Inside the 2026 Mineta Summer Transportation Academy |
|
|
|
Students gather at the Union Pacific Intermodal Facility and SSA Marine Terminal after learning about the freight operations that transport the goods we need and the people (and careers) behind the scenes.
For most of us, transportation is something we simply use. But for 10 days this summer, 31 Bay Area high school students got to see how it works—from stepping inside a flight simulator and exploring a rail maintenance facility to flying a drone and getting an up-close look at some of the region’s biggest transportation projects.
Since 2006, MTI’s annual Mineta Summer Transportation Academy (MiSTA) has given hundreds of high school students the opportunity to explore transportation careers while trying on the college experience at San José State University. Through hands-on learning and behind-the-scenes field trips, students discover just how many people and career paths it takes to keep communities moving.
The two-week journey began at SJSU, where researchers from the GeoFly Lab at UC Santa Cruz introduced students to geographic information science and drone technology before letting them take the controls themselves. Students also learned the basics of civil engineering and put their skills to work designing bridges. Later, they were introduced to transportation advocacy by Carter Lavin, Co-Founder of the Transbay Coalition, and to urban design by professionals from Fehr & Peers and the San José Department of Transportation, who took them into the field to explore the Reimagining Santa Clara Street project. Using Streetmix, students redesigned the corridor themselves while accounting for the sometimes-competing needs of different uses.
|
|
|
Students explore careers on the ground and in the sky by visiting Glydways (left) for an up-close look at autonomous vehicles and San José Mineta International Airport (right) for a behind-the-scenes look at airport operations.
The program’s “classroom” stretched across the Bay Area, empowering students to experience transportation from a variety of different sites and modes, often through perspectives most travelers never see. At the Port of Oakland, they followed a shipping container through the rail and maritime systems that move billions of dollars worth of goods across the country every year. A “Transit Speedrun” put them in the passenger’s seat as they navigated VTA Light Rail and Caltrain themselves; later, inside San José’s Transportation Management Center, they saw what it takes to manage those networks behind the scenes. Other experiences looked toward the technology and talent shaping the future of mobility, including with Glydways’ autonomous vehicles and at SJSU’s BAT Lab, where they tried driving simulators and looked at how AI and humans might share the road. At SJSU’s Gerald Shreve Simulation Lab, students got behind the controls of flight simulators with guidance from the SJSU Precision Flight Team. They then headed to San José Mineta International Airport for a behind-the-scenes look at airport operations and the people and systems that keep the airport running.
For students, that breadth offered opportunities to discover new interests or see existing ones in a new light. For 2026 participant Leland Liao, a Civil Air Patrol volunteer with a passion for aviation, MiSTA broadened an existing interest. “MiSTA has truly inspired me to be enthusiastic and curious about transportation,” he said.
|
| |
Students see rail transportation from maintenance to major construction at VTA’s BART Silicon Valley Extension Program (left) and ACE Rail Maintenance Facility (right).
Rail was a major focus this year, giving students a close look at how rail systems are maintained, transformed, and built. They saw passenger trains being inspected and maintained at the ACE Rail Maintenance Facility and learned how investments in electrification, grade separations, and expansion are reshaping rail across the region. Visits to active VTA’s BART Silicon Valley Project and California High-Speed Rail construction sites brought that evolution into view as students watched major infrastructure taking shape in real time.
MiSTA’s final day brought the rail experience full circle. At VTA’s Guadalupe Light Rail Division, students went behind the scenes of operations and maintenance before taking the controls themselves. Guided by VTA Technical Trainers, they operated a light rail vehicle—a fitting end to two weeks spent riding transportation, studying how it works, and meeting the people who make it possible.
For many students, though, the end of MiSTA is only a beginning. Lawrenze Vigo participated four years ago and now studies planning, data, and GIS at UC Berkeley, where he recently began a Transportation Demand Management internship. “MiSTA sparked my passion early for transportation,” Vigo said. “As someone who attended a primarily low-income public school and relied on public transit by default, MiSTA provided me with an opportunity to explore transportation careers and higher education.”
Two weeks can’t show students every path transportation has to offer. But it can help them find one, and begin to imagine where it might lead.
|
|
|
Thank You to Our Sponsors and Partners! |
The 2026 Mineta Summer Transportation Academy (MiSTA) was made possible through funding from the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program’s Promoting Railroading Careers and Developing the Current Rail Industry Workforce initiative, a Union Pacific Railroad Local Grant, and the Research and Education Promoting Safety Center (REPS) at Howard University.
Our sponsors helped bring MiSTA’s hands-on learning experiences to life. The Lucas College and Graduate School of Business continued its generous support of the program, while DB E.C.O. North America Inc. sponsored an unforgettable visit to a California high-speed rail construction site and Fehr & Peers supported a downtown San José walking tour and interactive Streetmix activity.
