December 14, 2000

BIRMINGHAM, AL — This year, 32 high school students got to try their hands at piloting state-of-the-art, multi-million dollar flight simulators at Delta Air Lines Inc. in Atlanta, and they toured areas of government agencies and companies that are normally restricted from the public.

The students were the first to participate in the Jefferson County Youth Transportation Program, a program that teaches young people about career opportunities in the transportation industry. They will be honored at a banquet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, December 20, at the Radisson Hotel, 808 South 20th Street South.

The Jefferson County Youth Transportation Program, designed and funded by the Alabama Department of Transportation, is administered through UAB Special Studies’ Minority Business Training and Development programs. Students in the Youth Transportation program took field trips to transportation-related companies and governmental agencies across the Southeast, including the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Norfolk Southern Corp. training facilities and C.H. Robinson Logistics. The students’ next field trip, scheduled for Dec. 18-19, will be a tour of the Alabama State Docks in Mobile. They also heard lectures presented by guest speakers in the transportation industry.

Students in the program come from high schools across Jefferson County. They are selected based on their school counselors' recommendations. To qualify, students must have strong math and science skills and demonstrate an interest in the transportation field.

The Jefferson County Youth Transportation Program is part of the National Summer Transportation Institute, which has programs on college campuses across the country, including Alabama A&M University and Tuskeegee University. UAB is the only site in the nation to offer a year-round program.

UAB Special Studies provides non-credit, non-degree courses, seminars and other educational opportunities to the Birmingham community.