PI spotlight: Kerrie Schattler

Kerrie Schattler is a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Construction at Bradley University and was a co-investigator on “Evaluation of Flashing Yellow Arrows (FYA) for Protected/Permissive Left Turn (PPLT) Control” (R27-097), a recent project completed for IDOT and ICT that was selected as the High-Impact Research of the Year for 2017 at THE. The project evaluated the effectiveness of flashing yellow arrows as left turn indicators at lighted intersections.

Over the course of her career, Schattler has built expertise and conducted research on many areas of highway safety engineering—Including  “Effects of Intersection Right-Turn Lane Design and Skew on Safety and Operations” (R27-111) for IDOT. Schattler’s contribution to safety research stems from a desire to “help improve safety on our roads and contribute to the reduction of people being injured or killed on our streets and highways.” She adds, “Saving lives is what really makes a difference.” Schattler also was part of the ICT project Implementing Pavement Management Systems for Local Agencies” (R27-087), a partnership between Applied Research Associates and Bradley University.

Schattler’s specific area of expertise is highway safety engineering, ranging from countermeasure design to effectiveness evaluation involving safety, operational, and geometric improvements for intersections, traffic signal control, pedestrians, elderly drivers, work zones, and red light running.

She says that the grants allowing her to do the research create “tremendous opportunities to support both undergraduate and graduate students,” another of her passions. She notes that “these experiences provide substantial benefits to our students: participating in innovative research engineering projects, learning about new developments and technologies in civil engineering, providing insights on career direction, publishing in journals and conference proceedings, gaining a competitive edge in the job market, and more.”

During her 20 years of experience in traffic engineering at Wayne State University and Bradley University, she has been actively engaged in research and scholarship, having authored numerous papers in reputable journals such as the Journal of the Transportation Research Board, Accident Analysis and Prevention, and ITE Journal. Schattler has led research teams for projects sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration, the Institute of Transportation Engineers, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Illinois Department of Transportation through the Illinois Center for Transportation, the Peoria County Highway Department, the Michigan Department of Transportation, the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, AAA-Michigan, and others.

Schattler earned her Ph.D. in 2003 and received her three degrees (Ph.D., M.S., and B.S.) in civil and environmental engineering from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.