There was record attendance for the latest TTI Support Staff Development Seminar, Sept. 26. For the first time, the group — which meets every other month — attended a crash test at the Riverside Campus. Members witnessed an 18-wheeler plowing into a guardrail retaining wall at a speed of 50 miles-per-hour.
“Most of our members have never seen a crash test,” Director of Administration Mary Cearley said. “And they were certainly impressed with this one. Crash tests are part of what makes TTI famous, so it was great that they got to experience this.”
Support-staff meetings began last year at the request of Agency Director Dennis Christiansen. Before the crash test, members heard a presentation from Roger Bligh that included a video history of the lifesaving work conducted at the Riverside Campus since the 1960s.
“Not only are these meetings designed for staff development, it’s also a way to network and learn a lot more about the things going on within TTI,” Seminar Chair Susie Catalina said. “We all feel a lot more connected to the Institute as a result of these seminars. I have been here 10 years and I have never seen a crash test. It will be hard to top this meeting.”
The crash test was part of a National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NHCRP) project designed to test the design of a retaining wall. About 100 people viewed the crash test, which involved an 18-wheeler hitting the wall at 50 miles-per-hour. For the first time, the crash test was streamed live across the country to members of the NCHRP panel.
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