ISE and SSRC Helping to Improve Highway Watch Program

February 25, 2008

Researchers from the Social Science Research Center (SSRC) and ISE faculty members Lesley Strawderman, Mingzhou Jin, and Kari Babski-Reeves are serving as co-principal investigators on an approximately $1.7 million project entitled “The National Highway Watch Analysis and Improvement Program.” The project is a joint effort by SSRC and ISE, with Art Cosby and Royce Bowden serving as the project’s co-directors. The project is funded through the American Trucking Associations (ATA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The project aims to improve the Highway Watch (HWW) Program. The HWW Program is an effort by ATA and DHS to protect the country’s roadways and infrastructure by training transportation professionals to be aware of their surroundings. HWW trained professionals report suspicious activity, dangerous conditions, and roadway conditions. ISE faculty members and students and SSRC researchers will be evaluating the current training system and developing a decision support tool to help optimize the allocation of the program’s resources.

For additional information, contact Lesley Strawderman at (662) 325-7214 or strawderman@ise.msstate.edu.