FromTech Today
Tuesday, March
21, 20065
REAC
Organizes Railroad Night at Michigan Tech and Becomes the First
Student Chapter of AREMA
On Feb. 21 Tech's Railroad Engineering and Activities Club (REAC)
became the nation's first student chapter of the American Railway
Engineers and Maintenance-of-way Association (AREMA).
A certificate
of recognition was presented to the club president, Steve Kamarainen,
during the First Annual Railroad Night by Eric Peterson, assistant
chief engineer-public project at CSX and member of AREMA Committees
16 and 36.
A total of
65 Michigan Tech students, faculty and administrative staff participated
in the Railroad Night, which was the first REAC-hosted dining-with-industry
experience geared specifically toward railroading and sponsored
by BNSF, CSX and UPRR. Participants talked with representatives
from sponsoring companies and heard the latest industry trends
from Peterson and Bob Kraft, general director-human resources
operations at UPRR.
REAC is part
of the effort to revitalize railroad engineering education at
Michigan Tech. It was formed by Tech students in September 2005
to raise awareness and interest in railroad engineering, to educate
the student body about the opportunities and benefits of a career
in railroading, to organize and participate in events that increase
the visibility of railroad industry among general public and to
help students make connections within the industry.
REAC currently
has almost 40 members across different engineering disciplines.
In addition to the Railroad Night, REAC has organized a field
trip to visit Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad and is currently
assisting local Boy Scout groups to earn merit badges in railroading.
For more information
about REAC and photos of past events, visit http://www.sos.mtu.edu/reac/index.html
.
