Attracting Students to Transportation Engineering: Gender Differences and Implications of Student Perceptions of Transportation Engineering Careers

摘要

With a significant fraction of the nation’s transportation workforce nearing retirement age, it is essentialto attract and retain new talent to transportation fields. In addition, it is also important to attract a diverseworkforce, as women and minorities are still significantly underrepresented in transportation engineeringand related fields. In order to address the nation’s transportation workforce needs, the Federal HighwayAdministration, the US Department of Transportation, the Institute of Transportation Engineers and otherleading transportation organizations emphasize the importance of K-12 outreach activities. In particular,programs directed at middle and high school students are essential for increasing the pipeline oftransportation students and professionals. One such program at the University of Memphis,Transportation Engineering Careers (TREC), is designed to increase high school students' interest intransportation careers through a week-long, fast-paced, active learning environment. This paper firstprovides a review of relevant literature and then presents assessment findings regarding genderdifferences and student perceptions of transportation engineering from the first two years of the TRECprogram. Finally, lessons learned and implications for similar efforts are also presented.