On November 8, C2SMARTER and the ITE MET Section hosted students from the Bronx High School of Science to celebrate National STEM Day. ITE MET section members presented a career roundtable discussion before students broke out to do work zone designs and test out the virtual reality (VR) headsets.

The volunteers, who are all members of the ITE MET section and work in the industry, participated in an interactive roundtable to discuss their careers, give advice, and mentor the students.

Over the course of the day, the high schoolers were able to learn about work zones in general, as well as gain more specialized knowledge through a presentation on the integration of VR and hardware-in-the-loop for smart work zones.

NYU PhD Candidate Daniel Lu presented on his work Improving Roadway Construction Worker Safety with Virtual Reality and Traffic Simulation, which was followed by a Q&A for the students to ask any questions.

In the afternoon, the students were able to design work zones and then actually test the VR headsets for themselves. The students could utilize the same cutting edge technology being used for NYU research projects, the aim of which is to make work zones safer for construction workers and the traffic that surrounds them.

Students took turns in the VR lab and later were able to discuss their experiences with the group and give feedback to the NYU team.

Thank you to all of the volunteers and students for making this event so special!