The Summer Transportation Institute (STI) hosted by the Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University serves to attract high school students to participate in an innovative summer educational program in transportation. The STI aims to address the nation’s need for a diverse pool of transportation professionals. In order to meet this goal, the STI serves to heighten pre-college student interest in transportation careers and to enhance the necessary skills of students from diverse backgrounds to achieve careers in the transportation field. Eighteen secondary school students participated in the residential program at MSU from June 12 to June 24, 2011. The STI recruited rising
tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade students from a mix of backgrounds and hometowns. Students lived on the MSU campus while learning about career opportunities in transportation. The two-week program provided a multidisciplinary academic curriculum, which included guest speaker presentations, hands-on laboratories, and field trips. Students learned about all modes of transportation and gained leadership skills while working on team design-build projects. Highlights included a field trip to the Montana Department of Transportation headquarters in Helena and discovery flights with Summit Aviation. In addition, the participants learned about college preparation and career planning. During the evenings and weekend, STI students participated in educational, sports, and team-building activities.