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Tech Preparing Students to Build a Better Railroad
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JUNE 10, 2005 -- Once they built a railroad and made it run, but now they are retiring. And there are precious few who can to fill those departing engineers' boots. Now, thanks to a unique, five-week summer program, Michigan Tech is on track to become one of the top railroad engineering schools in the nation.
A few weeks of summer school doesn't make you a railroad engineer, but it does lay the foundation. The Michigan Tech Railroad Program provides an introduction to railroads, rail terminology, design and operations, says Bill Sproule, a professor of civil and environmental engineering. Typically, railroads hire civil engineers (mechanical and electrical engineers and technology grads are also in demand) and train them in the industry's intricacies.
And at a time when almost 40 percent of the railroads' workforce is on the verge of retirement, the program is positioning students for jobs in what is becoming a very high-demand field. "It gives our graduates an edge," Sproule said. "By having this course, we've gotten lots of publicity within the railroad industry."
This summer is the second year that the program has been offered. Students study on campus for a week and then head to Chicago for a week of tours and presentations from the rail industry. Then it's on to Tampere, Finland, for three weeks of classes, projects and technical tours.
Classes are held at the Tampere University of Technology, where the students also take a course in Finnish language and culture. In the first year, 16 students enrolled in the program, and this year 13 signed on, including one student from the University of Kentucky.
The program's primary instructor and coordinator is Pasi Lautala, a Michigan Tech PhD student in civil engineering from Tampere. With help from MTU alumnus Eric Peterson, an engineer in the rail industry, Lautala and Sproule integrated the Chicago and a study-abroad experience into the program so that students can see railroads in operation.
Finland, which was chosen in part because it's Lautala's home and in part because of its close ties to the Copper Country, has turned out to be a great place to study railroads. Plus, it's safe, modern and provides a refreshing international experience for students used to seeing things done the American way. "Finnish baseball is very different," Sproule adds somewhat cryptically.
The Michigan Tech Railroad Program already has begun to make a name for itself. Five of the six largest railways in the U.S.--CSX Transportation, Burlington Northern, Union-Pacific, Canadian National and Canadian Pacific--were on campus last year to interview Michigan Tech students for full-time positions, and they are finding a receptive audience. Railroad consulting firms and agencies that operate urban rail systems are seeking MTU students, and summer railroad internships are now available.
"Most railroad recruiters can't just walk on campus and find people who are interested," Sproule notes. "The program is providing a special niche for our students and a good source of employees for the railroads at a time they need them most. Because there are not many universities with a railroad engineering course, we're now among the top railroad engineering schools in the nation." |
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