Middle and High School Students from Several States Will Showcase Bridge Design Projects in a Virtual Setting
EXTON, Pa. – April 19, 2021 – Bentley Systems, Incorporated (Nasdaq: BSY), the infrastructure engineering software company, and the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO), a nonprofit and nonpartisan association representing highway and transportation departments in the United States, will present the annual Transportation and Civil Engineering (TRAC) contest for middle and high school students in a virtual setting on April 28. Originally scheduled for AASHTO’s spring meeting, organizers re-invented the competition as the “AASHTO Virtual TRAC Showcase” as a result of COVID-19 pandemic’s social-distancing restrictions.
Co-sponsored by Bentley, the AASHTO National Bridge and Structure TRAC Challenge includes students from seventh to 12th grades who have designed innovative projects using Bentley applications. Also sponsoring the event are TopoDOT, HDR, and HNTB. This year, 33 teams submitted projects, and the finalist teams will present in the online forum. This platform provides an opportunity to recognize students for their hard work, allowing them to virtually present their projects and demonstrate how they designed the bridges, as well as how they built models of their designs with balsawood.
AASHTO schedules its National Bridge and Structure TRAC Contest as a virtual event April 28. Image courtesy of Bentley Systems.
Francois Valois, Bentley’s vice president for civil engineering, said, “The role of civil engineers is critical to transportation infrastructure. The hands-on experience of the TRAC program introduces students to civil engineering concepts and processes, inspiring them to imagine a future career in engineering. I’m proud that AASHTO, Bentley, the other sponsors, and the DOTs came together to provide this opportunity for the students to present their projects virtually and get the recognition that they deserve.”
Julia Smith, AASHTO TRAC program manager, said AASHTO designed the program for use in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) classes to introduce students to transportation and civil engineering. “America’s transportation industry has a huge demand for well-qualified civil engineers. TRAC’s goal is to get middle and high school students exposed to and excited about a career in civil engineering. We see TRAC as an investment in today’s youth, to ensure that America has the highly skilled workforce it’s going to need for years to come.”
To learn more and to register, visit National TRAC Bridge Challenge – Transportation.org.
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About AASHTO
AASHTO is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing highway and transportation departments in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. It represents all transportation modes, including air, highways, public transportation, active transportation, rail, and water. Its primary goal is to foster the development, operation, and maintenance of an integrated national transportation system.
TRAC™ (Transportation and Civil Engineering) & RIDES (Roadways In Developing Elementary Studentsâ�‹), AASHTO’s educational outreach programs, are designed for use in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) classes. The hands-on activities introduce students in grades K-12 to the work world of transportation and civil engineering and inspire them to consider careers in those fields. State departments of transportation work with schools in their state by providing the curricula and resources for the schools and providing engineers to visit the classrooms to serve as speakers, teach a hands-on activity, and/or talk to students about the importance of math and science in preparing for their future. https://tracrides.transportation.org/
About Bentley Systems
Bentley Systems (Nasdaq: BSY) is the infrastructure engineering software company. We provide innovative software to advance the world’s infrastructure – sustaining both the global economy and environment. Our industry-leading software solutions are used by professionals, and organizations of every size, for the design, construction, and operations of roads and bridges, rail and transit, water and wastewater, public works and utilities, buildings and campuses, and industrial facilities. Our offerings include MicroStation-based applications for modeling and simulation, ProjectWise for project delivery, AssetWise for asset and network performance, and the iTwin platform for infrastructure digital twins. Bentley Systems employs more than 4,000 colleagues and generates annual revenues of more than $800 million in 172 countries. www.bentley.comâ�¯
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