An exceptional team

CAMBUS student employees and volunteers in front of a bus at the 2023 IPTA state roadeo

CAMBUS drivers earn two of three top places at state bus driving competition

Tuesday, June 13, 2023
On Saturday, June 10, CAMBUS co-hosted the Iowa Public Transit Association's State Bus Roadeo. 18 drivers representing 8 transit agencies across Iowa competed in large bus and mini-bus courses in Parking Lot 55 – Hancher in Iowa City.
Driver of the Year, Scott Kerno, smiles outside of the WCTC while holding his award.

Scott Kerno recognized as 2023 CAMBUS Driver of the Year

Monday, June 12, 2023
University of Iowa’s CAMBUS recognizes Scott Kerno as the 2023 Driver of the Year. Transit service providers across Iowa each nominate an employee annually to be honored by the Iowa Public Transit Association (IPTA) for their commitment to providing safe and friendly service.
an image of all the personnel who competed in the 2023 CAMBUS roadeo

CAMBUS Roadeo 2023

Tuesday, June 6, 2023
On June 3, CAMBUS drivers competed in a “bus roadeo.” The annual bus roadeo is a friendly competition amongst CAMBUS student staff to test their driving skills in a ten-part obstacle course.
two buses approaching one another near Newton road

Transit Operator Appreciation: CAMBUS thanks student employees for their diligence as service grows

Friday, March 17, 2023
The week of March 20, 2023, UI CAMBUS is recognizing its student employees for their commitment to providing safe and reliable transportation.
gold background with white banner heading CAMBUS Scholarship recipients and photo of each recipient

CAMBUS scholarship awarded to recipients for spring 2023

Wednesday, January 18, 2023
CAMBUS Scholarships have been awarded to five student employees for the spring 2023 semester: Rose Arrigoni, Shelby Mutter, Hannah Robinson, Chen-You Wu, and Mason Zaker.
fall 2022 scholarship collage

CAMBUS scholarship awarded to recipients for fall 2022

Thursday, July 14, 2022
CAMBUS Scholarships have been awarded to five student employees for the fall 2022 semester: Kristina Dibert, Alyson Holevoet, Miguel Jacobo, Jacob Pingel, and Darshaun Smith.
top 3

UI CAMBUS driver Ben Koch takes second place in state bus driving competition

Monday, July 11, 2022
On Saturday, July 9, CAMBUS drivers Ben Koch and Neil Smithson participated in the Iowa Public Transit Association’s state “bus roadeo”. Koch placed second in the large bus division, the first time a CAMBUS driver has placed at the state competition in some years.
gold background graphic with three square images showing technicians and maintenance assistants performing repairs or training

Going the extra mile with the UI’s automotive service professionals

Thursday, June 30, 2022
In June as part of Automotive Service Professionals Month, the Parking and Transportation department is recognizing the important work of the nine full-time and 11 part-time student staff that maintain and repair the university’s fleet of buses and vehicles.
Group of CAMBUS student employees pose in front of a bus

CAMBUS drivers compete in 'bus roadeo' June 2022

Monday, June 27, 2022
On June 26, CAMBUS drivers competed in a “bus roadeo” - an obstacle course for buses. The CAMBUS annual bus roadeo is a friendly competition amongst student staff to test their driving skills in a ten-part obstacle course. Three student employees, Darshaun Smith, Neil Smithson, and Ben Koch, also qualified to move on to the state roadeo to compete against bus drivers from transit agencies across the state of Iowa.
winter web

Nichole Winter recognized as 2022 CAMBUS Support Person of the Year

Thursday, June 2, 2022
University of Iowa’s CAMBUS recognizes Nichole Winter as the 2022 Support Person of the Year. The award was established by CAMBUS in 2019 to recognize the support staff who serve in behind-the-scenes roles to keep the transit system operating smoothly each day.

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Of the Year Awards

OF THE YEAR AWARDS

The student employees in this section have been recognized by the CAMBUS supervisor and management teams for different "Of the Year" awards.

