Institute for Transportation

Go! Magazine (http://www.go-explore-trans.org/) is a free, not-for-profit, online magazine that produces articles about the unique, interesting, crazy, awesome, and expanding world of transportation.

Each month, Go! produces a three-part article series with either an interview with a transportation expert, a book or movie review, a blog entry from one of our staff writers, or information about transportation careers. The best part? Our articles are interesting for readers of all ages.

For September, we produced a Go! Careers article series about unique careers in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) field. To excite students to consider STEM careers, sometimes you have to think outside the box.

STEM on: Roller coaster engineer
Roller coaster engineering falls under the domain of the mechanical engineer. Mechanical engineers apply the principles of engineering, physics, and material science for the design, analysis, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. But remember, the possibilities are endless! Maybe one day, roller coasters will be designed as an alternative to urban public transit. Then, instead of a mechanical engineer, you’d be a transportation engineer!

STEM on: Skatepark engineer
If you don’t like the idea of a “traditional” engineering job, don’t let that limit your interest in the science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) field—there are so many other options. For instance, did you know you can be a “skatepark engineer?” According to a man named Andrew Willis, you can. But sometimes when you want to have a job that cool, you have to make it happen for yourself.

STEM on: Port engineer
Picture this: You hear seabirds call to one another as you look out over the shoreline. This is your office. This is the life of a port engineer! A port engineer, or harbor engineer, is a type of transportation engineer. In general, transportation engineers are responsible for the planning, design, and construction of things like roadways, railways, and ports. Find out what it takes!

Book stop: Amazing Bridge Building Robot Adventures
Bridge engineer by day and writer by night, Stuart Nielsen does it again! Nielsen’s Amazing Bridge Building Robot Adventures series currently consists of seven fully-illustrated, full-length books about the Bridge Building Robots and one mini-book about a robot dog named Emma.

Dot’s Adventures with Transportation: Unique Transportation
“Dot’s Adventures with Transportation: Unique Transportation” is directly related to the Go! Explore series posted in June 2016, where readers learn about some rather unique forms of transportation that exist only in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Ever heard of a habal-habal?