Dear Iowa High School Educator,

 You and your students are warmly invited to the 5th Annual Careers in Transportation Fair on Wednesday, October 15 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. This free event is designed for high school students (grades 9-12) to learn more about this industry with its wide-ranging opportunities for construction workers, technicians, engineers, planners, designers, and more.

 5th Annual Careers in Transportation Fair Wednesday, October 15, 2008, 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Iowa State Fairgrounds - Varied Industries Building, Des Moines All Students (Grades 9-12) Welcome FREE registration and lunch!

 During this event, students will be exposed to dozens of careers in the transportation industry, which includes computer-aided design, construction, planning, engineering, and logistics, to name just a few.

 Indoor activities include

.     a look at little known careers in transportation

.     an overview of the road construction process, including the types 

of jobs involved and the salaries they pay

.     demonstrations of surveying, fall protection, and safety

.     booths with college recruiters and representatives of 

transportation-related organizations

 Outdoor activities include

.     a mini excavator rodeo

.     a GPS scavenger hunt using hand-held units

.     a railroad simulator

.     a truck plow simulator

.     remote control cars through model work zones

.     construction materials testing center

.     motor vehicle enforcement

 Registration

Please register by October 8 so we know how many to plan for. All registered participants will receive a confirmation letter or email that includes directions.

.     To register a group of students from one school, contact Chris 

Albrecht at (515) 294-7684 or calbrech@iastate.edu and let him know

      o     how many students you'll be bringing

      o     the name(s) of adults accompanying the students

      o     the name of the students' school

.     To register individual students, ask them to visit our website at 

www.ctre.iastate.edu/events/careerfair/ where they can register themselves.

Parents are welcome to attend in addition to school faculty and staff. They may use the same registration methods above.

 This free event is sponsored by the Asphalt Paving Association of Iowa, Associated General Contractors of Iowa, Des Moines Area Community College, the Federal Highway Administration, the Iowa Department of Transportation, Iowa State University's Midwest Transportation Consortium, and other industry partners.

 Spread the word

Please share this letter with teachers who might be interested in bringing their classes and parents who may wish to bring their teens.

 Questions

If you have any questions, please contact Chris Albrecht by phone at

(515) 294-7684 or email at calbrech@iastate.edu.

 We hope that you and your students will attend this special day and allow us to introduce you all to the exciting career paths in the growing field of transportation. We look forward to welcoming you to Careers in Transportation 2008!

 Sincerely,

Chris Albrecht

(on behalf of the Careers in Transportation Planning Committee)

 Careers in Transportation Planning Committee Members             

Chris Albrecht, ISU

Chris Anderson, Iowa DOT

Kimberly Anderson, FHWA-Iowa Div.

Becky Bales, AGC of Iowa

Doug Clark, PCI

Jon Hamburg, Bondurant-Farrar CSD

Becky Hiatt, FHWA-Iowa Div.

Ed Kasper, Iowa DOT

Joan Lents, Gus Construction

Shirley McGuire, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Admin.

Perry Nelson, WITCC

Michele Regenold, ISU

Connie Sievers, Des Moines Public Schools John Sjolinder, NIACC Gene Sokolowski, NIACC Scott Zalaznik, Iowa DOT