The Transportation
Scholars Program
Introduction
MTC activities at UNI emphasize the
support of transportation students through the Transportation Scholars
program. Several students will be supported annually. The program
focuses on the recruitment and education of graduate students, although
undergraduate students may be supported if conditions warrant. Students
with transportation-related interest in all departments are eligible. In
the past, students have been funded in the Department of Geography, the
Department of Computer Science, and the Public Policy Program.
Components of
Transportation Scholar Program
The Midwest Transportation Consortium
lists three components of the Transportation Scholars program to be
implemented at each member university and several annual events that
scholars at all member universities are expected to take part in. UNI's
participation in the Transportation Scholars program, with respect to
these guidelines, is outlined below.
Research work assignment
Each transportation scholar at UNI
receives a research assistantship at the standard stipend rate of the
student's home department. Each scholar will be assigned to work with a
specific faculty member on research and education activities. The
students are allocated to the various departments involved in the
program.
An interdisciplinary curriculum
The goal outlined in the MTC prospectus
states that graduate-level scholars will take two transportation-related
courses in a discipline other than their own. This guideline is
implemented at UNI. However, due the low number of courses currently
available that focus on transportation, a broad definition of
"transportation-related" will be used, at least initially. Outside
courses in areas such as GIS, statistics, economics, and research
methodologies can be selected to satisfy this requirement if they
support the student's research and professional interest in
transportation. In subsequent years, additional transportation-related
classes may be available to satisfy this requirement (see below). In
addition, the possible use of internships at local agencies (see below)
as a broadening experience will be investigated.
Scholar Activities
The goal outlined in the prospectus
states that scholars will attend and participate in special activities.
Funds from the MTC grant are used to support specific activities
intended to broaden the experience of transportation scholars, such as
field trips to transportation planning agencies, consultants, firms and
facilities, as well as the annual events listed below.
Fall Transportation Scholars Conference
The Fall Transportation Scholars
Conference is a showcase of research conducted by transportation
students within the region. Transportation Scholars at UNI would be
encouraged to submit an abstract for possible presentation.
Spring Transportation Scholars
Conference
In the spring, national transportation
leaders may be invited to give presentations, followed by informal
roundtable discussions. Transportation scholars at UNI would participate
in these roundtable discussions.
Spring Transportation Scholars Seminar
UNI transportation scholars will be
required to take the Transportation Scholars Seminar. The course at UNI
has been expanded from two credits to three with the addition of a
one-hour lecture/discussion session designed to provide further
opportunity to address the topics discussed in the seminar.
Transportation Research Board (TRB)
Annual Meeting, or equivalent national meeting
Students will attend at least one
professional meeting each year. In addition to TRB, other options
include the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers (AAG),
the Annual West Lakes Meeting of the AAG, the North American Meeting of
the Regional Science Association, the Annual Conference of the Urban and
Regional Information Systems Association, and the Annual Applied
Geography Conference. Similar options will be available to students in
public policy, business, and industrial technology. Funds from the grant
will be used to support trips by transportation scholars to approved
conferences. In addition, scholars will be encouraged to become
involved with transportation-related professional organizations such as
the Transportation Geography Specialty Group of the AAG and the
Transportation Planning Division of the American Planning Association.
Existing
Curriculum and Resources
The current transportation curriculum
in geography centers on "Studies in Transportation," a spring seminar
series broadcast over the Iowa Communication Network (ICN) from Iowa
State University. Other geography courses of interest to transportation
professionals include GIS I, GIS II, and Regional Analysis in Planning.
In addition, the Department of Industrial Technology offers several
courses related to transportation, including Commercial and
Heavy/Highway Construction, Construction Surveying, and Technical
Drawing and Design, Applied Fluid Power, Statics and Strength of
Materials, and Construction Materials. Within the College of Business
Administration, the Department of Marketing offers a course on
distribution that includes a discussion of logistics.
The College of Social & Behavioral
Sciences has a GIS and CAD computer lab with 17 computers loaded with
ESRI software, including ARC/INFO, ArcView, several ArcView extensions,
and AutoCAD. The lab is used mainly by the Department of Geography and
the Department of Design, Family and Consumer Sciences for classes and
class projects. In addition, the College has a general computer lab with
25 computers loaded with statistical software and general desktop
applications. This lab is designed for classes and general use. In
addition, the geography graduate student office is furnished with
several computers.
Expansion of the Transportation Program
Curriculum
Within the Department of Geography, a
course in Transportation Geography was added in the Fall 2000 semester.
It is also expected the number of transportation-related credits taken
for independent study and research will increase. In addition, the
Studies in Transportation seminar was expanded in the Spring 2000
semester from 2 to 3 credits with the addition of an hour
lecture/discussion session outside the seminar presentation. There are
no definite plans to increase the number of transportation course
offerings in other departments. This matter will be investigated during
the grant. In particular, there may be possibilities to work with the
College of Business Administration regarding the study and research of
logistics and distribution. In addition, UNI will participate in
discussions with other MTC members on the development of distance
learning opportunities.
Development of Outreach Activities
The transportation center program at
UNI will be used to strengthen existing relationships with external
entities having interests in transportation and to develop new ones.
Possible external partners include the Iowa Northland Regional Council
of Governments, the Waterloo and Cedar Falls planning departments,
Waterloo Municipal Airport, the Cedar Falls Police Department, the Cedar
Valley Economic Development Corporation and transportation/logistics
professionals in local private firms, such as John Deere and Aerial
Services, Inc. This interaction may take the form of field trips, guest
speakers and cooperation on research and education activities. In
addition, the use of internships in supporting the educational goals of
the transportation center will be explored.
Current Transportation Scholars
Two graduate
students are currently being supported through the Transportation
Scholars Program:
Matt Kajewski, Department of Geography
Leonard Bombom,
Department of Geography
Previous Transportation Scholars
include:
Jess Elder,
Department of Geography
James Gerjevic, Department of Geography
Jackie Carlson, Department of Geography
Mark Steger, Department of Geography
Mike Carpenter, Department of Geography
Marc Peterson, Department of Geography
Dan Stanton, Public Policy Program
Nagma Yasmin, Department of Computer Science
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