Bryan W. Schlake, Instructor in Rail Transportation Engineering (RTE) at Penn State Altoona, earned both a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His graduate research at the University of Illinois Rail Transportation and Engineering Center (RailTEC) involved safety and economic analysis of freight car condition monitoring technologies. After graduation, he served in both management and engineering roles at Norfolk Southern Railway. He now teaches railroad engineering at Penn State Altoona in the first and only Bachelors of Science in Rail Transportation Engineering (RTE) in the nation. In addition to investing in the next generation of railroad engineers, Bryan is involved with research related to rolling stock safety and locomotive design, with additional research interests including training within industry and application of lean production principles to railroad mechanical operations. He is a professional member of the Rail Transportation Division of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the American Railroad Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA).