July 2022 I Will Ride Update

I will Ride Logo

Greetings I Will Riders!

We’re traveling full speed ahead through the summer and tapping statewide transportation institutes to get students connected to the high-speed rail project. Take a look at some of the events that we’ve gotten to do this summer and the awesome construction update that is trending big on YouTube.

Bay Area High-School Students Visit High-Speed Rail Sites in the Central Valley

Photo of 40 or so people on a bridge structure. The students face the camera and in the background is a large structural arch. Photo was taken in the day and there are clear skies and the sun is very bright. Students play a crucial role on transportation projects like high-speed rail. From filling critical roles in a retiring workforce, to general interest in improving public transportation, construction tours give students the firsthand look at construction of the nation’s first all-electric high-speed rail project. Through a collaborative partnership with the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University, the California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) welcomed close to 35 San Jose high-school students to the Central Valley for a tour of high-speed rail construction. Through a generous sponsorship from DB E.C.O of North America (Deutsche Bahn of North America), students hopped on a charter bus for a day packed with presentations, construction site visits and many picture-perfect moments!

While on the bus traveling from San Jose to Fresno, students received a project overview from the Authority’s Deputy Director of External Affairs, a presentation about high-speed rail systems around the world from VP of DB E.C.O of North America and a Northern California high-speed rail overview from the Northern California Outreach Manager at the Authority. Students learned about a wide range of high-speed rail topics including electrification, catenary systems, station site planning and connectivity, ridership, safety and much more! To learn more about the Summer Transportation Institute at San Jose State University, check out their website.

Teacher in construction safety equipment holding a sign and smiling in front of a large bridge structure with arches. Students in protective construction gear stand on top of a bridge structure in between large arch structure. Presenter speaking to a classroom as they eat lunch. Man speaking in front of a group of students on a bus ride.

Summer Transportation Institute

CONTACT

Communications and Media Relations
(916) 322-1422
news@hsr.ca.gov

Privacy Officer
(916) 324-1541
privacyofficer@hsr.ca.gov

TRANSLATION

For consultation and/or translation support, call (916) 324-1541 or email info@hsr.ca.gov.

For TTY/TTD assistance, call (800) 881-5799 or the California Relay Service at 711.

Student Opportunities

Internships and Fellowships

Flatiron (Fresno) – Field Engineer – New College Graduate

As noted on their website, this position provides technical engineering information to ensure construction work complies with all engineering standards, codes, and contract specifications.

Flatiron Job

Flatiron (Fresno) – Field Engineer Summer Intern

As per their website, “Flatiron’s Intern Program provides challenging and rewarding work opportunities for college students majoring in Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Construction Management. Join us today at the California High Speed Rail project. As an Intern, you will be given the opportunity to apply your academic training and skills in a real-world setting at any number of project locations. In addition, you will assist the project manager, project engineer and the rest of the on-site construction staff in the application of principles, methods and techniques of engineering technology by performing any combination of the following duties at a project job site.”

Flatiron Internship

Scholarships

California Transportation Foundation

Caltrans, in collaboration with the California Transportation Foundation provides students interested in a career in transportation some of the most notable scholarships in California. Take a look at this year’s scholarships and make sure to apply before the deadline!

CTF Scholarships

WTS Orange County Scholarship Program

As per their website, “To encourage women pursuing careers in transportation, Women’s Transportation Seminar – Orange County (WTS-OC) will be offering high school, community college, undergraduate and graduate scholarships to women throughout Southern California. In 2021, WTS-OC awarded a total of $75,000 in scholarships.

The number of scholarships and the amounts for this year will be determined following a review of the applications received. Applications will include the complete list of qualifications. Please promote and share our applications with those within our community and your networks!
Applications are due no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 5, 2022, and may be submitted online or sent as a single PDF document to wtsocscholarship@gmail.com.”

WTS OC Scholarships

ITS California

As per their website, “ITSCA recognizes the importance of recruiting students into our industry. Each year, ITSCA offers scholarships to students who wish to advance their studies in the area of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). This academic year, three different types of scholarships are available.”

To review the three different scholarship opportunities offered by ITs. Check out their website to learn more.
1. ITS and California Transportation Foundation Scholarship (will reward up to 4) (Closed)
2. International Smart Cities Scholarship (Closed)
3. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Scholarship

ITS Scholarships

Construction Update Exceeds 30k Views on Youtube

A collage of screenshots form the construction update video, showing workers, construction, right of way, and more. Says "Construction Update Summer 2022." Progress Progress Progress

We are eager to provide seasonal construction updates to let people know where we are today with construction on the nation’s first high-speed rail project. Seasonal updates are crucial since things are constantly moving forward on our civil structures. These updates provide stellar views from drones you can’t get even if you were to be right in front of these structures. The Summer 2022 Construction Update provides visuals to some of our more notable structures along State Route 99, various viaducts, pergolas, overpasses, and much more. Take a look at the video linked below.

