Transportation is increasingly competing with other industries for new entrants to the workforce.

Yet transportation careers can be “invisible” to young people. Consequently, it is important to reach out early and in a variety of ways to K–12 students, parents, and educators to interest them in and prepare them for transportation careers. The Institute for Transportation (InTrans), with support from the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT), offers several outreach programs focusing on providing a foundation for future engineers.

Teaching in the Fast Lane Workshop for Elementary Teachers 1.0

Since 2015, Fast Lane has helped to introduce teachers to engineering concepts and engineering professions with the goal of equipping them to enrich their classrooms and raise awareness and enthusiasm among young students about engineering.

The weeklong workshop, typically offered in Ames each July with an application process in the spring, uses the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Roadways in Developing Elementary Students (RIDES) kit, which is aligned with national math and science standards and the core curriculum standards and takes students on multiple adventures learning about transportation in relation to both math and science concepts. After the workshop, teachers are provided with a mini kit with these materials, enabling them to implement transportation and engineering lessons easily into their classrooms. It includes items such as a set of engineering process flash cards, Hot Wheels cars, spring scales, stopwatches, and other fun and educational items. In 2025, the Fast Lane 1.0 workshop earned the Iowa STEM Advisory Council’s Seal of Approval that recognizes and supports selected individual programs and periodic events that help advance science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) principles and thinking in Iowa communities.

For more details on the program and the application process, visit the Fast Lane 1.0 page.

Teaching in the Fast Lane 2.0: Engineering for Our Future

Fast Lane 2.0 began in 2024, building off the success of the initial course that began in 2015. Available to K-6 educators who have previously completed the 1.0 course, the purpose of the weeklong 2.0 workshop is to introduce elementary teachers to the world of transportation and civil engineering and expose them to hands-on inquiry based STEM activities that address real-world issues to ensure that the next generation of students is scientifically literate and equipped to fill the needs of the 21^st century workforce.

With the adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards in Iowa, there is a huge demand for bringing engineering to the elementary classroom and proper professional development for teachers is imperative. The focus of Teaching in the Fast Lane 2.0 is the nature of engineering, energy, and sustainable practices, particularly as they relate to transportation and infrastructure. Like the 1.0 workshop, this is a weeklong program offered each July in Ames with an application process in the spring.

For more details on the program and the application process, visit the Fast Lane 2.0 page.

Transportation Institute for High School Educators

This two-week-long summer program, offered in Ames since 2015, helps Iowa high school teachers to gain the tools necessary to stimulate team building, critical thinking, and interest in the transportation field. Teachers participate in transportation-related activities aimed at helping them to bring STEM topics into their physical science and physics classrooms and after-school programs.

Participating teachers are given pre- and post-content knowledge tests about the goals of science, engineering, and technology; historical examples of science, engineering, and technology; and reasons why students might be confused about the goals of science, math, engineering, and technology. Educators scored significantly higher on the post-program test compared to their pre-program scores. In 2025, the Transportation Institute workshop earned the Iowa STEM Advisory Council’s Seal of Approval that recognizes and supports selected individual programs and periodic events that help advance STEM principles and thinking in Iowa communities.

For more details on the program and the application process, visit the Transportation Institute page.

Ready, Set, Build: Central Iowa’s Bridge Building Challenge

Each year, Central Iowa K–12 students travel to the Science Center of Iowa, located in downtown Des Moines, to enter a Bridge Building Competition where they learn about bridge design from InTrans and Iowa DOT professionals before making their own bridges from household items (e.g., Popsicle sticks, wooden dowels, masking tape, glue, string, and poster board). Students form teams and have three hours to build their bridge and get input from the engineering professionals as they do so. The event introduces students to the complex world of engineering while also teaching them valuable skills—like teamwork—that will support them in their future careers. The event is typically held over two days in the fall, with more than 200 students participating from across the state each year.

For more details on the program and the application process, visit the Ready, Set, Build page.