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Technology
Transfer Newsletter
Connecticut Transportation Institute's
Technology Transfer Center Article Title: Congratulations, Graduates! Article
Text: Technology Transfer Center Director, Donna Shea was joined by Lisa Aultman-Hall , Director of the Connecticut Transportation Institute, and guest speakers Bradley Keazer, Division Administrator for Connecticut Federal Highway Administration, and Charles Drda, Director of Maintenance for the Connecticut Department of Transportation, in recognizing the graduates' commitment to education and congratulating them on their achievements. The graduates were encouraged to continue to support and participate in professional learning programs such as ours and to take every opportunity to share their knowledge and skills to make their operations safer and more efficient. As Charles Drda summarized, ?Be a mentor, be a team leader, do everything to work better and smarter.• Connecticut Road Master Program Congratulations to: David Anderson, City of Bristol Connecticut Road Scholar Program Congratulations to: Todd Babbitt, Town of Griswold Connecticut Municipal Legal Traffic Authority Program Congratulations to: Denis Cuevas, City of Waterbury Article
Title: Connecticut Shares Construction Career Day Success Construction Career Day (CCD) programs have been spreading across the country in recent years. In 1997, the idea to introduce high school students to challenging and rewarding construction career opportunities grew in response to a looming and severe shortage of skilled construction workers. Since then, Construction Career Day events have been held, or are being planned, in over 20 states. Connecticut has been host to nearly 3,100 students at CCD events since 2002. With the Connecticut Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Connecticut Transportation Institute, Connecticut Construction Industries Association, Connecticut Bituminous Concrete Producers Association, and various skilled trade unions, the Connecticut Transportation Institute's Technology Transfer Center has been proud to co-sponsor the annual two-day program. This year, Center director Donna Shea invited representatives from several of the other centers within our national LTAP network to share the experience in Wallingford on October 5 and 6. They had a chance to tour the indoor and outdoor display areas and personally observe the diverse array of over 40 hands-on demonstrations and activities. For some who are planning CCD programs in their own states for the first time, the opportunity to participate directly in the event was particularly gratifying. Keri Shoemaker from the Utah Center found it invaluable, ?What a wonderful event! As a volunteer I was able to grasp the whole spectrum of what Construction Career Day is all about. This experience will help foster the same type of program in the state of Utah . Thanks to Connecticut for being a leader in this endeavor!• Juli Kobayashi from the Hawaii Center agreed, ?Coming all the way from Hawaii to experience Connecticut Construction Career Day was phenomenal! I got to see first hand how a professional and proficient Career Day is done. All the different agencies that were involved really pulled together to make this an enjoyable and educational experience for the students. The Hawaii Department of Transportation would like to put on a Construction Career Day and this was an important and valuable event for me to attend.• For others who had never attended a Construction Career Day, the overwhelmingly apparent success of the program was impressive. Linda Pitstick from the Indiana Center exclaimed, ?It was an amazing event! It was so rewarding to see the students' faces light up when they drove the equipment, laid bricks, used the jackhammer, etc. Everyone learns differently?some are more academic and others are more comfortable in a mechanical and hands-on situation. Construction Career Day gave those students a valuable experience and may have helped them decide their future career path.• Barbara Turner from the Virginia Center was equally enthusiastic, ?As I watched the students interact with the exhibitors at the outdoor exhibit areas, it brought a special appreciation for the construction professionals taking time out of their busy schedules to show students that there are opportunities for them after graduation. Several students indicated that this was a great career day and that they would remember the experience of operating the backhoes and jackhammers forever.• Lisa Pogue from the LTAP Clearinghouse in Washington, DC summed up the effect, ?The looks on the faces of the students told the whole story. They were engaged, happy, excited, some-times fearful and focused. Not only did they learn from seeing what a construction career would be like, they got the opportunity to put themselves in a construction professional's hard hat and actually do the work. The warm glow of accomplishment as they stepped down from the equipment said it all.• But, perhaps there's nothing that can better describe our CCD success than some comments from students themselves: It was a good time and a new experience for me. I enjoyed learning about the different work available for myself. • East Haven High School I liked it a lot and was happy when we got to use the machinery and talk to the operators and see if they enjoy it and what they do all day. • Rockville High School I had a great time at the construction site. I have learned so much from every exhibit. I was thinking of becoming a carpenter or an architect. • Seymour High School I thank all who are involved and hope to be a part of the trade union some day soon. • Killingly ALPS Because of this program, I am looking to apply at Northeast Utilities in the next four months. ?Vinal Technical High School They need to do Career Day more times so that people can learn more from it. • Platt Regional Vocational Technical High School Connecticut will indeed continue to bring the Construction Career Day experience to more high school students every year. And we hope that by sharing our success, we've inspired other states to do the same.
