Alumni

Michigan Tech has decades long tradition of placing graduates to rail industry careers. Since Rail Transportation Program was established more than 100 Michigan Tech graduates have started their employment in the industry.RTP alumni work for various industry companies, including Class I and smaller freight railroads, passenger railroads, engineering consultants and rail contractors, manufacturers, and DOTS. Our alumni often participate by supporting our programming. Examples for how Alumni can continue to be involved in RTP programming: organizing on-site field trip visits, providing student research project ideas and involvement, providing scholarship support, giving presentations.

We welcome our alumni to keep in touch! Let us know what you are doing. Please fill the Alumni Feedback Form or send an email to rtp@mtu.edu. We can share your news!

RTP Alumni in Rail Industry

Manager of Yard Operations, UPRR
Destine is a 2014 graduate with a BS in Operations and Systems Management. In July, 2014, she began work for Union Pacific Railroad as an Operations Management Trainee (OMT) in the Chicago, IL area. Upon completion of the OMT program Destine will become a Manager of Yard Operations. “Prior to taking the Logistics and Transportation course (OSM4700), I never considered working for the rail industry. The topic of railroads was one that I rarely heard about until this course. After classroom lectures and being assigned a project discussing the critical issues in rail transportation, I became fascinated."
Project Engineer, Quandel Consultants
Aaron graduated in December of 2014 and accepted a position with Quandel Consultants in Chicago, Illinois as a Project Engineer. At Quandel he has spent the majority last two years working on the ongoing corridor improvements of the Michigan Line for higher speed services of Amtrak between Chicago and Detroit. This work includes both the designs for improvement of track alignments and highway grade crossings to support train speeds of up to 110 mph.
Sharma & Associates, Inc
Hamed Pouryousef graduated from Michigan Technological University (MTU) in spring 2015 with PhD in Civil Engineering focusing on train scheduling and capacity analysis areas using optimization and simulation models. While studying at MTU he contributed in several research projects under Dr. Pasi Lautala’s supervision including development of a web-based education and training platform for high speed rail workforce in the U.S., sponsored by FRA.
Mechanical Management, BNSF Railway
Michael graduated from Michigan Tech in December 2015 with a Mechanical Engineering degree. Michael developed an interest in the rail industry through the Railroad Engineering and Activities Club (REAC) where he had opportunities to tour numerous railroad facilities and intern at Rail Interchange. Upon graduation, Michael accepted a Mechanical Management Trainee position with BNSF Railway.
TTCI
During my four years of undergrad in Metallurgical Engineering at Jadavpur University in my hometown of Kolkata, India, I did an internship in a steel foundry where I worked on designing molds of locomotive wheels, side frames and bolsters of freight cars and worked in the metallurgy lab and steel melt shop. Then after my undergrad, I worked as a technical engineer in Vesuvius, India for two years before coming to Michigan Tech to pursue my MS and PhD. At Vesuvius, I worked on manufacturing of refractory used in continuous casting of steel.
Senior Data Scientist, Predikto
After graduating from MTU in 2008, I enrolled in graduate school at Texas Tech University pursuing my PhD in Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis in the modelling/simulation and optimization based prediction of dynamic systems.
Analyst - PTC, CN
Much of my day is spent on conference calls, working with PTC implementation, operations and testing, or working with the software build team.  With the software team I work to compile all of the information they need (signals, switches, sidings, speeds, special operating conditions, etc.) into a set of checklists for specific geographic areas.
Remprex Engineering
After graduating in April ’17, I accepted a job with the consulting firm I interned with the previous summer, Remprex LLC in their Engineering services department working with a few other MTU alumi.  When I started Full time with them in June I have been doing a lot of construction management on various projects by myself and with other coworkers.  Some of these included pavement replacement, and automated gate system installation.  Part of the construction management entails monitoring contractor safety, quantity tracking, quality insurance and coordination via various channels. 
Engineer Associate - Track, Union Pacific
I recently started working with Union Pacific Railroad as an Engineer Associate in the track department. As a new engineering employee I am going through their Operations Management Trainee (OMT) Program which will last 12 months.
Norfolk Southern Railway
Andy Manty graduated in May 2010 with a BS in Civil Engineering. He has been working with Norfolk Southern Railway since July of 2010. “Growing up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan there wasn’t much railroad activity, but I did grow up around the Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad (LS &I) which services the CCI iron mines in the Ishpeming area. At Michigan Tech I started to get involved with REAC and my interest in the rail industry grew."

Pages