Virtual Student Federal Service Internship Program

Title: Future of Mobility Innovation Challenge Project
How many interns: 4
When: 9/15/23 - 5/31/24
Application Due Date: 7/31/23

Introduction

Federal Transit Administration (FTA)’s Office of Mobility Innovation seeks student innovators passionate about making the world a better place through transportation innovation. In this internship, you will work with a team of interns to propose an innovative solution to today’s mobility challenges, informed by the public transportation and mobility industry, that advances a future of carefree mobility. The landscape of public transportation and mobility is ever-evolving, and we are looking for your ideas to uncover how innovation can change our mobility systems and travel patterns for the better.

More information, including instructions for applying, can be found here.

What you’ll do

You will work collaboratively with a team of interns to propose an innovative solution to today’s

mobility challenges that is equitable, sustainable, and advances our vision of carefree mobility. This

challenge will focus on current research office priorities, such as personalization, payment innovation,

mobility systems integration, equity, and climate.

Informed by your own experiences moving through the world and through research of a selected

community’s mobility challenges, you will develop an innovative strategy that considers community

needs and engagement, funding and financing, climate impact, land use, technology, and integration

with other transportation and urban systems.

At the end of this project, you will have produced the following:

1. A formal presentation to FTA research office staff and industry experts, including background research on community needs and details of the proposed solution(s)
2. A virtual poster that provides and overview of the proposed solutions(s) and includes written and visual elements (e.g., design schematics, data visualizations)

We seek energetic, creative, passionate people with cutting edge knowledge in communications,

outreach, research, design, writing, and related areas. One higher-level (Masters, Ph.D.) student will be

the Team Lead, helping coordinate the work of a multi-disciplinary team of interns of all levels, and

working closely with the Federal Mentors.

What you’ll learn

• The latest in public transportation and mobility research from FTA staff
• How to design an impactful innovation project that takes into consideration community needs
• Current priorities and challenges facing public transportation agencies
• Practice public speaking and giving presentations
• Working in a collaborative, multi-disciplinary team
• Research and writing
• Data visualization
• Urban design

Who we are

The Office of Mobility Innovation is a part of FTA’s Office of Research, Demonstration, and Innovation. Our team is composed of transit nerds from various backgrounds, and we work together to advance mobility innovation through various research programs focused on transportation insecurity,

automation, emerging technologies, and more.