Students from nearly two dozen universities entered the 2008 2462 IRF Essay Competition. Each student was asked to submit an essay which addressed a topic under this year's theme of road safety
The winner was Allison Daniello, a junior mechanical engineering student at Virginia Tech. She completed her paper, titled 'Motorcycle-Guardrail Crashes: How can the risk of severe injury and fatality be reduced?' under the supervision of Dr Clay Gabler. Her work was selected by a panel of international judges with expertise in the road industry.
Daniello will receive her grand prize of US$3,000 during the IRF Awards Program being held 12 January, 2009 at the Mayflower hotel in Washington DC. As her academic supervisor, Dr Gabler will be awarded the $1,000 prize for professors.
The three $1,000 runners-up in the competition were: Christopher Lindsey from Georgia Tech; Christine Conron and Chiara Silvestri from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and, Chung-Jen Hsu from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
An abridged version of Allison Daniello's essay is reproduced here.
The winner was Allison Daniello, a junior mechanical engineering student at Virginia Tech. She completed her paper, titled 'Motorcycle-Guardrail Crashes: How can the risk of severe injury and fatality be reduced?' under the supervision of Dr Clay Gabler. Her work was selected by a panel of international judges with expertise in the road industry.
Daniello will receive her grand prize of US$3,000 during the IRF Awards Program being held 12 January, 2009 at the Mayflower hotel in Washington DC. As her academic supervisor, Dr Gabler will be awarded the $1,000 prize for professors.
The three $1,000 runners-up in the competition were: Christopher Lindsey from Georgia Tech; Christine Conron and Chiara Silvestri from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and, Chung-Jen Hsu from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
An abridged version of Allison Daniello's essay is reproduced here.