Project Abstract | The Transportation Institute in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Missouri-Rolla hosted its second U.S. Department of Transportation Summer Transportation Institute (STI). The goals of the Institutes Program are to (1) expose secondary school students to and allow them to participate in a series of academic and practical experiences designed to motivate them toward professions in the transportation industry, and (2) provide secondary school students with mathematics, science and technological enrichment to enable them to pursue a career in the transportation industry. In concert with these STI goals and with UMR's unique strengths, the objectives of this effort were to provide an educational experience for high school students which explored a wide variety of aspects of the transportation industry and its role in our society. To that end, the STI curriculum provided educational opportunities for its students in critical areas of transportation, math and science, and computers. The fifteen eleventh and twelfth grade students who were chosen for the Program were exposed to university life, leadership and team building activities, and a series of lectures, seminars, hands-on laboratories and field trips described in detail in the following pages. The Institute was comprised of 4 weeks: Orientation, Highway, Public and Intermodal Transportation weeks (see Appendix 4) and was headquartered at the Transportation Institute in the Civil Engineering' Butler-Carlton Building. Classes, however, were held in a variety of facilities across Campus. The Federal Highway Administration's money was used as "seed" money to fund the Institute which cost more than twice the amount funded. The four-week Institute was conducted by faculty, staff and students from the Department of Civil Engineering. Government agencies and private firms provided substantial support in funding, staff assistance and educational materials as well. See Appendix 10 for a complete listing of sponsors. Youths from across the State of Missouri were recruited. Email greetings, with program brochure and application attached, were sent to more than 1,000 high school counselors and 1,500 high school students who had indicated an interest in engineering. More than 300 letters and brochures were mailed to select counselors across the State as well. The National Society of Black Engineers and local MODOT personnel were again asked to help to identify and recruit likely candidates. Eighteen applications were received and fifteen were accepted. Copies of the cover letter, brochure and application are provided in Appendix 1. Applicants were selected based upon their academic standing, recommendation letters, and their essays explaining their interest in transportation. The Project team assessed the applications and accepted the fifteen aforementioned applicants. The average grade point average of the chosen group was in excess of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Nine of the fifteen were twelfth graders and six were eleventh graders. There were twelve African Americans, one Hispanic, one Asian, and one Caucasian students. Nine of the students were women. |
