Media Relations Contact:
Morgan Lyons
Mark A. Ball

May 1, 2012

Transit agency assists problem solving by students

Students engineer bright ideas for DART

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) recognized bright ideas from several area students involved with ACE Mentor Program of Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) recently at an April luncheon at the University of North Texas-Dallas.

The 80 high school juniors and seniors from campuses across DFW participated in a course sponsored by ACE, (Architecture, Construction and Engineering) a non-profit agency whose mission is to enlighten and increase awareness of high school students to career opportunities in architecture, construction and engineering.

The students chose DART and mass transportation within DFW as their topic. They collaborated with fellow students who share an interest in the same field and then designed future DART stations and light rail routes that were shown during the April graduation ceremony.

Throughout the 22-week course, the Education and Community Outreach staff at DART helped with the mentor program, answered questions, scheduled field trips of the light rail system for the students, and provided a guest speaker on architecture with professional experience in the design and management of large transportation projects.

Ace DFW started in 2004 with 21 students and one high school, doubled to 44 students from six schools in 2007, and doubled again in 2012 as it educates students on careers, the workplace, relationships, teambuilding, college, internships and scholarships.

Left to right: Aldo Sosa, a junior from Townview Science and Engineering Magnet in Dallas, works on a large scale model of the DART Station at Fair Park with his Townview teammates, senior Saul Noguez and junior Jose DeLabra.

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