Multicultural Student Services

Internships and Jobs

Affliated Computer Services is hiring.

Req # 54299-Exit Team
Req # 54841- Team Lead
Req # 53985- Financial Aid Officer
Req # 54729- Training Specialist
Req # 54699- Financial Aid Officer
Req # 54521- Software Developer

You can go to www.acs-inc.com and submit you application. Please forward to anyone who might be interested.

Extra information:
Company: Affliated Computer Services
Locations: University and Rural OR Elliot and Priest
Hours: Pick and stick - you pick you own schedule
Pay: Usually no less than $10 per hour, but usually more than that.
Benefits: Vacation time, sick time, holiday pay, etc..

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Arizona Transportation Research Center Hiring

Each year the Arizona Transportation Research Center hires several students or recent graduates to work as contract researchers on selected projects.

• The researcher (or researchers-individuals may apply as a team if they wish) would undertake the project in a fashion similar to working on a thesis. He/she would work independently and be compensated as tasks of the project are completed.
• Projects generally run for about a year, though there have been a few that were longer or shorter in duration.
• Work is done on a schedule & at a location selected by the researcher.
• Compensation is estimated to amount to about $15 to $20 per hour on average.
• Individuals wanting to know more about this program or who would like to be placed on the list to be notified of future job opportunities should contact John Semmens (ph. 602-712-3137; e-mail jsemmens@azdot.gov). [Please provide as much of the following information-name, e-mail, address, city, state, zip code, phone number-as you can.]

Projects currently open for applicants (the deadline for applications is October 31, 2006):

SPR 544 - What is the best mix and type of service delivery strategies that can be
employed to reduce customer visit time in MVD field offices?

Registering a vehicle and obtaining a driver’s license are among the major points of contact between the public and the Arizona Department of Transportation. We want to be “customer friendly” and make these types of transactions as simple as possible. At the same time, ADOT must ensure that drivers are qualified and fees are paid.

To minimize cost and maximize customer satisfaction, transactions between customers and ADOT should be conducted as efficiently as possible. Some of these transactions can be conducted over the phone, by mail, or on the internet. Other transactions (new driver’s licenses, for example) require that the customer come to an MVD field office to take a vision or on-the-road test. There are an array of options and strategies for conducting these various transactions.

The question is, which set of options or strategies would be optimal for meeting the needs of ADOT and its customers?

Research Objectives:

1.      Compile a comprehensive list of transaction methods that might be used by MVD.
2.      Describe the advantages and disadvantages of each method.
3.      Where feasible, estimate a cost/benefit profile for each method.

SPR 598 - Analysis of Bicycle Lanes (BL) Versus Wide Curb Lanes (WCL)

What is the appropriate type of bicycle facility on the State Highway System for cyclists? Some research, for example, concludes that: 1) BL cause problems to the extent that they encourage bicyclists and motorists to violate the rules of the road for drivers of vehicles, or 2) the best way to make most busy roads "Motorist Friendly in the Presence of Bicyclists, Resulting in Bicycling Friendliness" is to provide WCL, that they are simple, and simply better. The counterargument is that cycling is much safer and more popular precisely in those countries where bikeways, bike lanes, special intersection modifications, and priority traffic signals are the key to their bicycling policies. Finally, some studies conclude that both BL and WCL facilities can and should be used to improve cycling conditions.

Project Objectives
The research would provide a report that can be used by ADOT engineers to select the appropriate designs to accommodate bicycle travel AND to help ADOT answer legitimate concerns and ensure sound engineering practices.

SPR 623 - Increasing Vehicle Registration Compliance and Revenue through Proactive Identification

Arizona Revised Statutes 28-2153 requires that vehicles be appropriately registered. There is no grace period for new residents who have current but out-of-state vehicle registrations. ADOT estimates that several million dollars per year are lost because of unregistered vehicles belonging to new residents. This loss is likely to increase as Arizona’s population continues to grow through migration.

Currently, registration compliance is achieved through self-identification and enforcement efforts. Given the magnitude of lost revenue per year, neither of these alternatives is adequately effective. Another alternative, one that proactively identifies individuals who are likely to need Arizona vehicle registration, is needed.

An efficient and effective method to identify these individuals is to reference new residential utility activations. In rental units the water service is often paid for by the landlord; and not every residence, especially those built in the 1970s, has gas service. But practically every residence has electric service. Although electric service records will not capture every new resident (e.g., some rentals include the cost of all utilities), it is the best alternative available. Thus, new residential electric service activations provide an effective basis for identifying and informing residents of the need and process to fulfill Arizona vehicle registration requirements.

Project Objectives
1. Develop a data sharing prototype process with electric utility companies in a major metropolitan area to proactively identify new residents.

2. Determine the cost effectiveness of implementing the data sharing process on a statewide basis.

SPR 637 Cost/Benefit Analysis of Electronic License Plates

Electronic Plates (E-Plates) combine visual identification (i.e. alpha numeric plate format), along with an electronic verification system (electronic sensors imbedded in plate or plate mounting material.) Each plate has a unique identifier, not unlike the validation tab system.

The technology allows for a variety of uses: management of traffic flow (Britain has used it to stagger speed limits based on traffic congestion); road safety - traffic incident management; travel history - insurance company ability to monitor miles traveled, speed limits, etc.; registration compliance (tracking movement of vehicles currently registered or not).

The E-Plate registers on sensors mounted on rigid road readers or in mobile units. Enforcement of traffic laws, the tracking of criminals, collection of revenues, and management of traffic congestion could all be improved if vehicles had electronic license plates. An electronic license plate would enable the use of more sophisticated technologies to track and manage these objectives.

Project Objectives
1. Conduct a thorough evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of electronic license plates.
2. Estimate the required cost of implementing electronic license plates in Arizona and compare these costs to expected benefits.

SPR 639 Effectiveness of Various Pre-Emergent Herbicides

Currently, ADOT does not have specifications describing one or more product(s) that are proven to control weeds better than others. The selection of a type of pre-emergent herbicide is often left up to the contractor to decide, resulting in less quality products being used and undesirable weed growth.

ADOT needs to do a comparison study of the effectiveness of various pre-emergent herbicides predominantly used for the control of weeds within the urban freeway landscape system.

Project Objectives
1. Review the literature to assess the potential effectiveness of selected herbicides
2. Recommend one or more herbicides for a field test.
3. Recommend which herbicides ought to be used on ADOT highway roadsides.

SPR 640 Cost-Effectiveness of Mobile Enforcement

Currently, MVD attempts to enforce weight limits and safety regulations for commercial vehicles through ports-of-entry and mobile details. It is the unanimous opinion of those charged with enforcement responsibility that this effort is under-funded. Yet, this opinion has been insufficient to persuade decision makers to increase the budget allocated to enforcement.

ADOT needs to do a study of the effectiveness of enforcement efforts. This particular study would focus on the mobile enforcement activities in order to determine if the benefits in terms of fines & fees collected, pavement damage avoided and crashes averted due to enforcement efforts exceed the costs of mobile enforcement details.

Project Objectives
1. Assess the effectiveness of mobile enforcement.
2. Recommend an optimal level of enforcement effort.

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