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September 11th Memorial Program

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC) established the September 11th Memorial Program for Regional Transportation Planning to honor the memory of Ignatius Adanga, Charles Lesperance, and See Wong Shum, the three employees it lost during the attack on the World Trade Center. The program was established to educate and motivate people interested in transportation technology and planning and to encourage innovations in planning activities throughout the NYMTC region. The Program's Academic Initiative is designed to foster the academic and professional development of students by providing them with opportunities to participate in innovative research and planning projects. It is administered by the University Transportation Research Center (UTRC).

Though there has been two ways in which to participate in this program in prior years, only the internship option is being offered during 2021-22. Opportunities may be available for students to perform duties remotely for NYMTC or a NYMTC member agency. The specifc internship options for 2021 are posted now at: http://www.utrc2.org/education/available-internships-9/11. The proposed research topics will challenge students to develop creative solutions to difficult problems, providing a benefit to the region while enhancing their educational experiences. This program is open to graduate students only.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: 

The application process for the NYMTC/UTRC September 11th Program Academic Initiative Internship Program is now open for the academic year 2021-22. The deadline to submit applications is August 15, 2021. 

Apply now!

Up to four awards can be granted based on the September 11th Program Selection Subcommittee members. Master's degree or Ph.D. candidates who attend a UTRC consortium institution and will be enrolled full-time during the 2021-22 school year are eligible to apply. Participants will be required to conduct their projects on-site for up to 15 hours per week.

Available Internships for Academic Year 2021-2022

[View List]

Applicants should specify their preferred internship options on the application. It is estimated that students will invest approximately 1,000 hours of effort over a 12-month calendar year. For this involvement, graduate students will receive up to $34,000 in stipend/tuition reimbursement funding.  An additional $1,000 is available for professional development programs.

Together with a full class schedule, the internship constitutes a full-time commitment. Students may not have any other employment obligations while participating in this program. The interns will also be required to present on the findings of their research in September 2022.

Over the course of the year, students will also be invited to participate in other activities aimed at promoting their development as transportation professionals, such as opportunities to attend research and professional conferences.

Eligibility

Program participants must be enrolled full-time at one of the UTRC Member Universities. Prospective students not yet enrolled in graduate school may apply to the September 11th Memorial Program concurrently with their application to any of these schools. Additionally, the following restrictions apply to students’ eligibility for this program:

 
Research Options
Internship Options
Degree Goal
NA Graduate Students

International Students
NA Only if visa allows
Geographic Constrains
NA Opportunities may be available for students to perform duties remotely for NYMTC or a NYMTC member agency.

Students from all academic disciplines are encouraged to apply, as long as their studies relate in some way to transportation planning. Fields that are especially relevant include Transportation Planning and Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Operations Research, City and Regional Planning, Architecture, and Public Policy, but applicants need not be limited to these fields.


Internship Information

The following supporting materials are required for the 2021-22 September 11th Internship: 

  1. Résumé.
  2. An essay, describing how you visualize your future role in the New York transportation planning process (500-1000 words).
  3. Undergraduate and graduate transcripts. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable on a provisional basis; electronic versions can be uploaded directly, or hard copies can be scanned and uploaded. You may be requested to submit official transcripts at a later date for confirmation. If you are not able to obtain an electronic copy, you may mail official or unofficial transcripts to the address below.
  4. A letter from student's advisor or staff member in respective academic program. The purpose of this letter is to accept responsibility as the student's point of contact with administrative questions within the university, e.g. receiving stipend payments. FYI, the adviser will also serve as the liaison between the institution's office of research grants and RFCUNY on any contractual or payment issues.
  5. Additionally, three letters of recommendation from professors and/or employers must also be uploaded online. Recommendation Letters must be uploaded directly by the recommenders using the following link: https://www.dropbox.com/request/E7rH8aDLr2VBaRo2B4OYApplicants are to share the link with their recommenders.

Apply now!


CONTACT INFORMATION:

For additional information, send an email to info@utrc2.org
Please include your name and school information on the email.
 

September 11th Memorial Program

2021-2022
Name Universities
Julia Amaral Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Fabian Barch New York University
Cristina Mejia Cancelado New York University
Tao Liang New York University
2020-2021
Name Universities
David Anton Columbia University
Seth Kerr New York University
Niloufar Nouri City University of New York
Carla Tejada City University of New York
2019-20
Name Universities
Gabrielle O'Grady The City College of New York
Yaxin Zhang The City College of New York
2018-19
Name Universities
Amirhossein Baghestani The City College of New York
Nury Martinez-Gutierrez The City College of New York
2017-18
Name Universities
Shirin Najafabadi City University of New York
Siddharth Shah New York University
2016-17
Name Universities
Bahman Moghimi The City College of New York
Patricio Vicuna The City College of New York
2015-16
Name Universities
Sabiheh Faghih The City College of New York
Di Liu New York University
2014-15
Name Universities
Gauri Jumde New York University
Dan Wan City University of New York
2013-14
Name Universities
Emily Grace Heard Columbia University
Homer Hill Hunter College
2012-13
Name Universities
Adam Davidson City University of New York
Stanislav Parfenov Polytechnic Institute of NYU
Jeremy Safran New York University
Simin You City University of New York
2011-12
Name Universities
Cyrus Naheedy Polytechnic Institute of NYU
Shuai Ren New York University
Maxwell Sokol Columbia University
2009-10
Name Universities
Haiyun Lin The City College of New York
Sandra Rothbard New York University
Judd Schechtman Rutgers University
Timon Stasko Cornell University
Alexander Wolk New York University
2008-09
Name Universities
Evan Bialostozky Hunter College
Peter Feroe New York University
Jennifer Lozano New York University
Michael Silas Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Darrell Sonntag Cornell University
Nicholas Tulach Rutgers University
2007-08
Name Universities
Nancy Mahadeo Rutgers University
Gitakrishnan Ramadurai Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Matthew Roe Columbia University
Brian Ross New York University
2006-07
Name Universities
Amit Arora Rutgers University
Richard Barone Columbia University
Jason Chen The City College of New York
2005-06
Name Universities
Li Chen The City College of New York
Wei Li The City College of New York
Jeevanjot Singh Rutgers University
David Dayu Zhang Columbia University
Name Universities
Dr. Dan Wan City University of New York