Dates: July 12 - 14        Location: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

*** Registration Closed ***

The Railway Academic Conference (TRAC) will be held on the UIUC campus on July 12 – 14, 2016 to build on synergy between the AREMA Railway Engineering Education Symposium (REES) event and National University Rail (NURail) Center education and workforce development initiatives. TRAC will be a three-day event, with REES activities and the NURail Annual Meeting each comprising half of the program. Building on similar goals and objectives, TRAC will further inform educators, industry professionals, and students about current developments in railroad engineering education, workforce development and outreach programs. Through the REES component, TRAC will facilitate sharing of education materials designed to introduce students to railway infrastructure, operations, engineering, and design concepts. By combining these activities, TRAC aims to strengthen collaboration between academia and industry to meet the challenge of developing the next generation of railroad professionals.

Tues, July 12 - Railway Engineering Education Symposium
  • Presentation of course lecture modules on railway engineering, design, and operations topics
  • Panel discussions/workshops on implementation of railway curriculum modules
  • Hands-on tutorials breakout sessions covering assignments and interative class activities on specific rail eduation topics
  • Panel discussions/workshops on railway curricula and academic program development at the university level
  • international collaborations - lessons learned
Wed, July 13 - Railway Engineering Education Symposium
  • Morning Field Trip to railway facilities and full-scale track loading laboratory
Wed, July 13 - Developing the Next Generation of Railroaders
  • Panel discussions/workshops on increasing current/future student awareness of rail industry careers
  • Minority/women student outreach
  • Discussion of Strategies for K-12 outreach
  • Reception/poster session/interactive exhibits
  • Dinner with keynote speaker
Thurs, July 14 - Strengthening Bonds Between the Rail industry and Academia
  • Recruitment and Workforce Development
  • Future Roadmap for Railway Research
  • Experiential Learning through Collaborative Research
  • NURail Executive Advisory Board, Technical Advisory Committee, and Affiliate meetings

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