The 2026 Mineta Summer Transportation Academy (MiSTA) recently concluded a two-week program, offering 31 Bay Area high school students an in-depth look at various transportation careers. Hosted at San José State University (SJSU) since 2006, the annual academy provides students with hands-on learning experiences and behind-the-scenes field trips to understand the many roles involved in keeping communities moving.
The academy began at SJSU, where students were introduced to geographic information science and drone technology by researchers from the GeoFly Lab at UC Santa Cruz, eventually taking control of drones themselves. Participants also learned civil engineering basics and applied their skills to design bridges. Later, Carter Lavin, Co-Founder of the Transbay Coalition, introduced them to transportation advocacy. Professionals from Fehr & Peers and the San José Department of Transportation led students into the field to explore the Reimagining Santa Clara Street project, where students used Streetmix to redesign the corridor, considering varied user needs.
Throughout the program, students explored transportation careers on the ground and in the sky. They visited Glydways for an up-close look at autonomous vehicles and toured San José Mineta International Airport for a behind-the-scenes perspective on airport operations and the systems that keep it running.
The program’s educational sites stretched across the Bay Area, providing students with perspectives most travelers do not see. At the Port of Oakland, they tracked a shipping container through the rail and maritime systems that facilitate the movement of goods. A “Transit Speedrun” allowed students to navigate VTA Light Rail and Caltrain as passengers. Later, at San José’s Transportation Management Center, they observed the management of these networks behind the scenes. Other experiences focused on future mobility technology, including Glydways’ autonomous vehicles and SJSU’s BAT Lab, where students used driving simulators and examined how AI might share the road with humans. At SJSU’s Gerald Shreve Simulation Lab, the SJSU Precision Flight Team guided students as they operated flight simulators.
Rail transportation was a significant focus this year, offering students a detailed view of how rail systems are maintained and developed. They saw passenger trains undergo inspection and maintenance at the ACE Rail Maintenance Facility and learned about investments in electrification, grade separations, and expansion across the region. Visits to active construction sites for VTA’s BART Silicon Valley Project and California High-Speed Rail showed students major infrastructure projects taking shape in real time.
On the final day of MiSTA, students visited VTA’s Guadalupe Light Rail Division, exploring operations and maintenance. Guided by VTA Technical Trainers, they took control of a light rail vehicle, concluding two weeks of studying, riding, and engaging with the people who enable transportation.
For participants like Leland Liao, a 2026 participant with an interest in aviation, MiSTA broadened existing passions. He stated the academy inspired him to be “enthusiastic and curious about transportation.”
The program's impact extends beyond the immediate experience. Lawrenze Vigo, who participated four years ago, now studies planning, data, and GIS at UC Berkeley and holds a Transportation Demand Management internship. Vigo noted MiSTA sparked his passion early, providing an opportunity to explore transportation careers and higher education as someone from a primarily low-income public school who relied on public transit.
Another alum, Alice Girard, a rising junior from Los Gatos High School, developed an interest in urban planning through MiSTA. This interest led to a mini-documentary exploring urban sprawl. Alice advises peers interested in transportation, “Don't be afraid to start small. MiSTA was really beneficial for me.” Alice is now involved in a separate program focused on urban data research and analysis.
The 2026 Mineta Summer Transportation Academy received funding from the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program’s Promoting Railroading Careers and Developing the Current Rail Industry Workforce initiative, a Union Pacific Railroad Local Grant, and the Research and Education Promoting Safety Center (REPS) at Howard University. Generous support also came from sponsors including the Lucas College and Graduate School of Business, DB E.C.O. North America Inc., and Fehr & Peers, who supported a downtown San José walking tour.
Partners including the California High-Speed Rail Authority, GeoFly Lab at UC Santa Cruz, Glydways, San José Department of Transportation, San José Mineta International Airport, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), SJSU College of Engineering Behavior, Accessibility, and Technology (BAT) Lab, SJSU Precision Flight Team, SJSU Spartan Racing, SSA Marine Terminal, and VTA’s BART Silicon Valley Extension Program transformed the Bay Area into a classroom. These organizations offered students a firsthand look at the range of people, careers, technologies, and organizations that contribute to community mobility.