The 1945 Purchase of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway: How World War II Changed Racing History and Culture

The Indianapolis 500 did not occur from 1942 to 1945 because of World War II. And due to war efforts to conserve fuel and a suspension of all auto racing activities, Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner of the time, Eddie Rickenbacker, let the track deteriorate. The racetrack began to crumble, the infield became overgrown, stands began to fall apart, and many people thought that was the end for the legendary race course, and so to the Indianapolis 500. This thesis explores how the future of the track and race were secured through the efforts of two men, Wilbur Shaw and Tony Hulman. Shaw was a three-time Indianapolis 500 winner, who was able to get wealthy businessman, Hulman, involved in buying the course. Through the efforts of these two men, the race course was saved and repaired, improved even, and the Indianapolis 500 was given the green light to continue in 1946. These men were not only able to build the track back up to its former glory, but make it something much more, and by so doing, they also created their own culture around racing. Not only does the reopening of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway depict the rise in entertainment following World War II, but it also shows the rise in the popularity of race culture, especially in the Indianapolis community. Since 1946, the Indianapolis 500 has brought hundreds of thousands of fans from around the world to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway annually

Rev up Your Résumé: Determining Factors in the Race for an Academic Library Position

Like Indianapolis 500 drivers preparing for the race, LIS students today are gearing up for a job search in a tight market. We are examining how certain choices impact a graduate’s success in the job market. Our survey of recent graduates determines the extent to which program rankings, coursework, activities, and internships provide a competitive edge in the academic library job market

Assessing the Public’s Perceptions towards Indianapolis’ Sports Imagery

poster abstractWhen marketing a destination, it is important to study how people perceive a destination. If there is a gap between people’s perceptions and what a destination offers, strategies will be needed to close the gap or to improve the perceptions. This research involves understanding people’s perceptions towards Indianapolis and researching if the sports imagery that the city has developed has been effective for its sports tourism. Indianapolis has focused on creating an identity for itself since the 1970s. This identity hinged on sports—auto racing, amateur sports, and major sporting events. Indianapolis began to grow: skyscrapers graced the new skyline, the Colts became the first NFL franchise in the state, major businesses such as Eli Lilly moved operations to the city, local communities and infrastructure were developed. This study investigated how these changes were perceived by both Hoosiers and visitors. To identify the images the public associated with Indianapolis, a total of 75 in-depth interviews were conducted by students as a class project. When asked to indicate what comes to mind while thinking of Indianapolis, responses fell all over the spectrum. Many mentioned the Indy 500 and the Indianapolis Colts, some described Indianapolis as a small, boring city, and a few cited images of violence and racism. About 88 percent of interviewees said the city has become more attractive, but almost 33 percent said they would not visit Indianapolis for leisure. Around 90 percent of respondents said there are strong links between Indianapolis and sport, and about 68 percent of interviewees said these links have been strengthened within the last 10 years. Although the study findings show the city’s efforts to become a sports tourism destination have worked, the results of this research highlight some gaps that need further efforts by the city

Cedarville Robotic Team Wins Second Consecutive Championship

For the second consecutive year, a team of Cedarville University engineering students won the American Society of Engineering Education’s (ASEE) Autonomous Robotics competition. The event was held in Indianapolis. The annual competition is open to freshmen and sophomore engineering students. Each team is required to build and program a robot that completes a task, which is selected to be specific to the host city. This year teams had to race their robots around a miniature track in honor of the Indianapolis 500. For last year’s competition in Atlanta, robots were required to collect orange golf balls in honor of Georgia peaches

Building a Better Pedestrian Flow Model for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Undeniable shifts in how public events are conducted with regard to security have occurred since the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. Increased security requirements are a product of the paradigm shift in security for Mega-Event locations. This study examined the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during Mega-Event status events, with specific focus on the 2013, Indianapolis 500 automobile race. The objective was to study the phenomenon of pedestrian flow as it related to entry gate procedures and resulting impacts. This data was then used to compile modeling scenarios employing AnyLogic computer software that allowed for free-agent, variable play to replicate the conditions of the security processing. Through manipulation of agent variables the researcher was able to determine the optimal pedestrian throughput under maximum load conditions. This data was therefore used to identify the processing time standard required in order for security personnel to achieve steady-state flow, which allowed for adequately conducted security checks, and reduction of patron wait times

The Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500: Projecting European Glamour and Global Americana

Known as the ‘Jewel in the Crown’ and ‘the Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ respectively, the Monaco Grand Prix and Indianapolis 500 are significant global motor-racing events. Both races are imbued with rich traditions, prestige and legendary histories. Through highly-stylised media representations, they are further recast as alluring ‘spectacles of speed’. However, their aura is evoked in distinctive ways. The Monaco Grand Prix projects ‘European glamour’ through images and symbols of wealth, privilege and the elite from its luxurious location. In contrast, the Indianapolis 500 imparts ‘Global Americana’ via pageantry, ceremonies and rituals built around idealized American values and fervent patriotism

