fellows Program. This program allows employees to pursue graduate level study in areas that support the Center's goals. Through this program our staff is able to remain current in their research areas, and they are able to provide a better response to the needs of our clients.
Industry Connections
Through our networking with industry, the private sector, and trade organizations, we have access to the specialized know-how that professionals in these areas can bring. By working with multiple partners we can make progress on complex projects. On Amtrak's rulebook consolidation, we support Amtrak's participative process involving unions, management, and many different organizations.
Sharing Information Internationally
Many members of our staff have achieved national and international recognition for their work. Our staff regularly participates in national and international conferences and forums to build on relationships with colleagues and to foster information exchange. Our staff has recently attended meetings in crash avoidance, crashworthiness, grade crossings, high-speed ground transportation, structures and dynamics, human factors, and security. We also participate in international working groups where, in addition to sharing our own findings, we are able to contribute our own knowledge and experience to our colleagues world-wide. For example, our senior staff frequently represents the FRA at important international working groups such as rail safety research. This collaboration brings together the leaders in rail research to address issues that affect all participants, and fosters an environment that encourages joint projects.
Connections with Foreign Universities
For the last 15 years, the Volpe Center has been involved in collaborative research with staff from the Computational Mechanics Department at the Cracow University of Technology in Cracow, Poland. This long-term collaboration began in 1984 when Professor Janusz Orkisz came to the Volpe Center as a visiting research scientist. Following Professor Orkisz's visit, the US and Polish governments developed a joint scientific and technology exchange agreement to foster common research. This arrangement involved collaborative research with Cracow University. Regular visits from its faculty and students have continued since that time.
