On September 21, 2018, the River to Sea Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) will be hosting a transportation and civil engineering (TRAC) training workshop for Mainland High School teachers and volunteer mentors. TRAC is a hands-on program that lets students use math and science to solve real world problems in transportation and civil engineering. This program aims to improve work force diversity which helps to resolve one of the most pressing problems faced by the transportation today: a critical shortage of civil engineers.

TRAC is an American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) led initiative featuring hands-on activities that introduce students in middle and high schools to the world of transportation and civil engineering and inspire them to pursue careers in those fields. The program is designed for use in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) classes.

During the TRAC training, volunteer mentors and teachers from Mainland High School in Daytona Beach will learn about motion in transportation and magnetic-levitation (mag-lev) trains as well as gain tools to bring into the classroom to teach their students this year.

The River to Sea TPO is seeking engineers and transportation-related professionals to serve as volunteer mentors. The role of the volunteer is to be a mentor to the students and assist the teachers in presenting the TRAC material. They also provide technical assistance and answer students’ college and career related questions.

Inquiries regarding serving as a volunteer mentor may be directed to:
Pamela Blankenship, R2CTPO Community Outreach Coordinator
386.226.0422 ext. 20416
Pblankenship@r2ctpo.org

Additional information on the TRAC program is available at https://tracrides.transportation.org/.