RELEASE: CONTACT:

IMMEDIATE Luefras Robinson (757) 925-1516 l.robinson@VDOT.virginia.gov Tiffany Erbach 757-925-1660

HRO-0687 July 17, 2006

VDOT INSPIRES CAREERS IN TRANSPORTATION

Hampton Roads Students Learn the Rules of the Road at the
Summer Transportation Institute

HAMPTON – Days of fun in the sun, PlayStation and Xbox game marathons are taking a back seat for area 9th, 10th and 11th graders who will learn more about careers in transportation during the sixth annual Summer Transportation Institute (STI) in Hampton.

This summer the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Hampton University are educating area students about the numerous opportunities in the transportation industry. The four week residential program started on June 26 and will continue through July 21. Participants come from across the state. In Hampton Roads, there are 15 students involved in the program.

Students are visiting bridges and VDOT offices throughout the area to learn about engineering and the current state of the transportation industry. Rick Csernelabics, a transportation engineer with VDOT-Hampton Roads, is taking students on field trips touring area bridges and facilities. A highlight of this experience will take place on Tuesday, July 18 at 2:30 p.m. at Hampton University’s Buckman Hall where students will participate in a bridge competition.

Participants will build mock bridges out of balsa wood that meet set geometric specifications. The structure that can withstand the most weight without succumbing will earn the designer a first-place award.

“Our goal is to help recruit the next generation of bridge engineers, highway designers, pavement experts and bright transportation leaders by teaching these students what it takes to succeed in our business,” said VDOT District Administrator Dennis Heuer.

“With presentations and workshops from experts in the field providing them with real world scenarios, these students will have the level of knowledge needed to understand what it really means to be a Transportation Engineer,” said Sonja Pollard-Mitchell, Ph.D., director of the HU Summer Transportation Institute

The STI is a free national summer program for ambitious secondary school students interested in the transportation industry. The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) fund the program.

The closing ceremony for STI will take place on July 21 at noon at Hampton University.

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