The railroad programs at the University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign (UIUC) and Michigan Technological University (MTU) are supporting efforts led by Hanson Professional Services to expose underrepresented groups to railway engineering and "grow our own" next generation of civil engineering leaders. To support higher‐speed passenger rail operations between Chicago and St. Louis, a long‐term effort to consolidate multiple rail corridors through Springfield, Illinois is underway. The approved alternative passes within blocks of a high school and impacts minority populations in the surrounding community. Through a unique partnership, local community leaders saw the proposed rail corridor as an opportunity to introduce local youth and minority populations to possible careers in related railway transportation, civil engineering and construction fields. The aim of the project is to help students from underrepresented groups connect the highly‐visible construction, operations, and maintenance activities in their community surrounding the new rail corridor to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics. With a tangible connection to real‐world applications of these subjects, it is hoped that more of these students will pursue careers in engineering, railroads or construction industry, growing the next generation of industry professionals. The "Grow Our Own" Minority STEM Initiative is led by Hanson Professional Services, a civil engineering consulting firm headquartered in Springfield. Hanson is joined by the City of Springfield, Sangamon County, and the Illinois Department of ransportation in administering the initiative. Each group has pledged financial support to multiple programs including outreach to minorities through the NURail Center.
Grow Our Own Minority STEM Initiative: Partnering in Outreach
2017
18 pages
Report
No indication
English
Railroad Transportation , Transportation , Education, Law, & Humanities , Job Training & Career Development , Transportation Safety , Social Concerns , Railway transportation , Transportation engineering concepts , Course Updates , Online Conversion , Railway Project Design , Construction engineering , Minority STEM Initiative , Stem(Science technology engineering mathematics) , Minority populations , Railway infrastructure , LECTURES , Online classes , Classroom education , Education program evaluation , Multimodal transportation , Civil engineering , Construction industry , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
British Library Online Contents | 2000
U.S. Partnering Programs and International Partnering Contracts and Alliances
Transportation Research Record | 2015
|Increasing minority STEM participation
British Library Online Contents | 2014
|