DIRECTIONS

Volume 2025, Issue 01

Recent Center Highlights

Starting the new year with gratitude, appreciation for 2024

Testifying in front of a Senate Subcommittee, making new connections by co-hosting a major conference, and numerous honors and awards for staff all made 2024 a remarkable year for HSRC in every sense of the word. As the whirl of 2025 research and activities ramps up, we want to take a moment to appreciate and recognize some of the notable accomplishments made by HSRC staff and projects in 2024.

Meaningful interactions

  • HSRC co-director Laura Sandt testifies before a U.S. Senate committee.On May 21, 2024, HSRC Co-Director Dr. Laura Sandt testified before a U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation subcommittee in a hearing titled “Examining the Roadway Safety Crisis and Highlighting Community Solutions.”
  • HSRC co-hosted the March 2024 Safe Mobility Conference with the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. The event, held in HSRC’s hometown of Chapel Hill, NC, was an insightful and content-rich gathering of almost 180 private and public professionals engaged in pushing the conversation of safe mobility forward.
  • HSRC researchers and staff members took a field trip to Ruckersville, Virginia, on November 21, 2024, to visit the IIHS-HLDI Vehicle Research Center. The HSRC team lucked into being able to witness multiple safety demonstrations, including a partial crash test of a large truck, and participated in collaborative research discussions with IIHS. It was a memorable and inspiring reminder of the impact of the important road safety focused work that we do.
  • HSRC researchers continued to author articles covering a wide variety of research topics, and were regularly interviewed about transportation safety topics by a variety of media outlets.

Educational opportunities for all

  • HSRC's Dan Gelinne talks to North Carolina A&T students.Expanding on activities involving K-12 students, HSRC researchers representing a variety of safety disciplines traveled to the campus of the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in July 2024 to mentor high school students participating in the Summer High School Transportation Institute. Other K-12 activities included coordinating a hands-on road safety demo to a class of local middle-schoolers in April 2024 and participating in a career exploration fair sponsored by Durham Public Schools in October 2024.
  • Several HSRC researchers presented at the June 2024 NC Vision Zero Leadership Institute, a team training resource for North Carolina communities that have or are planning to start Vision Zero initiatives.
  • HSRC researchers presented at more than 17 conferences, webinars, and other transportation safety-related outreach opportunities in 2024. A concerted effort was made to listen to and reach people who may not be as familiar with HSRC and/or our areas of expertise, like at these events:
    • SAVIR, April 15-17
    • USDOT Future of Transportation Summit, Aug. 13-15
    • KIDZ IN MOTION International Child Passenger Safety Conference, Aug. 21-24
    • Safe States Conference, Aug. 20-22

HSRC staff honors and recognition in 2024

  • Jennifer Palcher-Silliman, Strategic Communications and Education Manager, was honored with the 2023 Council of University Transportation Centers Award for Administrative Leadership in January 2024 for her work with the Collaborative Sciences Center for Road Safety.
  • In May 2024, HSRC’s own Bevan Kirley and Kristel Robison, both Senior Research Associates, received the Safe Kids NC Director’s Award for “unwavering commitment, dedication, and exceptional contribution to Keeping Children Safe in North Carolina.”
  • HSRC’s Sarah O’Brien, Senior Research Associate, was named the 2024 Researcher of the Year by the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals in August 2024. Congratulations to Sarah, who also marked 20 years of working for North Carolina last year, for being a passionate researcher committed to the safety of all road users of all ages and abilities.
  • Shannen Johnson, Junior Research Associate, earned certification to become a Climate for Health Ambassador.
  • These staffers celebrated important HSRC service milestones:
    • Katie Harmon, Research Associate, 5 years
    • Caroline Mozingo, Co-Director, Strategic Communications, Partnerships, and Operations, 15 years
    • Nancy Pullen-Seufert, Senior Research Associate and Director, National Center for Safe Routes to School, 20 years

Looking ahead: new and ongoing HSRC projects


Did you know? HSRC is 59 and counting!

HSRC was established by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1965 and opened its doors on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus in 1966. HSRC will mark this 60-year milestone through a series of impactful activities and events held in 2025 and 2026. We’re still working out the details but we’re too excited not to share now.

Be sure you’re signed up to receive HSRC’s newsletter Directions so you don’t miss anniversary or all other Center-related news and updates.