Co-op student helps with seismic upgrade Yvonne Wai recently gained a wide view of what engineering is all about. The third year Civil Engineering student worked as a co-op student at BC Hydro for a fourmonth term, starting May 1999. Yvonne had the opportunity to work with several engineers on different projects, with a focus on one major undertaking: the Seismic Upgrade Project to reinforce transmission line towers in case of an earthquake. Her duties included getting up at 5:30 in the morning to monitor and inspect pile driving and then writing a report based on her inspection. I looked forward to going back to school where I could apply real work experience to my studies, said Yvonne. BC Hydro is no stranger to the Engineering Co-op Program. Barry Anderson, Manager of the Stations & Transmission Department, has been hiring co-op students for ten years and says the biggest benefit is we are getting real work from the students. We work them pretty hard. The students learn very quickly and bring strong computer skills. BC Hydro is Canada s third largest electric utility company, serving more than 1.5 million customers and operating 61 dams in 43 locations.
Dramatic growth for Civil Co-op! In five short years, Civil Engineering Co-op Education has gone from a summer-only with just 18 students participating, to a year-round program with over 120 students. Students are pre-selected for academic excellence (based on a minimum of two years in UBC s engineering program) and personal strengths and then employed fulltime for periods of four- to eight-month work terms. Work terms start every four months (September, January and May), ensuring employers year-round access to talented, bright students. Our students work throughout Canada and around the world! Demand for co-op students is strong, and employers who offer quality co-op
positions will have a significant advantage when students are making career decisions. Hiring co-op students is one of the best ways for an employer to increase visibility on campus and attract future graduates. The Civil Engineering Co-op Program is committed to finding the best fit between an employer s workplace needs and our top students. We provide employers with onestop access to some of the best students in Canada and our coordinators ensure that hiring is quick, convenient, cost effective, and professional. For more information please contact Shawn Swallow at (604) 822-4280 or sswallow@interchange.ubc.ca. You can also visit the co-op website at www.coop.apsc.ubc.ca.
Department seeks greater online web presence The Department has hired Brian Walker to help promote its online presence. Brian earned his MEng from the Department in the area of Geotechnical Engineering. Brian is preparing selected course materials for delivery online. Initially, online resources will be tailored to supplement classroom learning by allowing increased access to course materials and communications functions. Experience gained in this initial stage of course development will be used to guide the distribution of resources for future online learning initiatives. An important long-term goal is to develop robust online materials for courses suitable to distance education. The two major course delivery schemes available to Civil Engineering are WebCT and MyCourses. WebCT is a powerful commercial course authoring tool initially developed at UBC. MyCourses is a smaller scale course delivery system designed with ease of use in mind. This system was initially developed for use by the Faculty of Applied Science; however, it could potentially be scaled for campus-wide use. Work is underway to make the Civil Engineering web pages database driven, providing means for timely updates and more dynamic content. Web material is being developed to summarize current and past research initiatives and promote faculty interests. A long-term goal is to develop a Civil web portal as a central location at which students, staff, and faculty can access all online resources related to Civil Engineering at UBC.
Civil leads the way in Building Science This fall, Civil Engineering, together with Wood Science, offered a new course on the topic of building science and enclosure design. This is an important course in light of the current concerns about how the exteriors of our buildings are performing, particularly following the disaster with leaky condos . The course objectives include providing fundamental understanding of the loads such as thermal, moisture, and wind, on a building s exterior, and how building envelope elements of different materials and configurations fulfill their functions. The course also focuses on the importance of detailing envelope systems, particularly looking at the continuity of system elements. A hands-on approach has been adopted which includes building science calculation work, as well as detail drawings of wall assemblies. The issues are discussed in the context of building codes and professional practice, with field trips and guest lecturers providing students with insights into the local context, including research currently underway. The course is being taught by a graduate of this department: Douglas L. Watts, BASc (UBC, Civil 1980), MArch, PEng, MAIBC, MRAIC, CP, BEP. Mr. Watts has practised as an architect, and as a structural engineer, and has taught in the architecture programs at the U. of Washington and UBC. He most recently finished a two-year term as the City of Vancouver Building Envelope Specialist. He serves on a multitude of boards and committees focusing on Building Envelope issues. The Department continues to pursue fundraising for a chair in order to create a full-time, permanent position in Building Science and Enclosure Design. CIVIL ENGINEERING at UBC
7