AREMA Announces Watford Fellowship’s April Deadline
Written by Kyra Senese, Managing Editor
Applications for the Watford Fellowship, supported by the AREMA Educational Foundation and the US Committee to the Watford Group of International Railway Designers, are due April 14.
AREMA Educational Foundation
The American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association’s Educational Foundation, in coordination with the US Committee to the Watford Group of International Railway Designers, is seeking applications for the Watford Fellowship.
The fellowship is meant to provide aspiring railway employees with an opportunity to gain an international perspective of railroad and transit design and operations, AREMA said in a release.
The 2023 fellowship grant will provide paid registration to the Watford Conference in the United Kingdom, which will include tours of recent infrastructure and rolling stock projects and focus on railway planning, design, and construction, according to AREMA. The three-day conference is currently planned for late October. The application deadline is April 14, and the AREMA selection panel plans to announce its selection by June 9.
Nearly all conference meals, local transportation, and conference activity entry are included in the conference registration fee. Four nights of hotel lodging and incidental meals in the United Kingdom not covered by the registration cost will be reimbursed by the fellowship grant, according to AREMA.
The only additional charges for a North American would be airfare across the Atlantic—which may be paid for using airline miles—and travel costs before and after the conference. The grant’s total amount may not exceed $1,500 USD.
The Watford Group has a long-standing relationship with AREMA, with members of Committee 6 invited into the US committee since 1993, a release said. The Watford Group was created in 1963 by British Railways to promote design excellence and invite other countries to attend the annual Watford Conference, with more than 20 countries participating in recent years.
The AREMA Educational Foundation is a charitable organization established to promote educational activities related to railway engineering. The foundation provides scholarships to engineering students specializing in the railway industry and supports other educational and training endeavors that help to ensure the future of the profession.
Additional information on fellowship eligibility criteria is available here. AREMA members can register for the annual conference by contacting Watford’s US Chairperson Thomas Cornillie at [email protected].
