While the 29th Annual Bill Kloos Traffic Bowl took to the virtual stage this year, the Oregon Tech Student Chapter of Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) didn’t let the change in format stop them from taking home first place at the competition. The annual event, held this year on Nov. 19, draws student teams from universities throughout Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Idaho.
The typical Jeopardy-style contest was changed to a team trivia-style event and pitted the Northwest’s brightest transportation students and professionals against each other to test knowledge of transportation planning, engineering, and history with a sprinkling of arcane facts and pop culture thrown in for good measure. The knowledge-building event brings practicing engineers and students together to network and assist transportation job seekers.
The winning Oregon Tech team, comprised of Civil Engineering student members of the ITE Student Chapter, was captained by Leif Tuel (junior from Tillamook) and included Devin Anderson (senior from Weed, Calif.), Lauren Krueger (junior from Honolulu, Hawaii), Cassidy McDowell (sophomore from Medford) and Caroline Schulze (junior from Meridian, Idaho). The team beat out archrivals from Oregon State University and Portland State University to take this year's title.
Oregon Tech has competed in the Oregon Traffic Bowl since 2001 and this is the second time Oregon Tech students have earned the top honor.
Dr. Roger Lindgren, Oregon Tech Civil Engineering department chair and chapter adviser, said the team’s performance was even more remarkable since the team was entirely undergraduate students and only one Oregon Tech team member had completed their required undergrad transportation courses!
Over the years, the Chapter has arranged successful trips to the ITE Traffic Bowl in Portland; ITE Western Region Student Leadership Conferences in Corvallis, Berkeley, Los Angeles and San Louis Obispo; ITE International Meetings in Austin and Seattle; and the Transportation Research Board Annual Meetings in Washington, D.C.
The ITE Student Chapter works with other Oregon Tech student groups, such as the American Society of Civil Engineers and Tau Beta Pi (engineering honors society) to put engineering students in contact with practicing engineers and real-world projects. The Chapter's activities are supported by a generous grant from the National Institute for Transportation and Communities.
For more information on events or to become a member, please contact chapter adviser Dr. Roger Lindgren at roger.lindgren@oit.edu.
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