Driver of the Year Award

Public transit operators across the state of Iowa are recognized by the Iowa Public Transit Association (IPTA) annually. Each year, CAMBUS selects a Driver of the Year for the IPTA award. Drivers are selected based on their safety record, overall work record, and contributions to the workplace.

Previous driver of the year winners

Previous driver of the year winners

2023 - Scott Kerno

2022 - Rose Arrigoni

2021 - Darshaun Smith

2020 - Nathan Sears

2019 - Estephanie Coreas

2024 driver of the year AbiJo Peet poses with her award

2024 Driver of the Year

AbiJo Peet

University of Iowa’s CAMBUS recognizes AbiJo Peet as the 2024 Driver of the Year. Transit service providers across Iowa annually each nominate an employee to be honored by the Iowa Public Transit Association (IPTA) for their commitment to providing safe and friendly service.

Support Person of the Year Award

Although not eligible for the IPTA Driver of the Year award, CAMBUS student support employees fill critical roles across the organization to ensure safe and reliable transportation operations across campus. CAMBUS support employees are in these promoted positions: assistant, dispatcher, student mechanic, and trainer. Each year, CAMBUS recognizes a support person for going above-and-beyond their duties and makes exceptional contributions to the workplace.

Previous support person of the year winners

2024 support person of the year John Underwood poses with his award

2024 Support Person of the Year

Student Mechanic John Underwood

University of Iowa’s CAMBUS recognizes John Underwood as the 2024 Support Person of the Year. Underwood is the sixth recipient of the Support Person of the Year award. The Support Person of the Year award is part of a larger effort to regularly recognize the efforts of CAMBUS employees.

UI Student Employee of the Year

The university employs over 8,000 students across campus. Each year, the university calls upon departments that employ students to nominate candidates for the UI Student Employee of the Year awards.

Winners are grouped into the following categories:

  • University of Iowa Campus Winner: Top campus winner
  • Category Winners: Administrative, Campus Services, Science/Health/Engineering
  • Certificate of Distinction

CAMBUS nominations are submitted under the "campus services" category.

SEOY 2024 winners

2024 UI Student Employee of the Year Nominees

CAMBUS student employees Cameron McKnight and Rachel Woodley nominated for the University of Iowa Student Employee of the Year awards.

seoty final

2022 UI Student Employee of the Year Nominees

CAMBUS student employees Alyson Holevoet and Connor Steele nominated for the University of Iowa Student Employee of the Year award.

CAMBUS employees Hughes and Mulrooney - man wearing black sweatshirt with IOWA logo and man wearing white polo with grey tigerhawk logo

2020 UI Student Employee of the Year Nominees

CAMBUS student employees James Hughes and Bryan Mulrooney nominated for the University of Iowa Student Employee of the Year award.

Learn more about the UI Student Employee of the Year Awards

Awards to CAMBUS student employees

2024

Cameron McKnight
bionic bus supervisor
overall campus winner

Rachel Woodley
staffing supervisor
top 8 distinction

2022

Alyson Holevoet
personnel supervisor
campus services category winner

2020

Bryan Mulrooney
dispatch and bionic supervisor
UI overall campus winner

2015

Tim Tvedte
training and safety supervisor
certificate of distinction

Clean-Up

At CAMBUS, our dedicated team of student employees do more than operate buses to carry out essential transportation services.  They also work behind the scenes in maintaining our fleet.

They clean and disinfect, check and fill fluids, and fuel each bus. Some students go above-and-beyond and are recognized when they achieve 100 clean-ups.

student mechanic opens a side panel of a bus

Clean-Up Hall of Fame

person wearing mechanics blue shirt standing in front of row of buses with lights on

Out of (the Ordinary) Office: Grease Junkie

IOWA MAGAZINE

Graduate student and former Hawkeye gymnast Brandon Wong isn't afraid of getting his hands dirty while working for CAMBUS.

employee wipes down the dashboard area of a bus

An impressive 500 total clean-up shifts

Driver Charlie Franks and student mechanic Nick Madden were recognized in 2021 for completing a combined 500 clean-up shifts during their careers at CAMBUS.