Common city attributes and contact employees : a case study of Indianapolis, Indiana

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)Indianapolis is considered by many a competitive, large population city with incredible resources for business conferences and event tourism. The city’s flagship event, The Indianapolis 500, has paved the way for the city’s success. With initiative, planning, construction, and implementation the city’s tourism prowess has grown over the past three decades. Indianapolis has become host to a plethora of mid-size and large conferences every year, a regular on the host circuit for the NCAA Final Four, host of the annual Big Ten basketball tournament and most recently the host of the 2012 Super Bowl. Indianapolis continuously attempts to bring in more events every year. Not many residents get to see, or are even aware of, the associates busy at work attempting to fill hotel rooms, conference centers and stadiums. The Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) of the city are constantly working and tweaking strategies to increase exposure and get tourists excited about visiting Indianapolis. However, it is difficult to identify what truly separates Indianapolis as a tourist destination from any other competitive, second-tier population, landlocked city. Centrality within the country and the tourism infrastructure may be argued, but a representative from nearly any city in competition with Indianapolis may make a counterpoint to most resources. Instead of running in circles with this argument, this thesis looks to probe into a resource for Indianapolis that could be turned into a strong marketing tool for tourism: its employees. The overall purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of resident contact employees in the food service and lodging industries concerning Indianapolis’ tourism attributes, and their relation to Indianapolis’ destination marketing and managerial strategies

Exploring the Conditional Effects of Bus Stops on Crime

Author's manuscript made available in accordance with the publisher's policy.Public transportation is a major element of social life in most cities, and the most common mode of public transportation is busing. This study examines whether bus stops are a robust predictor of crime, net of other factors, and whether the effect of bus stops on crime is conditioned by socioeconomic and land use factors. We use geocoded Indianapolis crime and bus stop data for 2010 to predict crime counts in 500-feet × 500-feet square grid cells, using negative binomial models. Net of other factors, bus stops are associated with variation in counts of Uniform Crime Reports reported rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and larceny in a cell. In addition, the effect of bus stops on crime was conditioned by land use characteristics. In particular, the effect of bus stops on crime was greater in commercial and industrial areas, but dampened in areas with high-density residential housing

Spatial Concentration of Opioid Overdose Deaths in Indianapolis: An Application of the Law of Crime Concentration at Place to a Public Health Epidemic

The law of crime concentration at place has become a criminological axiom and the foundation for one of the strongest evidence-based policing strategies to date. Using longitudinal data from three sources, emergency medical service calls, death toxicology reports from the Marion County (Indiana) Coroner’s Office, and police crime data, we provide four unique contributions to this literature. First, this study provides the first spatial concentration estimation of opioid-related deaths. Second, our findings support the spatial concentration of opioid deaths and the feasibility of this approach for public health incidents often outside the purview of traditional policing. Third, we find that opioid overdose death hot spots spatially overlap with areas of concentrated violence. Finally, we apply a recent method, corrected Gini coefficient, to best specify low-N incident concentrations and propose a novel method for improving upon a shortcoming of this approach. Implications for research and interventions are discussed

Preoperative STOP-BANG Scores and Postoperative Delirium and Coma in Thoracic Surgery Patients

Background Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with higher rates of postoperative delirium. The relationship between preoperative OSA risk and postoperative delirium and coma in thoracic surgery patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU) is not well understood. This study tests the hypothesis that thoracic surgery patients hospitalized in ICU with a higher preoperative risk for OSA are more likely to develop postoperative delirium and coma, resulting in longer hospital stays. Methods Preoperative OSA risk was measured using the STOP-BANG questionnaire. STOP-BANG scores of ≥ 3 were defined as intermediate-high risk for OSA. 128 patients who underwent major thoracic surgery completed the STOP-BANG questionnaire preoperatively. The Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale was used to assess level of consciousness. The Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU was used to assess for delirium. Linear regression was used to assess the relationship between risk of OSA and outcome measures. Results were adjusted for age, gender, body mass index, Charlson Comorbidity Index, instrumental activities of daily living, and surgery type. Results 96 out of 128 patients (76%) were in the intermediate-high risk OSA group. Adjusted analyses showed that the intermediate-high risk OSA group had a longer duration of postoperative ICU delirium and coma compared to the low risk OSA group (1.4 days ± 1.3 vs 0.9 days ± 1.4; P = 0.04). Total number of hospital days was not significantly different. Conclusions Higher preoperative risk for OSA in thoracic surgery patients was associated with a longer duration of postoperative delirium and coma