Grad Student Wins at Driver Training Competition

A University of Guelph graduate student researching how to improve driver training is one of the winners at an international symposium.

Student winner Danielle Filio (left) and engineering professor Michele Oliver both traveled to Vermont for the international driver training symposium

Danielle Filio received the 2017 Honda Outstanding Student Paper runner-up award. The award was given at the 9th International Driving Symposium on Human Factors in Driver Assessment, Training and Vehicle Design, held in late June in Vermont.

Sponsored by Honda Motor Company, the award includes a certificate and cash prize.

Filio compared wrap-around screens to head-mounted display (HMD) technology. She found that perception-response time was significantly longer for drivers when using the HMD technology than with wrap-around screens.

“Further advancements in HMD technology are needed before they can provide an adequate alternative to wrap-around screens when analyzing driver response scenarios,” said Filio.

The biological engineering master’s student is currently conducting research in the U of G DRIVE Lab, where she works with engineering professor Michele Oliver and psychology professor Lana Trick.

“We are extremely pleased with the high-quality of work displayed by Danielle,” said Oliver.

“She is the third student since 2003 from the DRIVE Lab to be recognized for her work at the driving assessment conference. Each have come from different colleges, highlighting the interdisciplinary nature of driving research at U of G.”