Advanced Transportation Summer Institute 2008

The seventh version of the Advanced Transportation Institute (ATI-08) was conducted in 2008 to encourage high school students to pursue careers in the field of transportation engineering. The University Transportation Center for Alabama partnered with the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) to teach a one-week Institute in June at ALDOT’s central office headquarters in Montgomery, Alabama. The headquarters location provided access to practicing transportation professionals who served as lecturers, and it provided a real-life, transportation working environment. A second three-day Institute was taught at the ALDOT Fifth Division office and the UTCA offices at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in July (ATI-5th Div-08). ATI-08 was open to rising high school juniors and seniors, with preference given to African Americans and females. Participants came from high schools in west central Alabama from which ALDOT typically recruits. ATI-5th Div-08 was taught to middle and high school members of the Junior chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers. Institute presentations, lab experiences, and field trips were designed to give participants a general overview of ALDOT, an introduction to transportation engineering as a career, and hands-on examples and challenges. The comprehensive evaluations conducted at the ends of ATI-08 and ATI-5th Div-08 indicated that the students enjoyed their experiences, and that they were influenced to consider transportation careers. The 55 student participants in the two ATI sessions indicated that they enjoyed the experience, that they learned about transportation careers and ALDOT, and that (as a group) they were favorably influenced to consider transportation careers.

• Record URL:
  http://utca.eng.ua.edu/research/projects/?id=08111
• 
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This research was funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa

  Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, P.O. Box 870205
  Tuscaloosa, AL  United States  35487-0205

  University Transportation Center for Alabama

  University of Alabama
  Tuscaloosa, AL  United States  35487
• Authors:
  • Wilkes, Mary Beth
  • Turner, Daniel S
  • Anderson, Walter T
• Publication Date: 2009-2

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 28p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: African Americans; Education; Females; High school students; Outreach; Transportation careers; Transportation engineering
• Identifier Terms: Summer Transportation Institute
• Uncontrolled Terms: Field trips; Human resources
• Geographic Terms: Alabama
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Education and Training; Highways; I10: Economics and Administration;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01124309
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: UTCA Report Number 08111
• Contract Numbers: DTSR0023424
• Files: UTC, TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 18 2009 3:37PM