Civil engineering student, Shannon Andersen, presented her research on Vehicle to Everything (V2X) data analysis at the 16th Annual Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research (UCUR), held on February 25, 2022. The aim of Shannon’s research was to develop a method to analyze the speeds and braking patterns of vehicles traveling around curves using V2X data. Using R, Shannon created a method to translate V2X data onto a road centerline, calculate distances from start of deceleration to the start of the curve, and present color-coded data points on an interactive map. This method could be used to determine the optimal locations for warning signs and help to advance studies in traffic behavior on curved roads.
Shannon and her fellow BYU students formed the largest group of students attending UCUR from a single university. Also in attendance was keynote speaker, Dr. Candice Hansen, a planetary scientist from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Dr. Hansen specializes in studying ocean worlds and is known for her work investigating a giant vapor plume discovered on Saturn’s moon, Enceladus. After opening the conference with Dr. Hansen’s remarks, students were invited to share the results of their research orally or via posters during several presentation sessions across Dixie State University’s campus.