HSRC researchers mentor students in the N.C. A&T Summer Transportation Institute

HSRC researchers representing a variety of safety disciplines traveled to the campus of the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (N.C. A&T) in July 2024 to mentor high school students participating in the Summer High School Transportation Institute. This program, which prepares high school students for transportation careers, is the oldest National Summer Transportation Institute in the country.

HSRC’s Meghna Chakraborty, Dan Gelinne, Wes Kumfer, and Elizabeth Pinyan had lunch with the students and discussed topics ranging from career paths to details on fielding quality surveys.

“I feel as if the visits from professionals at the UNC HSRC were helpful in more ways than one,” said student participant Emanuel Crumsey of Memphis, TN. “They provided me with a better understanding of transportation and its effects on individuals in world. But most importantly, it aided me in learning how to bridge my connections with business professionals in the future.”

Student Claire Jefferson of Byron, GA, said: “The UNC HSRC has allowed the NSTI students to broaden their knowledge in the various careers and opportunities that transportation has to offer. Being able to converse with professionals in a more informal setting has offered us a more personal perspective of what kind of environment, workload, and projects their department supports.”