skip to main content
UTRGV

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Main Menu
Donate Now Directory myUTRGV

You are here:

Education and Outreach Summer Camps (K-12)

University Transportation Center for Railway Safety (UTCRS) College of Engineering and Computer Science

  • Home
  • About
    • Message from Director
    • Mission
    • Visitor Information
  • News and Media
    • Program News
    • Newsletters and Stories
    • Photo Galleries
      • Gallery 2022
      • Gallery 2019
      • Gallery 2018
      • Gallery 2017
      • Gallery 2016
      • Gallery 2015
      • Gallery 2014
    • Video Galleries
  • Education and Outreach
    • Summer Experiences - College and Professionals
      • REU
      • RET
    • Summer Camps (K-12)
      • UTCRS Summer Camps
      • TESEP
    • Educator Resources
      • Borrowing Materials
      • STEM Curriculum
      • UTCRS Learning Module
    • Community Outreach
  • Workforce Development
    • Research Assistantships
    • DDETFP Fellowship
    • Professional Student Training
    • Professional Workshops
      • 2022 STEM Teacher National Workshop
      • 2019 STEM Teacher National Workshop
      • 2018 STEM Teacher National Workshop
      • 2017 STEM Teacher National Workshop
      • 2016 STEM Teacher National Workshop
    • Internships
      • UTRGV High Scholars Summer Program
      • Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)
  • Research
    • Mechanical
    • Operations
    • Infrastructure
    • Reports
    • Call for Proposals
  • Technology Transfer
    • Journal Articles
    • Conference Papers
    • Reports and Presentations
    • Theses and Dissertations
    • Educational Scholarship
    • Products
      • Bearing Lubricant Models
      • Conductive Pad
      • Single Bearing Tester
      • Four Bearing Tester
  • Key Personnel
    • Executive Officers
    • Executive Committee
    • Advisory Board
    • UTCRS Organizational Chart
University Transportation Center for Railway Safety (UTCRS)

Education and Outreach - Related Links

  • Summer Experiences - College and Professionals
    • REU
      • 2016 REU
      • 2015 REU
      • 2014 REU
    • RET
      • 2015 RET
      • 2016 RET
      • 2017 RET
      • 2018 RET
      • 2019 RET
  • Summer Camps (K-12)
    • UTCRS Summer Camps
    • TESEP
  • Educator Resources
    • Borrowing Materials
    • STEM Curriculum
    • UTCRS Learning Module
  • Community Outreach

Contact Us

Center for Railway Safety (UTCRS)
Engineering Portable
EPOB4 1.100
Email: railwaysafety@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 665-8878
Fax: (956) 665-8879
Facebook Twitter Youtube LinkedIn

Quick Links

USDOT FRA OST-R UTCs CUTC AAR/TTCI

Railway Safety Summer Camps (K-12)

The largest STEM camp ever held at UTPA was hosted by the UTCRS, along with its consortium institutions, Texas A&M University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln during the summer of 2014. The camps served 300 elementary, 300 middle school, and 100 high school students from over 130 schools representing 26 school districts in the Rio Grande Valley. During 2015, served 450 elementary, 450 middle school, and 125 high school students. During summer 2016, we served 577 elementary, 525 middle school and 198 high school students. Every year our summer camps are teaching more children about Railway Safety. 

A major goal of the UTC for Railway Safety is to encourage students from groups traditionally underrepresented in transportation to consider careers in transportation-related fields. The summer camps supported this goal as there are approximately 1200 camp participants, of which over 80 percent were Hispanic and over 35 percent were female. 

Minorities Graph depicting the percentage of the backgrounds of the participants, whit 8 percent of participants being white and 92 percent of minorities. Of those 92 percent, 82 percent were Hispanic, 4 percent were African American, and a smaller percentage of Native American and Asian American

Elementary students took a part in inquiry-based activities to learn bout science and engineering concepts and how they related to transportation safety. Students designed and built a magnetic levitation train system to explore what happens during collisions.

Elementary camp participants discuss their daily lesson plans with UTCRS director Constantine Tarawneh

Middle school students learned about transportation engineering and railway safety through a project-based curriculum focused on robotics. Students built and programmed various types of vehicular robots deigned to obey traffic lights and railway safety signs and signals. 

Middle School Students Working on programming the fork lift they built with the LEgo NXT 2.0. The activity is designed to teach students Newton's laws of motion through application and logic.

High school students took part in a number of challenging competitions that included designing and programming and efficient vehicular robot as a part of collaborations with TexPREP and an NSF-STEP grant. 

TESTP students work in a joint-effort to construct the Castor-Bot that will later be programmed for the final competition.

Jump to Top

UTRGV

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • CARES, CRRSAA and ARP Reporting
  • Site Policies
  • Contact UTRGV
  • Required Links
  • Fraud Reporting
  • Senate Bill 18 Reporting
  • UTRGV Careers
  • Clery Act Reports
  • Web Accessibility
  • Mental Health Resources
  • Sexual Misconduct Policy
  • Reporting Sexual Misconduct