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Spring 2022matc.unl.eduIn This Issue:Riley Ruskamp Chosen for2021 MATC Student of theYear CUTC Award.1MATC After-School ProgramExpands in Outreach andCurriculum.2MATC After School Program atUmónhon Nation Public SchoolCarries On Amidst TravelRestrictions.3MATC Education and OutreachCoordinator Recruits NativeAmerican Students for 2022Summer Academy.3MATC Presents Facilities toUNK Visitors.4MATC Affiliates Meet as TRBConference Returns toIn-Person.5About the Mid-AmericaTransportation Center.5Riley Ruskamp Chosenfor 2021 MATC Studentof the Year CUTC AwardThe annual January Transportation Research Board(TRB) conference in Washington DC takes a nightto honor exemplary students from UniversityTransportation Centers (UTC) across the nation.Awards are given at the Council of UniversityTransportation Centers (CUTC) virtual studentbanquet in which awarded students compile a shortvideo to talk about their area of study or research andfuture plans.UTC Outstanding Student of the Year awards aregiven to candidates based on accomplishments intechnical merit and research capability, academicperformance, and leadership. Riley Ruskamp waschosen by the MATC selection committee afternomination from his supervisors at the MidwestRoadside Safety Facility (MwRSF).As a student leader at MwRSF, Ruskamp documentscrash tests, trains new graduate students, presents research results to state Department ofTransportation sponsors of the Midwest Pooled Fund Program, and participates in MwRSF’soutreach efforts by showcasing engineering to disadvantaged youth. “His quiet, humble, yetcapable and poignantly thoughtful personality compliments his kindness, compassion, andcharisma,” Dr. Cody Stolle, researcher at MwRSF says of Ruskamp. Ruskamp was the topstudent in Dr. Stolle’s class and sets an example for all student researchers by independentlylearning and growing as a researcher while leading projects that support the MATC UTCobjective of increasing road safety.Ruskamp’s Master’s advisor Dr. Mojdeh Asadollahi Pajouh nominated Riley after witnessing hisleadership on his MATC sponsored Master’s Thesis project. The project aimed to provide stateDOTs and transportation communities a high-performance, crashworthy, portable concretebarrier while resolving critical issues with current barriers. The project evaluated new designs ofroadside portable barriers to limit deflection while reducing vehicle instability, occupant.Continued on page 2

.Continued from page 1risk, and exposure to critical outcomes, which was foundational toadvancing a next-generation barrier design optimized for safety,economics, and sustainability. Dr. Pajouh describes Ruskamp as “asharp and talented student with great dedication and work ethic.”For the TRB conference, Ruskamp prepared a researchmanuscript titled “Development, Crash Testing, and Evaluationof Portable Concrete Barriers Gap-Spanning Hardware”. Thepublication also included a presentation touching on the PortableConcrete Barrier (PCB) research. In his video at the awardsbanquet, Ruskamp briefly shared what he does at MwRSF andthanked Dr. Stolle and Dr. Pajouh for their leadership andnomination.Comparison of tipping behavior test in Ruskamp’s barrier research.MATC After-School Program Expands in Outreach and CurriculumThe Spring 2022 semester returned the MATC Roads, Rails, andRace Cars (RRRC) After-School program to schools in Lincoln.With the program’s resurgence, new ideas on Science, Technology,Engineering, Art, and Math were introduced in the club’s projects.In addition to the activities teaching students about the scienceand engineering behind transportation, it also taught studentshow art and engineering could be combined. For example,students learned about fundamentals of structural engineering,then applied those to creating free standing sculptures.MATC expanded the outreach of the Roads, Rails, and Race Carsprogram by offering a Fun Day to Saratoga Elementary School.On a no-school day in February, students participated in a rangeof activities, similar to the ones in the RRRC after-school programcurriculum.The students designed a tipi using craft sticks and constructionpaper, learning why the structure’s design worked so well for thenomadic Native Americans. They constructed a catapult andtested it with marshmallows, seeing whose would launch them thefarthest. This gave the students an example of the science behindmachines, and how the more potential energy stored in therubber band, the farther their projectiles will fly. The students hada lot of fun building travois and racing them across the gym. Theylearned how the design would enable Native American tribes toefficiently carry large loads as they moved from place to place.2Mid-America Transportation Center

