AREMA seeks applicants for Watford Fellowship

The AREMA Educational Foundation, in cooperation with the U.S. Committee to the Watford Group of International Railway Designers, is soliciting applications for the Watford Fellowship, a learning opportunity to be offered during the Watford Conference in Amsterdam in October.

The fellowship is designed for an aspiring railway employee interested in gaining an international perspective on railroad design and operations. The fellowship will consist of paid registration — valued at $1,800 — to the 2014 Watford Conference, which will be held Oct. 15-18, AREMA officials said in a press release.

The deadline for applications is April 15. Applications should be mailed to: AREMA, in care of Stacy Spaulding, 4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 130, Lanham, MD, 20706, USA.

British Railways founded the Watford Group in 1963 to encourage the exchange of ideas and promote design excellence among its operating regions. Other countries were invited to join and, subsequently, more than 20 nations now are eligible to send delegates to the annual Watford Conference.

The group is one of few global organizations that integrate all aspects of rail transportation under the umbrella of "good design is good business," AREMA officials said.

The initiative's goals are to broaden professional horizons of aspiring railroaders while enabling them to carry the AREMA brand nationally, as well as to add new members to the U.S. Watford Committee.