MidAmerica Transportation Centers Undergraduate Summer Internship Program

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Mid-America Transportation CentersUndergraduate
Summer Internship Program
2007
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History

• Began in 1996 (11 internships sessions)
• Sponsors engineering consulting firm or public
  transportation agency in Omaha, Lincoln, and
  other regional cities (Dallas?)
• Range of 4 20 interns per summer, 119 total

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Scope of Internship

• Interns work for sponsors for 13 weeks during
  summer
• Pay rate for regular hours is at least 10.00,
  maybe 11.00
• Career dinner, field trip visiting
  transportation-related facilities Lincoln, NE
  Omaha, NE Minneapolis, MN Kansas City, MO
  Chicago, IL
• Recognition luncheon for interns and sponsors is
  held on last day of the internship program

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Admission Eligibility

• CE Junior (53 hours by May, 2007) or higher
• US Citizen
• CIVE 361 completed
• Graduating December, 2007 or beyond
• UNL or UNO

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Benefits to Participants

• Advantages to Students
• Enhances knowledge and motivation
• Networking with professionals
• Real World learning experience classroom
  doesnt provide
• 13-week interview with successful firm or
  agency, some of the best in Midwest

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Benefits to Participants

• Advantages to Sponsors
• Interns are skilled economical labor source
• Sponsors given chance to transmit required skills
  necessary for work in a firm or agency to
  UNL/UNO faculty
• 13-week interview with some of best prospective
  students in the Midwest

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Program AdvertisingJanuary

• Bulletin Boards
• Describe the program
• Info on upcoming meetings
• Pictures and information about the past summers
  interns
• Flyers
• Posted throughout engineering buildings
• MATC web page

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MATC Web Pagewww.matc.unl.edu

• Detailed background info on MATC program
• List of 2006 Interns
• Photos (group, individual)
• Internship reports

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Sponsor / Intern Matching Sheet

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Student Information MeetingFebruary

• Purpose to provide information on the intern
  program and to answer any questions the students
  may have
• Agenda
• Program Description
• Admission Eligibility / Selection Criteria
• Application Procedure
• Sponsor Information
• Access to Student Reports
• Website
• www.matc.unl.edu

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matc.unl.edu
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(No Transcript)
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(No Transcript)
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Internship Application, Part 1 Due Date
Monday, February 19
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Public (not for profit, client)
or Private (for profit,
service)?

• Examples of public transportation agencies
• - Mid-America Transportation Center
• - Nebraska Department of Roads
• - City of Lincoln Public Works and Utilities
  Department
• - Metro Area Planning Agency - Omaha
• Examples of private transportation firms
• - HWS Consulting, Omaha
• - Felsburg, Holt and Ullevig, Omaha
• - Lamp, Rynearson Associates, Omaha
• - Iteris, Lincoln
• - The Schemmer Associates, Lincoln
• - HDR Engineering, Omaha
• - Olsson Associates, Lincoln
• - Kimley Horn, Dallas

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Area of Interest

• Roadway Design
• Development of the 3-D characteristics of the
  roadway
• Horizontal, vertical and cross-sectional plan
  design
• Projects take months or years to complete
• Use of graphical software programs like AutoCADD
  and MicroStation, and Microsoft products like
  Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Traffic Engineering
• Design of traffic control devices, paint
  striping, signal timing for traffic operations
• Projects take days or weeks
• Use of traffic analysis software tools such as
  SYNCHRO, HCM and Microsoft products like Word,
  Excel, and PowerPoint

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Area of Interest

• Planning
• Modeling traffic growth in large metropolitan
  areas
• Using GPS system to collect travel time speeds
• Collecting supporting data for the condition of
  roadway facilities in the region
• Attending meetings for regional planning
• Research
• Literature review
• Report writing
• Field data collection
• Data reduction for use in statistical programs
• Field surveying
• Statistical analysis

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Internship Application, Part 2 Due Date
Monday, February 19
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Application Materials

• Completed Application Form
• Cover letter describing your interests and
  career goals relative to transportation
  engineering
• Work Initiative Form
• Resume
• Official Transcript (takes 1 week to be
  processed)

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Intern Selection ProcessMarch

• Applications are reviewed for intern selection
• Students are evaluated based on their letter of
  interest, drive, resume, GPA, and background in
  transportation
• Students are matched with sponsors based on
• Interest area of the student
• Location of the position
• Skill need of the sponsor
• Sponsors review application materials and approve
  of selection before the interns are informed
• Interns notified of acceptance into program by
  Friday, March 9th if possible

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Intern Orientation MeetingMarch

• Dinner meeting to answer intern questions about
  their position
• Learn more about the program
• Itinerary for summer
• Set-up Intern Introduction Meeting with
  sponsors

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Student Introduction LuncheonApril or May

• Sponsor mentors given tips for successful
  internship experience
• Students meet sponsor mentors

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Progress CheckJune

• Phone calls made to interns and sponsors to
  assure that internship is progressing smoothly
• Interns share experiences and they are posted on
  MATC website
• Sponsors are contacted to assure the interns are
  performing as expected

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Mid-Summer Career Dinner at Quarry Oaks
ClubhouseJune

• Discuss
• Internship activities
• Career options
• Motivational speaker
• Networking with peers

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Meet the Transportation Engineering
NeighborhoodJuly
YOU
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Recognition Luncheon

• Interns and mentors meet for lunch to celebrate
  the successes of the program
• Interns are presented certificates of recognition
• Sponsors given gifts of appreciation
• A 250 scholarship is given to the intern who
  wrote the most descriptive and best-written
  report of their summer intern experience

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Dr. Patrick T. McCoy July 19, 1941 October
28, 2002
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Dr. Patrick T. McCoy Intern Scholarship
250 scholarship for most descriptive and
best-written report of the summer intern
experience
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(No Transcript)
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EvaluationSeptember

• Interns and sponsors given evaluation forms
• Evaluation forms are feedback mechanisms that
  are used to continually improve the program for
  the next year

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Testimonials of Success from Interns
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Testimonials of Success from Sponsors
City of Lincoln Public Works
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Testimonials of Success
The interns have been able to make some
significant contributions to our workload
backlog, including some technically challenging
assignments. Larry Briggs, Traffic Division,
NDOR
I thought the program was organized and well
run. Our firm places considerable value on
experience gained before graduation when
interviewing for permanent positions and looks
forward to working with UNL to provide in-state
opportunities for our most talented
graduates. Will Sharp, Roadway Design
Division, HDR
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Testimonials of Success
I cannot tell you enough how important this MATC
program is both to the interns and the
sponsors. Lonnie Burklund, Traffic Division,
Olsson Associates
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2002 Intern Justin Peterson

• Private Organization
• Olsson Associates
• Now Assistant Traffic Engineer
• Olsson Associates made it a point to make sure
  that I knew that I was not just a number in their
  database, but rather a contributing employee with
  a future as an engineer.

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2001 2002 Intern Erin Sokolik

• Public Organization
• Lincoln Public Works Utilities
• Now Associate Engineer Specialist
• I now have much more responsibility on
  projects and love the people and relaxed
  atmosphere. My degree and internships have
  allowed me to gain a higher level of respect and
  confidence in my work.

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Questions??????????