Founding Chapter Advisor (helped set it up and raise $2,500 for its activities). The IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Student Chapter for University at Buffalo (RAS@UB) has officially been approved and is open to all undergraduates and graduates of University at Buffalo to join and learn ongoing developments in the field of robotics. This chapter offers students from diverse backgrounds at UB a first-hand opportunity to get involved, participate, contribute, share their experience and eventually gain real-world knowledge and experience in the vast area of robotics and automation. Although this is a chapter supported by IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, it is open to people from diverse backgrounds (engineering, science and even non-technical) along as students have an interest and are looking to learn something new and fun. This student-run independent chapter primarily serves to initiate public interest, perform education outreach and provide means to directly or indirectly find support for exceptional projects in the areas of robotics, mechatronics and automation. Graduate and undergraduate students are encouraged to become part of RAS@UB and explore this new field from varied perspectives. RAS@UB is currently in the process of charting out the events in the near future including training programs, technical seminars from industrial and academic experts, robotic competitions, networking events and many more. We envision building strong, multidisciplinary student groups that are not only adept at the technical know-hows of robotic systems, but also involved in hands-on projects and problem-based learning for exploration in this area.

Tech Savvy is an annual workshop for middle school and high school girls that takes place at the University at Buffalo. The Automation, Robotics, & Mechatronics Laboratory hosted the Robotics Workshop and Outreach Program for the third consecutive year as part of Tech Savvy 8 by working together with American Association of University Women (AAUW) Buffalo Branch on March 16, 2013. The outreach program comprised an overview presentation of robotics/mechatronics and virtual reality/haptics, given by Dr. Krovi, and hands-on robotics demos. The workshop was attended by 45 students from grades 6-9, split into three groups. Watch a video (YouTube) of the event.

Tech Savvy is an annual workshop for middle school and high school girls that takes place at the University at Buffalo. In 2012, during Tech Savvy 7, “Tech Savvy Girls… Doing Well by Doing Good!”, there were over 500 girls from many different local high schools. The ARMLAB (automation, robotics and mechatronics lab) participated in Tech Savvy with a workshop titled “Haptics: Come Explore the Touchy-Feely Side of Robotics.” In the hour-long workshop Dr. Krovi, Shefalika Prasad (local high school student), Ziyun Jo Zhou (REU student), Light Le and Justin Storms (undergraduates at UB) presented fundamental concepts and basics of robotics/ haptics, outlining the application needs, engineering challenges and highlighting the bright future of robotics/haptics before the fun and demonstrations began. See photos (Picasa) of the event. Watch a video (YouTube) of the event.

Drivers aged 16-24 represent 12% of the total driving population, yet account for 20% of all road vehicle accidents. Teen driver/passenger deaths account for 25% of total teen deaths from any cause–more than cancer, homicide and suicide. It is clear that roadway safety has been, and continues to be, a major public health concern–and one which lacks standardization of training and education practices at the state/national level. The present study aims to build upon past research involving the expanded use of driving simulators to supplement existing driver training curricula. The eventual goal is to develop, validate, and standardize a state-level and nationally accepted revision to existing driver training policies–including simulation as a core component. Subsequent to our preliminary pilot study in 2012, numerous revisions have been made in an effort to improve the program, including enhancements to module content, modifications to the simulator itself, and revised data collection and analysis methods. The updated module content of the training program will focus on the statistically documented top five causes of teen driver accidents (in New York State): unsafe speed, failure to yield right of way, driver inattention or distraction, driver inexperience, and following too closely. In this paper, these revisions will be described in detail, along with future recommendations for quantifying the success of using simulators by analyzing teen driving performance data longitudinally over time. Although the focus of this paper is on refinement of module content (and data collection/analysis methods), in an effort to quantify the improvement of the simulation-based framework, we have recruited a small cohort of participants to experience our revised program whose results are analyzed and reported. This process will help to ensure the continued evolution of our program towards achieving our long-term goal: widespread deployment and standardization of simulators at a national level.