Research Project
10286144
Project Summary This application is to continue the successful NIOSH TPG at Virginia Tech. Our aims are to provide a high- quality education to trainees, to train them in conducting effective basic and/or applied research, and to provide service to our profession, to industry, and to society. A key goal of our program is to support the NIOSH goal of supplying qualified professionals for careers that address occupational safety and health (OSH) through both research and practice. Our program emphasizes three aspects of OSH at the MS (thesis) and PhD levels: safety engineering, occupational ergonomics, and occupational biomechanics. This renewal application seeks program support for five years, and is budgeted to support two full-time, pre-doctoral trainees. We target a mix of trainees at the MS and PhD levels. The need for training in these areas is justified in several ways, primarily by the continuing levels of occupational accidents, injuries, and illnesses; substantial program interest; educational needs in contemporary OSH positions; and the national need for trained researchers and practitioners in these areas. Our program is characterized by a dual emphasis on breadth of trainee experience and the requirement for specialization. TPG funds allow us to maintain this emphasis, as well as attract and retain outstanding trainees. A broad, yet cohesive group of faculty and staff support the program, and who are in multiple departments and colleges at VT. Training is achieved through a combination of formal coursework, faculty advising, research, and more general exposure through seminars and interdisciplinary interactions. Core sets of courses exist at both the MS and PhD levels, and each trainee conducts a formal research project. Several mechanisms will be used to evaluate and improve the program, including an external advisory committee and trainee feedback, and a plan for diversity enhancement, enrollment, and retention that is aligned with the University and Department Strategic Plans for Diversity. Candidates for our program are MS or PhD students accepted within the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department. Prospective trainees are also actively recruited through several means. Our program overall has been quite successful during the prior period, based on the number of graduates, the high proportion of graduates continuing in the OSH field, faculty and student scholarly output and awards, and the continuing high number of applications received.
