Memory and Driving Study Launches in Davie In Late July

The March 2021 FAU Broward Campuses E-Newsletter announced that FAU Davie will launch a research study examining the driving patterns of 750 drivers aged 65 and older. Sensors will be placed in their cars to detect cognitive change. The study, conducted by the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing in collaboration with FAU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, will launch at the end of July 2021 and take place Mondays and Wednesdays at the Davie campus. FAU staff and faculty are encouraged to invite their friends and family to participate. The study is open to anyone in the community and all participants will receive gift cards as compensation. Those interested in the study can call Dr. Laurie Martinez, project coordinator, at 845-705-8982 or e-mail her at drivingproject@health.fau.edu.

The pilot study was completed at the FAU Boca Raton campus at the Louis and Anne Green Memory & Wellness Center. The main study launched with their first volunteer on June 11 at their Boca Raton site.

The Davie site will start taking counters in late July and will initially be running Mondays and Wednesdays. Participant vehicles will be parked with the engineering team who will install the sensor system (two small, unobtrusive cameras and an accelerometer/tracker). While the sensing system is being installed, the participant will first visit with a nursing research assistant for a basic physical assessment and basic cognitive questions; this takes approximately 50 minutes. To complete the visit, the participant will meet with a neuropsychology research assistant for additional cognitive tests that take approximately 40 minutes. Participants receive a $25 gift card upon completion of each visit. A member of the engineering team will explain the sensing system in the participant’s car and answer questions prior to their departure. This is a longitudinal study that spans over 3 years. Participants will go to their preferred site (i.e., Davie, Boca) every three months, totaling 13 visits in all.

This is also an amazing opportunity for FAU students in nursing, engineering and science that are currently involved in research or are interested in research.

• Nursing RAs: learn, practice and obtain experience with health assessments, interviewing, and basic cognitive testing.
• Neuropsychology RAs: learn neuropsychological and cognitive testing and obtain real work experience.
• Engineering RAs: learn how to install cameras and telemetric units; real work experience that will make them more competitive.