MPC Research Reports
Report Details

Title:	North Front Range Internship Transportation Research Internship Program
Authors:	Richard Gutkowski
University:	Colorado State University
Publication Date:	Jul 2005
Report #:	MPC-01-124-01
TRID #:	01020791
Keywords:	design, employers, employment, engineering, geographic information systems, infrastructure, mapping, public works, research, road construction, runoff, students, training, transportation, transportation planning, work environment

Abstract

Transportation is a vital national need and one of the areas of increased employment opportunities. Fostering student interest in transportation and transportation related areas of study is vital to our nation's future work force, and these arenas are rapidly becoming a popular career choice for undergraduate engineering students. Many work opportunities are available in the area of transportation including computer planning based management, infrastructure design and construction, and consulting. Unfortunately, these opportunities are not always accessible to entry level job applicants without practical experience. Mountain Plains Consortium (MPC) at Colorado State University (CSU) is bridging the gap between employers and students with the Northern Front Range Transportation Research Internship Program (NFR-TRIP). Since its inception in July 1997, NFR-TRIP has placed approximately 50 students into working environments across the North Front Range region of Colorado. This report includes writings of five recent interns summarizing their NFR-TRIP experiences. These students received a variety of different training experiences while working on intriguing, and sometimes controversial, projects. Ryan Gray worked for the City of Loveland and focused mainly on stormwater. Ted Swan worked for Weld County mapping with GIS. Karol Midonski assisted the transportation planners in the City of Fort Collins. Nathanael Bokelman worked for Weld County Public Works on planning and development.