Watch the Construction Update

LA Metro Interns Zoom Into High-Speed Rail Project Overview

Graphic is the ad for the conference noted in this story. The graphic illustrates a high-speed train traveling very quickly. The text on the graphic describes the title of the conference, hosts and the dates of the program. For the third year in a row, reps from the Authority joined over 100 interns from LA Metro’s Transportation Career Academy Program (TCAP) for a deep dive on a high-speed rail topic. This year’s theme of the session was infrastructure projects – appropriately fitting as California high-speed rail is one of the nation’s largest infrastructure projects currently under construction. Students walked through a fun case scenario where they were the newly appointed secretaries of transportation for the state and received funding for a megaproject. Presenters at the Authority used the California high-speed rail project as a case study to detail the many steps needed before construction begins on major transportation projects.

Students were surprised to learn about the complexity of the environmental review process, acquiring right of way, utility relocation and the procurement process. The bigger goal of the presentation was to get students thinking about complex projects and how they can engage with that process and improve it if they take on transportation careers in the future.
Learn more about the LA Metro TCAP Internship program linked below.

LA Metro TCAP

San Jose State University Offers High-Speed Rail Courses and Graduate Certificate

Graduating student smiling and standing next to an a person in a suit. Individuals interested in advancing their graduate education through world-class courses have the opportunity to do so through San Jose State University. The Lucas Graduate School of Business and the Mineta Transportation Institute work collaboratively to provide a comprehensive transportation management program with options to obtain a graduate degree in general transportation management as well as graduate level certificates in high-speed and intercity rail. The program offers the courses MTM 245 – High-Speed and Intercity Rail: Planning & Design and MTM 246 – High-Speed & Intercity Rail Operations/Engineering which are all live courses offered virtually. Students do not need to physically be in San Jose to take these classes.

Detailing more of the high-speed and intercity rail curriculum as described on their website:

Our online graduate program offers students a unique opportunity to develop expertise in high-speed and intercity rail management (HSIRM). The program is offered by the Lucas Graduate School of Business and supported by the Mineta Transportation Institute. The certificate is intended both for professionals working in the fields of public transportation or rail who wish to enhance their qualifications for advancement and for professionals from related fields who wish to move into rail management.

Check out their website to learn more about such programs.

High-Speed Rail Graduate Education

Free Global Conference on High-Speed Rail Accessible to All this Fall

Graphic is the ad for the conference noted in this story. The graphic illustrates a high-speed train traveling very quickly. The text on the graphic describes the title of the conference, hosts and the dates of the program. Academics and experts around the world will gather this Fall for the 2nd International Workshop on High-Speed Rail Socioeconomic Impacts. This conference is hosted by the International Union of Railways (UIC) Alliance of Universities. As noted in their website:

Following the success of the 1st International Workshop (https://uic.org/com/enews/article/successful-1st-international-workshop-on-high-speed-rail-socioeconomic-impacts), UIC has decided to support this initiative as an annual event to be organised by the University of Naples Federico II. The aim of this workshop is to explore recent research on the analysis and quantification of the effects, both on economy and on society, of investments in HSR systems. Papers focusing on the impacts on equity and inclusion; on the land use system, such as activity and residential location choice; on the environment; on the tourism industry; on the property market as well as on pricing policies; on project evaluation; on competition, cooperation and integration with other transport modes, etc. are welcome. Papers will be accepted for presentation and discussion at the workshop, presenting either a theoretical or an empirical perspective approach.

This conference is virtual and attendance is free. To learn more and register online, visit their website linked below. The Authority will participate in two sessions in the conference.

Learn More and Register for the Conference

Stay Connected

Informational flyer for student I Will Ride program. Webinars, Project Updates, Student Opportunities and Construction Tours. Photos of professionals panel, train rendering, students tabling and construction tour. Are you a student that wants to learn more about the California high-speed rail project, tour construction or join the project as a fellow or intern? Don’t miss any important updates, opportunities or notifications when you sign up for I Will Ride!

Sign-Up for I Will Ride

The California High-Speed Rail Authority makes every effort to ensure the website and its contents meet mandated ADA requirements as per the California State mandated Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 Level AA standard. If you are looking for a particular document not located on the California High-Speed Rail Authority website, you may make a request for the document under the Public Records Act through the Public Records Act page. If you have any questions about the website or its contents, please contact the Authority at info@hsr.ca.gov.