不良研究所

While many people spent their Reading Week in February studying, a group of undergraduate students travelled to the U.K. to build a 12-metre-long cable bridge in five days as part of the first University of 不良研究所 (and Canadian) cohort to take part in an experiential-learning program offered by .

The trip was made possible by Schulich鈥檚 , an annual opportunity for engineering students to travel during the week-long break to explore engineering abroad. This year, 20 Schulich undergraduates participated in a Constructionarium project in Norfolk, England, to gain advanced engineering skills in a safe, purpose-built environment, building a cable bridge inspired by the Millau Cable Viaduct in southern France.

Third-year civil engineering student Adriana Menjivar Najarro remembers the anxious glances shared across the meeting room as they discussed the project. After all, it鈥檚 not every day that a group of undergraduate students get to build a bridge in five days.  

鈥淲e were jet lagged, and the Constructionarium staff were clear that this was our bridge. They asked if anyone had construction experience, and no one did. Then I thought, okay, I can breathe,鈥� says Menjivar. 

Constructionarium is a non-profit organization that offers industry and post-secondary students the opportunity to experience a live construction site. Over a five-day period, teams build one of 19 projects available, this year ranging from U不良研究所鈥檚 cable bridge to a "nuclear island" power plant project, a nuclear reactor project complete with protestors to simulate stakeholder management. It鈥檚 a requirement of many civil engineering programs in the U.K., providing experiential learning that helps relate theory to practice. 

鈥淭he first thing that got me hooked was the experience of seeing something physical come from the engineering,鈥� says Menjivar. 鈥淭he language, the bolts, the types of drills 鈥� it doesn鈥檛 come with school if you are a site engineer. Instead of being a concept, I now have something to relate a site to, which will help me learn faster.鈥�

The student team assigns real roles to its members, from surveyors to a project manager, working with a 鈥渃lient鈥� to deliver their project on time and on budget. Two Schulich civil engineering faculty chaperones accompanied the students 鈥� Drs. and , both PhD 鈥� providing additional guidance and advice.

, PhD鈥�24, now a Schulich civil engineering assistant professor (teaching), participated in Constructionarium as a student himself while studying at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. When he came to Canada to teach, he was surprised that Canada didn鈥檛 have the equivalent. 

鈥淔or me at the time, the challenge wasn鈥檛 building a bridge. It was the project management,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t is not just valuable to teach about pouring concrete, but the higher level of management and the engineering behind it.鈥�

Lamb stresses that, for civil engineers, the experience is critical to understanding the larger role that they play in society. 

鈥淭here is so much training in theory and mathematics, it鈥檚 easy to forget that we are building the real world,鈥� he says. 鈥淓xperiential learning connects their motivations to help people in the world and keeps them inspired and grounded.鈥� 

Julia Stevens, chief executive at Constructionarium, knows the impact it can have. With more than 14,000 students having participated since 2003, Stevens and the team have received positive feedback from most delegates, who say it enhanced their academic learning. 

鈥淭he academic perspective only gives a narrow view of how the construction sector works,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 such a dynamic sector to work in. Every time you build a bridge, the circumstances are different, from the location, the weather, the people, the skillsets.鈥� 

Stevens has seen the participants鈥� 鈥渞abbits in the headlights鈥� look that Menjivar remembers, but, as the hours pass, students grow their understanding, from the terminology to the expectations.

鈥淔ive days is a considerable amount of time in terms of what they take away,鈥� Stevens says. 鈥淲e see the transformation of individuals in terms of maturity, confidence and knowledge.鈥� 

As a live construction site, the team and mentors stress the critical nature of site processes, paperwork and safety procedures. It was one of the biggest learnings that Menjivar took away, especially as her team鈥檚 project manager. 

鈥淚鈥檝e had experience leading a team, but this was the first time in a technical role,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he amount of paperwork that comes with construction was incredible, but there is a real reason behind it. I learned the most about why paperwork matters 鈥� because everyone wants to go home at the end of the day.鈥�   

Since the U不良研究所 cohort returned home, Lamb has continued to hear from students about the impact the experience had on them. He鈥檚 confident that it will bleed into other areas of their university learning, from their internships, capstone projects, to post-graduation in the workforce.

In fact, according to a press release from Constructionarium, some students even plan to return to the U.K. this summer to seek industry placements.

鈥淚 see our graduates going into a job to make the world a better place, feeling inspired and connected to their work. Constructionarium makes them look up and into the future,鈥� he says.