Ride To Dream School Program

Overview
The Ride to Dream School Program was established in 2007 to engage local students in RTD's FasTracks Program. The School Program focuses on the I-225 light rail corridor in Aurora and has involved over fifty middle and high school students from four local schools during the past three school years. Staff from Michael Baker Jr., Inc.'s I-225 Consultant Team work with students to attain the following goals:

Educate students about the FasTracks I-225 light rail project
Provide students with mentoring opportunities in the transportation industry
Identify scholarship, college, and career opportunities in the transportation industry

The Ride to Dream School Program provides students opportunities to become involved with the planning, environmental, and preliminary engineering processes surrounding the FasTracks I-225 Light Rail Corridor. It demonstrates to students how they can apply the fields of math, science, and problem solving to careers in planning and engineering. It also provides connections to other students and to future opportunities.

Activities
This year, 24 eighth grade students from Martin Luther King Jr., Early College participated in several interactive engineering- and transit-themed activities. These students were selected by school staff based on their educational performance and career goals. The activities began with a kick-off session to introduce the Ride to Dream Students to the FasTracks Program and, in particular, the I-225 Light Rail Corridor. Many students were not familiar with the program or the corridor and were excited to learn about the opportunities it will bring to them as residents in the area. School Program mentors, including three Baker engineers, two Baker planners, and one RTD project engineer, described their educational backgrounds and job descriptions. In turn, students shared their career goals and plans beyond high school.

Transit Construction
Students then participated in a presentation to learn about transit construction techniques, equipment, and challenges. Once they understood these elements, construction teams were formed and each individual was assigned a specific role for the process (i.e., foreman, utility locator, surveyor, soldier pile driver, or sheet pile driver). From there, students worked in a scaled model of a construction site using a corresponding plan, cross-section, and profile. The teams were challenged to relocate

a buried utility and lay down track without disturbing the existing roadway. By following scaled drawings and building a retaining wall in the appropriate location, each team was successful in implementing its task.
Please click here to see more photos from the Transit Construction Activity in April.

Bridges
Following an introduction to fundamental bridge design techniques and the field of structural engineering, students worked in teams to construct model bridges using balsa wood and wood glue. The School Program mentors provided assistance and guidance to help students in the planning

and construction process. The goal of this activity is to construct the lightest weight bridge that holds the most weight. Following this session, students were given additional time to complete their bridges. The Baker Team returned to the school several weeks later to treat the students to lunch and to test the strength and efficiency of the four structures.
Please click here to see more photos from the Bridge Design/Build Activity in April.

At the follow-up bridge testing session in May, Baker Team mentors set up a testing station and provided all the students with safety goggles. Each team then weighed its

bridge, installed the loading device that would hold the bucket beneath the bridge, and placed the bridge on the testing station. Students proceeded to hang a bucket beneath the bridge and fill the bucket with sand. Suspense built with each scoopful of sand... until the bridges starting creaking and ultimately SNAPPED. At that point, the group cheered and proceeded to measure the total weight (the bucket, the loading device, and the sand) held by the bridge before it snapped. The weight of the bridge was compared with the weight it held to determine the bridge's overall efficiency. Results are shown in the table below.

Students on the Orange Team constructed the most efficient bridge as their bridge held approximately 278 times its own weight. This winning team received gift certificates to a local book store as a prize.

Please click here to see more photos from the Bridge Testing Activity in May.

To close the event, Baker Team mentors shared with students information about Baker's internship program. We distributed business cards for future reference and information we have gathered about local and national scholarship and college opportunities. We look forward to keeping in contact with the students and hope they enjoy a relaxing summer break!