Dean Sicking, UAB Associate VP for Product Development, Ronald K. Faller, Director and Research Professor, Midwest Roadside Safety Facility, University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Karla A. Lechtenberg, Research Engineer, Midwest Roadside Safety Facility, University of Nebraska-Lincoln were in attendance for the awards ceremony during WCX 18: SAE World Congress Experience in Detroit. Additional awardees not in attendance include Robert W. Bielenberg, Research Engineer, Midwest Roadside Safety Facility, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Anton George, Owner, Vision Investments, LLC, James C. Holloway, Assistant Director Physical Testing Division, Midwest Roadside Safety Facility, University of Nebraska, John D. Reid, Professor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln and John R. Rohde, retired, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Established in 2016, this award honors individuals, organizations or teams (both SAE members and non-members) whose research and/or practical application represents unique, original concepts that, when applied to motorsports, cause significant positive change and elevate safety to new levels of innovation, in the memory of Dr. John Melvin.
With funding from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indy Racing League, and NASCAR, this team of specialists designed, developed, and crash tested the Steel and Foam Energy Reduction Barrier (SAFER Barrier). The SAFER Barrier is a technology found on oval automobile race tracks and high-speed sections of road and street courses, absorbs and reduces kinetic energy during the impact of a high-speed crash, and thus, lessen injuries sustained to drivers and spectators.
Since the installation of the SAFER Barrier, there have been no driver fatalities in NASCAR or lndyCar events resulting from errant racecars hitting a retaining wall at a track where the SAFER Barrier was installed. The barrier design and development was led by Dean Sicking and the team from the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The initial funding for the research came from Tony George of the Indy Racing League (IRL) and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS).
SAE International is a global association committed to being the ultimate knowledge source for the engineering profession. By uniting over 127,000 engineers and technical experts, we drive knowledge and expertise across a broad spectrum of industries. We act on two priorities: encouraging a lifetime of learning for mobility engineering professionals and setting the standards for industry engineering. We strive for a better world through the work of our philanthropic SAE Foundation, including programs like A World in Motion® and the Collegiate Design Series™.
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