FAA Names ‘Excellence in Aviation Research Award’ Winners

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AOC 37-05 October 31, 2005
Contact: Holly Baker
Phone: (609) 485-6253 

FAA Names ‘Excellence in Aviation Research Award’ Winners <p>WASHINGTON, D.C. – 

The Federal Aviation Administration is presenting its 2005       
Excellence in Aviation Research Awards to Richard Dolbeer,       
Ph.D., Coordinator of the Aviation Safety and Assistance Program 
for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Colin Drury, Ph.D.,  
University of Buffalo Distinguished Professor and Chair of the   
Department of Industrial Engineering at the university, for      
their work in airport wildlife hazard mitigation and aviation    
maintenance human factors, respectively.                         

“This research makes a difference,” said FAA
Administrator Marion Blakey. “Doctor Dolbeer and Doctor
Drury are enabling us to raise the bar for aviation safety.”

Dolbeer is a world-renowned expert in airport wildlife hazard    
mitigation and pioneered applied research in the field. He       
created the U.S. Department of Agriculture/Wildlife Service      
Aviation Research Project, an effort to reduce wildlife hazards  
to aviation. He also helped create the National Wildlife Strike  
Database, the most extensive and accurate database of its kind   
in the world. Dolbeer’s work has led to major advancements  
in managing airport environments to reduce wildlife use. His     
efforts produced a dramatic reduction in aircraft collisions     
with birds at New York’s John F. Kennedy International      
Airport and laid the foundation for subsequent work at more than 
600 U.S. airports.                                               

Drury is internationally recognized for his research in aviation 
maintenance human factors. He has been a key contributor to      
the FAA Human Factors in Maintenance Research and Development    
Program, conducting critical safety research since 1989.         
His research has spanned many critical topics in this area,      
including: visual and non-destructive inspection; the use of     
simplified English for maintenance technical documentation;      
the effectiveness of error investigation processes, and the      
effect of English as a second language on maintenance error.     
His current focus is on applying human factors and ergonomics    
theory to improve the task structure, environment and training   
facilities used in aviation maintenance. Drury has researched    
and written more than 300 publications covering industrial       
process control, quality control, aviation maintenance and       
safety.                                                          

This is the eighth year that the prestigious Excellence in       
Aviation Research Awards have been presented. The awards are     
given annually to individuals and/or institutions outside        
of the FAA whose research contributions have resulted in a       
significantly safer, more efficient national airspace system.    



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