Promoting Workforce Development for the Transportation Profession Through a Multi-University/Agency Partnership (UTCM 08-45-07)

The objective of this multi-university/agency partnership between Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU), Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), and Texas A&M University (TAMU) is to build on the progress made through the UTCM seed funding to produce high-quality transportation professionals from underrepresented groups through research and other real-world experiences. This partnership strengthened the existing pipeline between local high schools and PVAMU by attracting bright young minds for a pair of summer program experiences during students' last two summers before graduation from high school. One program is the existing Summer Transportation Institute (STI) Program, and the second is the STI Scholars program, initiated as part of the previous UTCM project and further developed in this project. The newly developed curriculum for the STI Scholars program is more challenging than the STI experience; Scholars get a chance to mentor new STI participants and also gain invaluable experience working with transportation professionals at TTI. As part of the program, STI Scholars are encouraged to pursue an existing four-year civil engineering program at PVAMU. The project produced a network of (i) former students, (ii) educational professionals (counselors and teachers), and (iii) public and private agencies including academia to ensure long-term sustainability of the program. This program can serve as a model for other outreach programs at other locations across the nation.