Educational Outreach
The Volpe Tutoring, Education, and Mentoring (TEAM) Effort presents the Volpe community with the opportunity to participate in volunteer activities in the Cambridge school system and beyond.
These volunteer opportunities benefit both volunteers and program recipients by increasing mentoring skills; helping to prepare for an increasingly diverse workforce; and transferring technology, information, and transportation career opportunities to others. The TEAM Effort consists of the following programs aimed at elementary, high school, and adult education students:
- Kennedy-Longfellow Elementary School Lunch Buddies Program
- Kendall Square Learning Project
- Cambridge Rindge and Latin Science Olympiad Team
- Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day
- Summer Transportation Institute
- Career Day Open House
- Kennedy-Longfellow Elementary School Lunch Buddies Program
The Lunch Buddies program is a collaborative effort between the Volpe Center and the neighboring Kennedy-Longfellow Elementary School in East Cambridge. Volpe Center employees volunteer their lunch breaks to read to second- and third-graders every two weeks during the school year. The program enhances children's interest in reading, exemplifies the school's commitment to early literacy, and provides Volpe Center technical staff with an opportunity to give back to the community. For more information, go to http://www.volpe.dot.gov/infosrc/yir/2009/makingdiff.html and http://www.volpe.dot.gov/infosrc/yir/2008/org.html#reading
For historical information on the Kennedy-Longfellow Elementary School Lunch Buddies Program, go to http://www.volpe.dot.gov/outreach/lunch.html.
Volpe Center employee David Daley speaks to students participating in the Lunch Buddy program at their "graduation." (Volpe Center Photo)
- Kendall Square Learning Project
The Kendall Square Learning Project (KSLP) is a non-profit, charitable organization that provides classes in English as a Second Language (ESL) and basic life skills topics. These classes are provided at no cost to the students and are open to anyone. The KSLP is based in Kendall Square, Cambridge. For more information, go to http://www.volpe.dot.gov/outreach/kslp.html and http://www.volpe.dot.gov/infosrc/yir/2009/makingdiff.html#kendall
Olive Lesueur with her student, Brutus Louimann. Olive was one of the co-founders of the Kendall Square Learning Project. (Volpe Center Photo)
- Cambridge Rindge and Latin Science Olympiad Team
Each spring, the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School Science Olympiad team competes against other Massachusetts high school science teams in a variety of events at the Massachusetts State Science Olympiad competition. The Cambridge Rindge and Latin School Science Olympiad team spends several months preparing for the competition. Volpe Center technical experts have helped prepare students for the event in the past.
- Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day
This event takes place each April at the Volpe Center. It exposes girls and boys at the elementary-school level to what a parent or mentor in their lives does during the work day and provides them with an opportunity to envision what it might be like to become a transportation professional.
Children of Volpe Center employees pause for a picture with Dr. Richard John, during "Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work Day." (Volpe Center Photo)
- Summer Transportation Institute
The Summer Transportation Institute is a four-week-long intensive program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Massachusetts Highway Department, and Merrimack College. Each summer, the Volpe Center and the Federal Highway Administration co-host a visit by high school students who are part of the program. The focus of the Summer Transportation Institute is to help develop a diverse and robust workforce for the transportation industry by exposing 10th, 11th, and 12th grade high school students to transportation careers.
The Volpe Center holds a Career Day Open House each year for students interested in transportation careers.
A Summer Transportation Institutes student tests the Airport Surface Low Cost Driving Simulator during his visit to the Volpe Center's Human Factors Laboratory. (Volpe Center Photo)
- Career Day Open House
Career Day Open House at the Volpe Center is an annual event. Students from local colleges and universities are invited to attend. Volpe Center student Jobs, Professional, and Entry Level positions are featured.
The Volpe Center actively recruits from a variety of academic institutions.
The Volpe Center hosts an annual Career Day Open House. (Volpe Center Photo)