OUR MISSION:
The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Translational Research for Injury Prevention Laboratory (UAB TRIP Lab) strives to help the nation achieve a significant reduction in the rate of transportation-related deaths, injuries and resulting disabilities, particularly in the southeastern United States.
OUR RESEARCH:
We are committed to gaining a better understanding of the psychological aspects of transportation-related injury through multi-disciplinary research and translating those findings to the practice of injury prevention and control.
WHO WE ARE:
The TRIP Lab was established in 2009 by Dr. Despina Stavrinos as an official outlet for her research, and as a means to recruit other scholars – students and professionals – drawn to the intersection of the transportation, behavioral, and cognitive research fields.
The TRIP Lab is a dynamic research laboratory that welcomes diverse students at various levels of training. Under Dr. Stavrinos’ mentorship, students attain/hone basic research skills through experiential learning and produce independent research projects applying those skills. This approach fosters independence and responsibility, and allows students the opportunity to publish and present their research findings – often as a first author – to the scientific and lay communities. Students also are afforded the opportunity to meaningfully contribute to the larger, grant-funded studies undertaken by Dr. Stavrinos and her collaborators.
The success of Dr. Stavrinos’ mentorship is evidenced by the approximately 75% of students trained in the TRIP lab who go on to science-based graduate/professional programs. The success of the research undertaken in the TRIP Lab is evidenced by the number of publications and presentations (many award winning) based on original research, and by the continuous grant funding the Lab has received.
THE DRIVING SIMULATOR:
The driving simulator has its own section on the website, so this description will be brief. The TRIP Lab houses a fully immersive, state-of-the-art driving simulator designed by Realtime Technologies, Inc., and sponsored by Honda Manufacturing of Alabama and the Alabama Department of Transportation. It takes the form of a 2016 Honda Pilot, and features a fully functional steering wheel, throttle, brake, gear selector, turn signals, and dashboard. The simulator’s software is fully customizable to meet a wide variety of research needs. The faculty and staff of the TRIP Lab have extensive experience in multi-disciplinary transportation-related injury prevention research, and are happy to share their knowledge, experience, and resources to assist you in your research needs.