Ten teachers from Alachua County in Florida attended a one-day workshop on June 6, 2019 at the University of Florida that focused on science and technology concepts for grades levels 4th through 7 and explored transportation as a career option for their students.  

The teachers heard about the latest in transportation research taking place at UF from faculty and student researchers who spoke about their work in the areas of planning, human factors, occupational therapy, civil engineering, and computer engineering. The workshop also included a trip to the Gainesville-Alachua County Traffic Management Center where teachers saw first-hand how traffic engineers and technicians work together to ensure that traffic is flowing smoothly and that traffic lights are working properly. STEM activities were the focus of the afternoon session, and were led by the STRIDE Center’s K-12/Technology Transfer coordinator, Ondine Wells, who was also the organizer of the workshop. Standards-based activities included building a bridge and testing reaction time. Teachers also learned about a variety of transportation-related community and on-line resources they can incorporate into their classroom. 

For more information on the STRIDE Center’s K-12 program, contact Ondine Wells, M.S., STRIDE 12/Technology Transfer coordinator, owells@ufl.edu, (352) 294-6952.