Job history: Nicole has 28 years at LIRR. She started in 1997 as a car appearance maintainer and was promoted to car repairman in 2003, to training specialist maintenance of equipment in 2008 and to her current position of manager of maintenance of equipment training in 2017. She leads a team of 16 mechanical experts responsible for the training and qualifications of over 1,400 qualified maintenance persons at the LIRR.

Why she's influential in technology: Historically, railroad mechanical training has relied almost entirely on manual tools and resources only available on the shop floor. As rail manufacturers and suppliers continue to upgrade their equipment and technology, Nicole and her team have evolved their teaching methods to adapt to the new reality.

Although the use of standard tools remains part of the training curriculum, Nicole and her team integrated computer and simulation-based equipment to practice mechanical operations and complex systems in a safe and controlled environment. An example: the creation of a portable interface unit for all maintenance-of-equipment training programs. This single device has led to significant improvements to LIRR's mechanical training by real-time monitoring, troubleshooting, system diagnostics and providing periodic inspections on the railroad equipment's major systems. This evolution led by Nicole has made mechanical training at the LIRR more accessible, flexible and data driven.