Stanislaus State has been awarded $50,000 to fund a National Summer Transportation Institute (NSTI) Program, a three-week non-residential STEM academic program that will be held at Stan State June 25-July 13. The Institute is designed to introduce high school students to transportation careers and inspire them to consider transportation-related courses of study in college.
Students entering the 10th, 11th and 12th grades this fall in the Turlock, Modesto or Ceres school districts are eligible to apply, and 20 students will be selected to participate. The selected students will receive scholarships to cover all expenses for the institute, including tuition, workshops, handouts, food and beverages, facility usage, equipment and supplies, travel, lab fees and speakers.
Applications for the program have been sent to high school guidance counselors in the participating school districts.
The Institute is funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration through the California Department of Transportation. At the conclusion of the Institute, four students from the Stan State cohort will be selected to attend a fully paid weeklong course at the National Flight Academy in Pensacola, Florida, where they will receive hands-on experience learning about flight control, aircraft safety, piloting and other technical operations associated with U.S. aviation.
The summer Institute at Stan State is designed to expose participants to several modes of transportation.
- The first week will focus on ground transportation including traffic flow, freight railroad and high-speed rail. The week will culminate with a trip from the Amtrak station in Modesto to the California High-Speed Rail Authority office in Fresno.
- The second week will expose students to water transportation including cargo handling, shipyard logistics and international shipping. The week will conclude with a tour of the Port of Stockton, where students will observe cargo management and handling.
- The last week will focus on air transportation and will expose students to aviation careers, physics of flight and aircraft design. The week will conclude with field trips to the Modesto Airport and the Castle Air Museum in Atwater.