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Three UNM students selected as Transportation Research Board Minority Student Fellows
August 31, 2023 - by Kim Delker
Three students affiliated with The University of New Mexico have been selected as Transportation Research Board (TRB) Minority Student Fellows for 2024.
Olivia Tafoya, who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in the Gerald May Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at UNM, was selected, as well as two students who are visiting UNM from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez: Christian Torres Ortiz, who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, and Marielly Rodriguez Gauthier, who pursuing a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.
They were among 18 undergraduate and three graduate students selected, who are studying in disciplines that include civil engineering, architecture, construction engineering, industrial and systems engineering, electrical engineering, and geospatial sciences.
The fellows will participate in TRB’s 2024 annual meeting with paper presentations in their own poster session and numerous other activities, including Young Members Council sessions, a new attendee welcome event, a career panel, a networking lunch and committee meetings. They will also interact with an annual meeting mentor with whom they are matched based on academic and professional goals.
The TRB Minority Student Fellows Program funds students from minority-serving institutions to attend and present their research at the TRB Annual Meeting and help them engage in TRB’s network of transportation professionals. TRB established the Minority Student Fellows Program in 2010 to explore research, ideas, and solutions from diverse perspectives. This program seeks to increase the number of individuals from underrepresented groups in the transportation field and in TRB activities.