Northwestern Events Calendar

Oct
6
2016

"Public-Private Partnership for Transportation Safety: Case Studies in Air & Rail"

Laurence Audenaerd

When: Thursday, October 6, 2016
4:00 PM - 5:15 PM CT

Where: Chambers Hall, Ruan Conference Center (Lower level), 600 Foster St, Evanston, IL 60208 map it

Audience: Faculty/Staff - Student - Public - Post Docs/Docs - Graduate Students

Cost: Free event

Contact: Diana Marek   (847) 491-2280

Group: Northwestern University Transportation Center

Category: Academic

Description:

Laurence Audenaerd, Lead Engineer Center for Advanced Aviation System Development, The MITRE Corporation

ABSTRACT:
Noting a continuous decline in accidents, the aviation industry during the mid-1990s viewed itself as an extremely safe mode of transportation. However, a number of high-profile accidents by U.S. carriers called into question whether the accident record of aviation safety could reliably stand as the measure of safety health and culture within the industry. As a result, the government undertook a unique approach to collaborating with industry by developing rigorous safety management systems culminating in a highly successful public-private partnership for aviation safety.

Given the many similarities between air and rail systems, recent high-profile railroad accidents raise questions of whether the rail industry may benefit from a similar collaborative structure for safety. This paper begins by describing the structure of the aviation system’s collaborative safety culture through successful public-private partnership, the safety management system (SMS) framework, an evolving regulatory and legal framework, and data-sharing environment. To understand the evolution of this approach, the historical context of the necessary socio-technological elements is also presented along with an analysis of how the industry-government trust relationship evolved into the current culture. Drawing parallels between the aviation and rail systems, the opportunity space is explored for applying an equivalent approach to rail safety.

BIO:  Laurence Audenaerd, PhD, is a transportation engineer/economist with a focus primarily on urban and intercity passenger transportation and the influence of geography. He has an extensive background providing national and regional transportation research and policy analysis for federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Transportation, NASA, and the Department of Defense, as well as state and local units, such as the Illinois Governor's Office, Illinois Chamber of Commerce, and New York City MTA. Audenaerd has an extensive publication record and holds membership appointments on several transportation-related committees, including the Transportation Research Board. Additionally, Audenaerd volunteers his time advising members of the Illinois General Assembly on transportation issues. He holds a PhD from Northwestern University and master's degrees from Princeton University and Rutgers University.

 

 

Professional CV: http://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/project-management/documents/faculty/audenaerd.pdf

 

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