There they had the opportunity to learn about the latest in public works equipment, services and technology from more than sixty vendors, professional organi-zations and public service agencies. Municipal public works contestants put their knowledge and skills to the test in the EXPO Challenge for the best combined score in four competitions covering Backhoe Operation, Call Before You Dig, OSHA Safety, and Work Zone Safety. Congratulations to the three top winners: We sincerely thank all of the exhibitors who made this year's event a success. A special note of appreciation goes to those that generously donated terrific items for the door prize drawings: • 3M Traffic Control Materials Division • Acorn-Thompson Co. • Atlantic Broom Service, Inc. • Bacher Corp. of Connecticut • BART Truck Equipment Co., Inc. • Bigson II DBA Equipment Service Co. • Bobcat of Connecticut Inc. • C.N. Wood of Connecticut, LLC-Zarn Distributor (95-gallon Collection Cart) • Call Before You Dig, Inc. • Capitol Rentals (First Aid Kit) • CESCO • Clearwater Technology Inc. • Concrete Systems, Inc. • Connecticut Cleaning and Heating Equipment • Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection • Connecticut Department of Transportation • Connecticut Highway Street Supervisor Association • Connecticut Technology Trans-fer Center (Husky Fan Gift Packs) • CT Transit • CUES, Inc. • Devine Hydraulics, Inc. (100-piece Mechanic's Tool Kit) • East Coast Sign & Supply, Inc. (Sweatshirt) • East P.B.E. Inc. • E.J. Prescott, Inc. • Environmental Services, Inc. • EPPCO (Team Insignia Hard Hats) • Federal Highway Administration Connecticut Division • Flex Services, LLC • Franklin Paint Co., Inc. (Dozen Golf Balls) • Freightliner of Hartford, Inc. • Genalco, Inc. • Hedge & Mattheis • H.O. Penn • JCDS Distributors-AMSOIL Direct Dealer (Car Polish Kit/Oil and Grease Assortment) • Kahn Tractor & Equipment, Inc. (Scale Model DC180 Bulldozer) • Lawson Products, Inc. (Gerber Gator Stud Knife) • Lubrication Technologies • McNeilus • New England Municipal Equip-ment Co. • Nutmeg International Trucks (Hats and Flashlights) • Connecticut Occupational Safety and Health Admin-istration • Peterbilt • Pete's Tire Barn (Dozen Golf Balls) • QPR/LaFarge • Redi Rock Walls of New England (Tee Shirts) • Ro-Brand Products (Electrical Terminal Assortment) • RPM Inc. • S & D Supply • Sanitary Equipment Company and Bridgehaven Ford (Desk Clocks) • Scranton Motors • Signal 54 Training (UConn Football Tickets) • St. Jacques Family Enterprises, Inc. (High-Viz Safety Gloves) • Streetworks, Inc. (Makita Finish Sander) • Tech Air (Eagle Hard Hat) • TENCO New England • Tyler Equipment • United Rentals (Bosch Mini-grinder) • Vasso Systems, Inc. • Welder Training Services (Welding Gloves) • W.H. Rose, Inc. (Utility Tie Down Assortment) • W.I. Clark Co. Our commitments as a proud co-sponsor of next year's Eastern Winter Maintenance Symposium in Hartford will preclude us from presenting the Technology Transfer EXPO in 2005. However, the EXPO will return in 2006, and we hope you'll join us then. "Technology
Transfer" is published by the Connecticut Transportation Institute's
Technology Transfer Center, Phone (860) 486-5400, Fax (860) 486-2399.
Supported through a cooperative effort of the Connecticut Department of
Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration's Local Technical
Assistance Program (LTAP) to provide information on the latest transportation
technology to Connecticut's state and local government officials. End of "Technology Transfer" Newsletter - Volume 21, Number 3, December 2004 |