Throughout the two-week academy, our partners transformed the entire Bay Area into a classroom. Students explored transportation from the ground to the sky—and nearly everywhere in between—with the California High-Speed Rail Authority, GeoFly Lab at UC Santa Cruz, Glydways, San José Department of Transportation, San José Mineta International Airport, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), SJSU College of Engineering Behavior, Accessibility, and Technology (BAT) Lab, SJSU Precision Flight Team, SJSU Spartan Racing, SSA Marine Terminal, and VTA’s BART Silicon Valley Extension Program. These experiences gave students a firsthand look at the extraordinary range of people, careers, technologies, and organizations that keep our communities moving.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who shared their time, expertise, and enthusiasm with the 2026 MiSTA cohort and helped our students imagine where transportation might take them next.
|
MiSTA Alumni: Where Are They Now? |
MiSTA Alum Spotlight: Alice Girard |
|
|
|
|
Rising Los Gatos High School junior and MiSTA alum Alice Girard became interested in urban planning when, on the way home from the airport, they realized that someone designed all of this! This interest launched what began as a small school project into a mini documentary exploring the realities of urban sprawl. “I chose urban sprawl [for my project] because I wanted to test my interest in urban planning. I thought—if I could spend months researching a very small chunk of urban data, I could probably spend my career on it. It was more a step into the waters, and I am so glad I took it!”
Attending the MiSTA over the summer helped cement those interests for Alice’s future. “I think that MiSTA shaped a lot of where my interests are now,” Alice told MTI. “I got to see so much of what’s changing in mobility and realized that I really want to be a part of that change.” Alice is already making big plans for their future, and they are a part of a separate 4-week program focused on urban data research, analysis, and the biases within them. For their peers who might be interested in transportation, Alice advises, “Don’t be afraid to start small. MiSTA was really beneficial for me. Overall, summer programs are such a good way to start!”
Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm for urban planning with us, Alice! We are excited to see what you do next!
|
|
|
|
MiSTA Alum Spotlight: Noah Larson |
|
|
|
|
For incoming UC Davis student and MiSTA alum Noah Larson, an interest in transportation started early. “Every boy loves trains growing up,” Noah joked. “For some reason, I just never really grew out of it.” Childhood trips to watch trains with his dad eventually grew into a broader interest in transportation and urban planning, which Noah explored through online resources before seeking out opportunities to get involved himself.
That initiative led him to BART at just 16 years old. After meeting the head of the Link21 megaproject at an open house in Oakland, Noah landed an internship the following summer. He helped lead a team tasked with redesigning the Berkeley Amtrak station to accommodate more passengers. This summer, Noah returned to BART, this time with the Parking team, helping ensure parking signage and numbering were accurate with planning for regional wayfinding signage. “It is satisfying to see your improvements actually benefiting people just weeks after being recommended,” he said.
And the experience isn’t ending with his internship. At 18, Noah has now been hired as a contractor with BART’s Station Access department as he prepares to begin studying urban planning at UC Davis this fall.
MiSTA has been another important stop along Noah’s journey. He entered the program already interested in transportation, but found there was still plenty to discover, including connections with students and transportation professionals he remains in touch with today. Those connections have reinforced one of the biggest lessons Noah has learned so far: put yourself out there. “Transportation is an industry that plays an immense role in our societies, yet it is a rather small world,” he said. For students unsure where to begin, Noah encourages them to show up, talk to people, and be open to all opportunities.
“None of this would have happened if I simply stayed home that day rather than attending the event,” Noah said of the Link21 open house that helped start it all. “You can’t always guarantee that every experience will be amazing, but you’ll at least learn more than if you just stayed at home.”
Congratulations, Noah! We can’t wait to see where your lifelong love of transportation takes you next.
|
|
|
|
About the Mineta Transportation Institute |
At the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) at San Jose State University (SJSU) our mission is to increase mobility for all by improving the safety, efficiency, accessibility, and convenience of our nation's transportation system. Through research, education, workforce development and technology transfer, we help create a connected world. MTI was founded in 1991 and is funded through the US Department of Transportation, the California Department of Transportation, and public and private grants including those made available by the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (SB1). MTI is affiliated with SJSU’s Lucas College and Graduate School of Business.
|
|
|
|
Mineta Transportation Institute
One Washington Square
San José, CA 95192
sjsu.edu
|
|
|
|
Manage your preferences | Opt Out using TrueRemove™
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.
|
One Washington Square College of Business | San José, CA 95192 US
|
|
|
|
This email was sent to alverina.weinardy@sjsu.edu.
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.
|
|
|
|
|
