Feb. 17, 2009

SGI scholarship supports traffic safety research

University of Regina graduate students will receive funding for traffic safety research as a result of a large donation by Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI). SGI is donating $100,000 over a four-year period to renew the SGI Graduate Student Traffic Safety Research Scholarship at the U of R.

The scholarship is intended to create opportunities for graduate students to produce thesis-based research on engineering or human factor issues related to traffic safety.

Past student recipients have used the scholarship to fund their research into the study of traffic-weather relationships and highway traffic peaking due to statutory holidays. A past recipient's work was published in 2008 as a book entitled Peaking of Holiday Traffic - Characteristics, Applications, and Implications.

"The research produced by the scholarship recipients is shared with SGI, providing the Crown Corporation with valuable tools and insight into traffic safety issues in Saskatchewan," says Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, Dr. Rod Kelln. "Through its generous gift, SGI is allowing our graduate students to participate in practical research that not only benefits our University and SGI, but the province as a whole."

"SGI is committed to traffic safety research and, ultimately, making our roads among the safest in the world," Crown Corporations Minister Ken Cheveldayoff says. "We are confident that this scholarship will help generate new opportunities, ideas and solutions in the area of road safety. We are investing in our future."

The SGI Graduate Student Traffic Safety Research Scholarship is presented annually to graduate students studying engineering, geography or social sciences. Applications for the scholarship are available online at www.uregina.ca/gradstudies/scholarships and are to be submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research by September 30, 2009.

Media contact:

Dale Johnson
External Relations, University of Regina
Phone: (306) 585-5439
Fax: (306) 585-4997
Cell: (306) 536-4312
Email: dale.johnson@uregina.ca

Chris Clemett
SGI Communications
Phone: (306) 775-6675
Cell: (306) 530-2348
Email: cclemett@sgi.sk.ca