MATC After School Program at Umónhon Nation Public School CarriesOn Amidst Travel RestrictionsPrior to the COVID 19Pandemic, MATC’s Roads,Rails, and Race Cars (RRRC)After School program wasimplemented at several sitesoutside of the Lincoln area. Thepandemic caused suspension ofoutreach activities at all sites,and limited engagement andrestrictions as schools began tore-open. At the Umónhon NationPublic School (UNPS) in Macy,NE, Alternative EducationMichele BlackbirdTeacher Michele Blackbirdstepped up to lead the club. Along with Nicholas Stubbs, anotherteacher at UNPS, the two carried on weekly club activities withenthusiastic elementary and middle school students.Michele Blackbird has been a long-time MATC collaborator. In2017 she joined as a Sovereign Native Youth STEM LeadershipAcademy teacher, and serves as the host teacher at UmónhonNation Public School for RRRC during the regular school year.Throughout the years she has added much to both programs. Inparticular, during a period of limited school access, she createdvideo lessons and activities with a Native American STEM andtransportation focus that have become part of the regular RRRCcurriculum.In Spring 2022 the OMICRON variant caused another round oftravel restrictions that limited MATC in-person participation.Thanks to Michele’s leadership, club activities continueduninterrupted. The semester saw the introduction of newcurriculum materials related to Art and Engineering andimplementation at UNPS was enriched with contextualization toUmónhon culture provided by Michele.MATC Education and Outreach Coordinator Recruits Native AmericanStudents for 2022 Summer AcademyMATC is excited to offer its Sovereign Native Youth STEMLeadership Academy on June 26 - July 1, 2022. Affectionatelyknown as the “Summer Academy,” this program is a week-longresidential program on the campus of the University of NebraskaLincoln (UNL), for Native American High School students. Thetheme for 2022 is, “Native Youth for the Seventh Generation,”a reference to the Seventh Generation Principle, which is thattribal decisions ought to benefit the people seven generations on.The week’s activities are grouped under the headings of CulturalAppreciation, Health and Wellness, and Nature Stewardship.The Summer Academy has been hosted by MATC since 2017,when a partnership was formed with the Nebraska Commissionon Indian Affairs, who previously implemented the program. Inperson programs have been suspended since summer 2020.Nevertheless, enthusiasm and support have been maintained atthe many schools that send students down for the week.This Spring, MATC Education and Outreach Coordinator GabrielBruguier traveled to numerous schools to recruit students. Oneleg of the recruiting efforts was through Lincoln Public Schools,where he was a featured speaker at several Native Americanclubs. The other leg took him outside of Lincoln, where he spoketo students and teachers at Winnebago Public School, SanteeCommunity School, Umónhon Nation Pubic School, and NiobraraPublic School. At each site he was greeted with students eager toreturn to the Summer Academy, and students eager to experienceit for the first time. Registration for the Summer Academy is at 50students, exceeding numbers reached everyyear prior.MATC and NCIA 2019 Sovereign Native Youth STEM Leadership Academy.3Mid-America Transportation Center

MATC Presents Facilities toUNK VisitorsThe Nebraska Safety Center at the University of Nebraska atKearney (UNK) has been touring college transportation centersin hopes of expanding their capabilities when they move theirlocation on the UNK campus.During their visit at MATC, center personnel from theadministration office and Midwest Roadside Safety Facility(MwRSF) gave presentations and tours over the center’scapabilities, research, and outreach. MATC Director Dr.Aemal Khattak gave an overview of the center’s history andexplained the regionalization and funding distribution forUniversity Transportation centers from the US Department ofTransportation. Each federal grant lasts approximately five yearsand has a different research focus. The current period emphasizestransportation safety. Previous and ongoing MATC researchhas been conducted studying safety at bridges, rail crossings,highways, and more.Outreach Coordinator Dr. Gabriel Bruguier gave an overviewof the various outreach programs MATC offers including theRoads, Rails, and Race Cars after-school program, the SummerNative Youth STEM Leadership Academy, the Tribal Colleges andUniversities Scholars Program, and the Historically Black Collegesand Universities Scholars Program. These programs all serve thepurpose to provide STEM leadership to underrepresented groupsof students from kindergarten to post-secondary and encouragestudents to further their education. Program Coordinator JanetRenoe gave an overview of the MATC Internship Program forundergraduate engineering students. The program connectsstudents with summer internship opportunities in their field andgives them resources to make the most of their experience.Dr. Karla Lechtenberg gave a presentation on the MATC umbrellaorganization, the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility (MwRSF).She provided insight into the capabilities of MwRSF given theirVisualization and Simulation Lab and their Materials Testing Lab,both of which are available for use outside MwRSF personnel.Current MwRSF research is focused on heavy trucks and workzone safety.Multiple research projects are conductedeach year by professors and studentsunder MATC. Dr. Ernest Tufuor gave apresentation titled “The Sweet Sound ofSafety” on his research project testingrumble strips and their effectiveness afterroad construction. He explained howresearch benefiting state Departments.Continued on page 5Top: Dr. Aemal Khattak (right) and Dr. Tim Jares(left) viewing MATC’s ITS lab.Bottom: From left to right, Dr. Aemal Khattak,Dr. Tim Jares, Larissa Sazama, and Erin Howard.4Mid-America Transportation Center