CN Funds Youth Transportation Institute at U of M
For release: May 7, 2003
For press information, contact Gabrielle Maxey

CN has awarded a $75,200 grant to establish a Summer Youth Transportation Institute at the University of Memphis. The project will be developed and led by Herff College of Engineering faculty in collaboration with the Fogelman College of Business and Economics. The two-week program will include daily competitions, field trips, computer simulations, and building projects designed to introduce junior high students and teachers to the relationships between math, science, and engineering in school and careers in the transportation industry.

CN is one of the largest railroads in North America and is the only transcontinental railroad. It employs more than 450 people in Memphis.

"The transportation industry is a very large segment of our local economy, and it literally touches everyone's lives on a daily basis," said Dr. Martin Lipinski, chair of Transportation Engineering and director of the institute. "While nearly everyone recognizes transportation and logistics as a major contributor to our local economy, not everyone recognizes how technology-intensive it is or the range of career possibilities available in the field. By relating the science of transportation and logistics to everyday life in very hands-on ways, we hope the CN Summer Youth Transportation Institute will inspire our young people to pursue careers in transportation engineering, logistics, and related fields."

Peter Marshall, CN's Vice-President, Gulf Division said, "CN is very proud to be associated with the University of Memphis. We hope this program will encourage young people in Memphis to become tomorrow's leaders in transportation - the people who will help shape the future success of our company and the North American economy."

The CN grant will fund one two-week session this summer and two sessions in 2004, reaching 96 junior high school students and 24 teachers. Special effort will be made to recruit minority and female students, two groups underrepresented in the engineering and supply chain management fields.

For registration or other information, contact Dr. Martin Lipinski at the U of M Department of Civil Engineering at 901-678-3279 or by e-mail at mlipinsk@memphis.edu.

Application forms are available on the Internet at www.ce.memphis.edu/Cnsummer.

Canadian National Railway Company spans Canada and Mid-America, from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Gulf of Mexico, serving the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the key cities of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., Green Bay, Wis., Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, St. Louis, and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America.

More News Releases