Maryland
Mass Transit Design Wins National Competition
Who says getting to and from work has to be frustrating, expensive and polluting? Certainly not a team of nine high school students from the ACE Mentor Program in Frederick, Maryland. Their innovative design for a commuter rail system won top honors and $3,000 in scholarship support at the recent Construction Industry Round Table (CIRT)–ACE national design competition in Washington, D.C.
The award-winning project, entitled Re-Routing Transportation, was aimed at relieving congestion and commuter traffic along the I-270 corridor. To achieve this, the students proposed a new aero-rail line that would not only make urban transit more energy-efficient and enjoyable for thousands of commuters each day, but also enhance and revitalize a local urban center.
In their presentation to the judges, the students showed how a line could be built between Frederick and Rockville, Maryland, to connect with Washington, D.C.’s metro system. For the Frederick terminus, the team planned a multi-functional building to accommodate rail and other forms of transportation under one roof. The students also designed the structure to serve local residents and visitors as a vibrant community center.
The project was one of 10 from across the country judged by a panel consisting mainly of leaders from U.S. design and construction firms belonging to CIRT, the organization that sponsored the award event and provided the $3,000 prize. The student team consisted of Melissa Huston, Rachael Martinez, Rosemary Masser, Mark Mifsud, Christina Nguyen, Nixy Osorio, Nolian Papa, Stephen Thai and Asaph Yeh. ACE mentors for the team’s winning effort were Bryan Burke, Michelle Buchek, Marc DeCampo, Steve Ritz and Kristen Parsley.
Commenting on her role in the project, Melissa Huston, a senior at Linganore High School who plans to study civil engineering at Penn State, said, "ACE has given me a positive experience that encouraged me to pursue a career in architecture, construction or engineering.”
More than 50 students belong to the ACE Mentor Program’s Frederick Affiliate, which the national ACE Mentor Program named Emerging Affiliate of the Year in 2006-2007. The teams’ sponsors are Bechtel Corporation, Frederick Bechtel Women’s Group, FCPS Career and Technology Center, CCBC – TIME, University of Maryland, Loiederman Soltesz Associates, Inc., Trimble Navigation and Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation.
