Discovery Park

The second NEXTRANS Indiana High School Essay Competition will conclude this Friday, December 10, 2010.  Interested applicants are encouraged to submit their essays to 3000 Kent Ave., West Lafayette, IN; entries postmarked on or before December 10, 2010 will be accepted.

The contest's goal is to encourage students to consider how integral transportation is to the future of Indiana and our nation, and potentially interest them in pursuing transportation-related careers and/or higher education in the field.  NEXTRANS is seeking articulate and well-researched essays of up to 1500 words on the following topic:

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has emphasized how vitally important transportation is to our nation's future.  In addition to creating jobs by investing in America's transportation infrastructure, improving highway, air, ship, and rail travel helps people and goods to move more efficiently, allowing businesses to prosper and saving average Americans time and money.  At the same time, better public transit systems, more fuel-efficient cars, and less-congested roadways can help protect the environment, and move the U.S. towards energy independence.  Identify one or more transportation challenge(s) that the state of Indiana is currently facing.  Why are these problems significant, and how might they be solved?

All public, private, and homeschooled high school students (grades 9-12) currently residing in Indiana are eligible to enter.