pacific nw transportation consortium region 10 Pactrans

Today we’re spotlighting one of our upcoming 2024-2025 PacTrans Graduate Fellows, Avi Bose.

Where are you currently located and what have you been up to?
I’m currently a Civil Engineering Specialist at the Montana Department of Transportation in Helena, MT.

What’s your favorite college memory?
One of my favorite memories from undergrad. was getting the opportunity to tour the MCity research facility at the University of Michigan. We explored the automated vehicle testing site and learned about research related to the connected infrastructure environment being developed at MCity.

What’s your career path been like?
I come from a software/machine learning engineering background, and I’d like to apply my skills toward the improvement and expansion of public transit. As a graduate student, I’m looking to gain a more thorough understanding of the transportation space, and see where and how I can apply my existing skills (or learn new ones) to transit projects. After graduation, I plan to pursue a consulting role to get hands-on experience with a wide variety of transit projects. Further down the line, I’d be interested in working for a DoT to lead larger projects which create new transit systems or expand existing ones.

What’s your greatest professional accomplishment?
As an engineer with the Montana Department of Transportation, I have been part of multiple interdiscipinary teams within the department. I was given the opportunity to participate in a weeklong VE study for a federal highway project with a team of 10-15 other engineers from across the department. Being able to work closely with representatives from other civil engineering disciplines on a high-priority project was extremely rewarding. I gained insight into how to mitigate the impacts we have on residents, landowners, and wildlife, the complexity of considering environmental concerns, and the creative solutions we can implement in our designs as engineers.

How has PacTrans benefitted you?
I am grateful to PacTrans and the University of Washington CEE dept. for giving me the opportunity to pursue my graduate degree. I’m looking forward to completing an internship as part of my program and participating in PacTrans events during the course of my degree!

What are some hobbies or interests you have?
My hobbies include anything/everything outdoors- I love to hike, bike, ski, and go on road trips. A fun fact: While growing up in NYC, I loved riding the subway and memorized the entire subway map & lines as a little kid. I still enjoy exploring public transit systems in new places I visit

Want to know more about Avi? Connect with him on LinkedIn!

About the PacTrans Graduate Fellowship

The PacTrans Fellowship is focused on students interested in pursuing a master’s degree and with aspirations of being industry leaders in the transportation field. In addition to receiving a quality education, PacTrans fellows also participate in an internship, allowing for their knowledge obtained in the classroom to be supplemented with practical knowledge of the transportation industry.