• April 16, 2019

    PacTrans Associate Director Billy Connor teaches young students about civil engineering

    CSET director and PacTrans Associate Director at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks (UAF), Billy Connor, was in attendance at the annual Kids2College event, held on Friday, April 12.

    Kids2College is a program that brings college awareness to kids more early on and fosters a community in which more individuals are motivated to pursue a higher education. The program is supported by the Sallie Mae Fund, which allows schools and community groups to participate in national curriculum and training for free.

    At the event, Connor had the opportunity to engage with 5th and 6th grade students from the Alaska Gateway School District and Salcha Elementary School, introducing them to the idea of a career in engineering, and explaining the importance of civil engineering to maintain safe and efficient transportation in our world.

    During his presentation, Connor shared with the students the concepts of friction and safe stopping distances. Afterwards, the students all participated in an activity that calculated the friction coefficients on ice, gravel, and pavement. Based on their findings, they were able to determine at what distance each surface required a driver to stop.

    The children were aided by students in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at UAF. The UAF students made the necessary measurements to further ensure safety.