The OTC is dedicated to supporting activities that encourage student interest and continued education in transportation fields. Currently, the OTC is sponsoring the following education initiatives:
"Undergraduate Research Internships to Support Exploratory Research in Transportation Engineering" Dr. Aaron Jennings, Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is in the process of expanding its teaching and research activities in the areas of Transportation Engineering as part of its initiative in the overall area of Infrastructure Performance and Reliability.The purpose of this proposal is to establish a Research Internships in Transportation (RIT) program at CWRU.This program will be modeled after the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) which has proven success in recruiting students into the department's Environmental and Geotechnical Engineering programs.Similar recruitment success is anticipated with the RIT program which will recruit undergraduate students from CWRU and other Ohio universities to fill summer research internships in transportation engineering.Students will participate in ongoing or exploratory research projects in one of three areas:Improving the Design and Performance of Bridge-Mounted Structures; Reducing Heavy Metal Loading from Urban Pavements; and Improving the Application of Geotechnical Engineering and Advanced Instrumentation to Transportation Infrastructure.This experience will expose the students to transportation engineering research while helping CWRU explore new opportunities for managing infrastructure.The lessons learned in these projects will be used to improve the quality of RIT experiences, and the degree to which this initial project yields benefits in future years.
"Thematic Enhancements for the Summer Transportation Institute" Dr. Subramania Sritharan, Central State University
In order to remain competitive with other advanced industrialized countries, it is vital that students develop an interest in and understanding of transportation fields and the science and mathematics involved in them.In an effort to address this need, Central State University has been conducting a Summer Transportation Institute (STI) since 2000 which is supported by the Federal Highway Authority (FHWA) and the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT).During the four week STI, high school students in grades 9-11 are taught about different modes of transportation, career opportunities and the basics of physics and mathematics.The current curriculum includes: orientation to the importance of transportation; introduction to careers in transportation; introduction to futuristic aspects of transportation including space travel; introduction to basic physics and mathematics associated with transportation; and introduction to renewable energy in transportation.In an effort to better prepare students attending the STI, Central State University proposes to incorporate the use of Geographic Positioning Systems (GPS) for the participants in all modes of transportation.GPS instruction will incorporate the elements of mapping and coordinate systems; latitude, longitude; Universal Transverse Mercator System (UTM); options for datum; direction and speed.The course work will incorporate using GPS units in transportation.Exercises will include determining locations, paths, directions and speeds.These elements of GPS instruction will be incorporated during the fourth week of the STI.
"Development of a Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and Cooperative Learning (CL) Transportation Engineering Course for Undergraduate Students" Dr. Deogratias Eustace, University of Dayton
The University of Dayton plans to change the format of its junior level transportation engineering course from a traditional lecture to a problem-based format that will incorporate cooperative learning.Students will learn how to collect, measure, interpret and analyze data through a combination of field work, research and classroom exercises.Students will be placed in groups and will be involved in vigorous evaluation of each peer's participation throughout the project.The course will comprise a design project which will be performed as a group.This project is expected to improve student-instructor interaction through active learning, which will improve the student learning process and material-retention.
