Penn State Altoona’s Railroad Transit Engineering program has received a financial boost from a Hollidaysburg engineering firm.

School officials announced Thursday that Keller Engineers has donated $50,000 to the school to purchase lab equipment and to create an endowment for the program. Penn State Altoona’s baccalaureate degree program in Rail Transportation Engineering is the first of its kind in the nation.

The program will provide students with a unique multi-disciplinary experience that emphasizes the study, development, and application of new and emerging technologies impacting the rail industry.

School officials say Keller Engineers’ support for the RTE program will help the school to play a vital role in training engineers for placement within the expanding rail industry.