Transportation Planning Data Science Intern

Description

As an intern for the Metropolitan Transportation Service (MTS), Technical Service department, you will support multi-modal transportation planning in the region through innovative approaches to collecting and analyzing transportation survey data and “big data” and through analysis of forecast models. You will join a vibrant, collaborative, and caring travel research and modeling team working on travel demand forecasting, travel behavior surveys, and creative analysis of all kinds of transportation data to drive planning and policy analysis for the multi-modal regional transportation system. You will learn to work with big data and real-world survey data, learn to develop public-facing visualizations and interactive tools, and present to staff and committees.

Internship Length: Full time during the summer, part time during the school year
Start Date: 05/31/2022
Location: 390 Robert St. N, St. Paul, MN 55101
Hours a Week: 40 hours a week during the summer, 10-20 (flexible) hours during the school year

What does a 2022 Internship with the Metropolitan Council entail?
As a 2022 Intern with the Metropolitan Council you will benefit from on-the-job training and mentoring along with participation in team projects, social events and professional development. Interns will receive the opportunity to build professional relationships and enhance their interpersonal skills. Interns will also interact with their coworkers and participate in projects that directly impact business value.

Who is the Metropolitan Council?
The Metropolitan Council is made up of several operating divisions that service the Twin Cities Metropolitan area in a number of ways.

• Metro Transit provides bus and light rail public transportation for the greater metropolitan area
• Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES) manages wastewater treatment plants and the regional wastewater collection system for the seven-county metropolitan region
• Community Development is responsible for helping the Council shape its regional growth plan and Metro HRA provides affordable housing programs in the region
• Metropolitan Transportation Services (MTS) is responsible for the transportation planning functions as the Twin Cities metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for transportation
• Regional Administration provides support services (Finance, Payroll, HR, etc.) for the Council

Example of Duties:

• Work with household and transit survey data to provide insights on COVID-era travel patterns
• Identifying opportunities for increasing travel by transit, bike, walking
• Identify and understand the barriers to travel such as examining how regional inequities (e.g., racial, general income) affect people’s travel choices and opportunities
• Examine racial and general dimensions of travel behaviors patterns, person-level emissions information, and other emerging issues
• Assemble and visualize data to better understand sensitivities, capabilities, and limitations of travel demand models
• Work with transportation “big data” to analyze congestion and broader travel patterns

Minimum Qualifications

• Must be enrolled in a post-secondary education program OR be a recent graduate (within 12 months) from a post-secondary education program

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with data analysis languages and tools such as R (preferred), python
• Experience with statistical analysis and modeling, data visualization
• Experience with data mining with structures, unstructured, and/or semi-structured data

Degree Program/Area of Study Preferred

• Data Science
• Statistics
• Analytics
• Or similar quantitative field of study

To Apply:

• Complete the application and answer the supplemental questions
• Attach a resume and unofficial transcript
• Must be a Citizen or National of the United States, a lawful, permanent resident, or have authorization to work in the United States