12/12/2013
ITD awards $10,000 to state universities for engineering education
BOISE - Engineering students at Idaho’s three public universities will benefit from grants announced today by the Idaho Transportation Department.
ITD earned a $10,000 grant from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) for its innovative, nation-leading winter storm performance process.
The AASHTO grant will be divided equally among Idaho State University, the University of Idaho and Boise State University, with approximately $3,333 going to each school. ITD Director Brian Ness announced the beneficiaries today at a ceremony in Boise.
The award, initially given at AASHTO’s conference in Denver earlier this year, was presented to team members from southeast Idaho where the winter performance-measuring program was introduced.
Because of its success, ITD now uses the process statewide to measure responses to winter storms and evaluate the results of their efforts. The process generated interest from throughout the U.S. and four countries.
“It is our hope that undergraduate students will apply the grants to their pursuit of a career in engineering,” Ness said. “After completing their studies, perhaps each will consider an engineering position at ITD.
“With the changing workforce, ITD will need new leaders, energy and expertise to carry us forward into the future. The AASHTO grant will provide a means of preparing engineering students for those challenges."
Ness extended his appreciation to AASHTO for providing the grant funding. As the voice of transportation, AASHTO works to educate the public and key decision makers about the critical role transportation plays in securing a good quality of life and sound economy for our nation.