Evaluation of the Transportation Research Board Minority Student Fellows Program

Abstract

This paper evaluates the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Minority Student Fellows Program (Program). Initiated in 2010, the Program supports students from select Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions to attend TRB’s Annual Meeting and present a student-authored research paper. The Program is intended to increase involvement of those groups in TRB and the transportation profession. This evaluation considers the Program’s performance against stated and implicit goals using a survey of mentees; qualitative reflections by the Program manager, a mentor, and a mentee; and indirect outcome metrics. Conclusions are that the Program was successful in increasing exposure to TRB, contributing to the growth of fellows as transportation professionals, and encouraging ongoing TRB participation. With regard to operations, the Program achieved visibility and attracted external funding, which bodes well for its sustainability. Lessons learned include crafting appropriate rules for participation and finding the right balance between critique and support in the paper review process. There are opportunities to extend the mentoring experience with continued involvement of past fellows.