KNOXVILLE—The Center for Transportation Research will give area high school students a behind-the-scenes look at public transit in Knoxville and Atlanta when it hosts its first Transit Camp July 29-31 at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
Open to high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors, the camp is designed to spark interest in STEM—science, technology, engineering, and math—and to showcase focus areas, such as public transit, that might not readily come to mind when engineering and technology are discussed.
“The goal of this camp is to expose area students to the types of transit careers available, as well as becoming more aware of the reach of transit,” according to Tammy Enix from CTR.
Through the camp, the center—part of the College of Engineering at UT—will help students learn about how modern transportation systems rely on everything from designers and graphic artists to planners and maintenance officials.
The camp includes a trip to Atlanta to visit MARTA, the city’s transit authority, and a scavenger hunt in Knoxville using Knoxville Area Transit buses and routes.
Students also will have the opportunity to tour KAT’s facilities and participate in activities there.
“We are excited to have KAT as a partner on this grant. They are allowing us to access their facilities. Both the downtown transit station and their Magnolia Avenue facility will be open to these students for a close-up look of how a public transit agency operates,” Enix said.
The Federal Transit Administration provided a grant to help make the camp possible, helping the center continue more than two decades of sponsoring or planning summer camps with a transportation theme for area students.
Of particular note to students this year is that each participant will receive a $100 gift card at the conclusion of camp.
The deadline to register is July 2.
For more information on the camp or to register, visit http://stc.utk.edu/STCeducation/transit_camp.html.
For more on the College of Engineering, visit http://engr.utk.edu.
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