Polytec, Inc., a leader in optical measurement technology, recently supported Georgia Southern University’s Railroad Career Awareness Summer Camp (RAILS) by providing free loaner VibroGo® portable laser vibrometers through its PolyLab Education Program.
Image Credit: Polytec
Hosted on the Georgia Southern campus, the 2025 RAILS Summer Camp offered high school and college students a hands-on introduction to railroad technology, safety, and career opportunities. Students engaged in experiential learning modules, participated in interactive workshops, toured advanced labs, and heard from industry leaders, including representatives from ENSCO, Inc. and Norfolk Southern.
“The RAILS Summer Camp is more than an outreach event. it's an investment in the future of rail innovation and STEM workforce development,” said Dr. Hossain Taheri, Principal Investigator and Director of the RAILS Program. “Thanks to Polytec’s generous support, our students had a rare opportunity to work with industry-grade tools like the VibroGo® laser vibrometer, gaining hands-on experience with advanced vibration testing techniques that are directly applicable to structural health monitoring in railroad systems. Partnerships like these inspire students and connect classroom learning to impactful careers in transportation.”
Polytec’s VibroGo® systems enabled students to explore vibration and acoustics in real time, using the same precision tools found in advanced research and industry applications. The PolyLab Education Program aims to expand access to high-tech learning tools for the classroom, and the loaned VibroGo units provided students with an exciting, real-world connection to STEM concepts in motion.
“We are proud to support programs like RAILS that inspire the next generation of engineers and transportation professionals,” said Michael Frech, President at Polytec, Inc. “Hands-on experiences are essential to learning, and we are excited that VibroGo® portable vibrometers could be part of that journey.”
The camp was sponsored by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and made possible through collaboration with educators and industry leaders committed to advancing transportation innovation and workforce development.
Students left the weeklong program with a deeper appreciation for the role of rail in modern infrastructure—and new insights into the STEM careers shaping its future.
To learn more about the PolyLab Education Program, visit: https://www.polytec.com/polylab