After several pandemic-related delays, the Transit Access Project for Youth (TAP for Youth) is getting underway.

TAP for Youth is a transit equity research project of the University of Toronto student chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB). The team comprised of several student researchers wants to know how access to free, unlimited transit will affect Toronto’s homeless youth, of which there are hundreds.

Emma Blewett (Year 3 CivE) is the team’s Finance Lead, responsible for getting funding from community partners for the project, including the City of Toronto’s Poverty Reduction Strategy office.

“Transit equity means that everyone should have access to transit, whether or not they can afford it,” says Blewett, who is considering a career in transit planning. 

Last December , the team took the first step of posting a call for participants at one transitional youth home and one youth homeless shelter in the GTA. The plan is to give each of the 35 participants a free Presto card for the next three months. 

Currently, there are transit subsidy programs in place for homeless youth, but they don’t go far enough, says Blewett.  

“Shelters will give the youth transit tokens to get to school and back, but cannot afford any other travel. This prevents them taking part in extracurricular activities—or even attending important appointments. It will be interesting to see how free, unlimited transit is going to change their lives and how it will help them access more resources.”

The student researchers report monthly to an Academic Review Team and Blewett says these UofT advisors have been incredibly supportive throughout the process.  

“They let us run things and give us a lot of power in the decision-making, but they’re always there to help, which is great.”

Tap For Youth’s final report is expected later this fall and the team hopes this pilot project will roll into an even bigger endeavour with far more homeless youth participating.  

Blewett is optimistic about the kind of change that research like this could trigger in the future.

“Compiling this type of data is going to make it way easier to convince policymakers that we need to make transit equity a priority.”  

By David Goldberg 

With files from Patricia Doherty  

April 4, 2022 | The Pointer

After more than 60 years of service in the Galbraith Structural Testing Facility, the old Baldwin Universal Testing Machine has been decommissioned and dismantled.

It took crews four days to carefully chop up and remove the testing apparatus, which served countless Engineering students and professors since 1961.

This large-scale universal testing machine could apply tension and compression loads up to 5,400 kN (1.2 million lbs), on specimens up to 6.5 metres (22 ft.) high, and 18.3 metres (60 ft.) long.

It was removed to make way for bigger, better testing apparatus as major renovations will continue in the lab throughout 2022.

The centrepiece of the new development is the world’s first fully movable, adjustable, multidirectional, large-scale and large-capacity loading frame.

 

The new equipment will allow structural elements and structural systems to be tested under more realistic loading conditions. This will allow researchers to simulate the complex effects of extreme loading events, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes or tsunamis.

The adjustable, multi-dimensional loading module will be capable of applying up to a total of 2,000 tonnes of force in six translational and rotational directions for specimens of up to eight metres tall and 30 metres long.

Read more on the Structural Testing Facility renovations happening in 2022

By David Goldberg 

The current war in Ukraine served as a backdrop for students listening to a guest speaker on the complexities of rebuilding infrastructure after conflict. The lesson: what you think you know as an engineer doesn’t always apply.

 

Opening with, “In war, every frame of reference you had changes,” Dr. Alexander (Alec) Hay (CivE PhD 1T9) immediately sets the tone while introducing his talk, Post-conflict rehabilitation of municipal services. In essence, the student engineers are told they might not know everything they think they know about rebuilding infrastructure; “It’s time to reframe their rigid ways of thinking.”

The guest speaker in CIV340 – Municipal Engineering, a class held by Prof. David Meyer, on Tuesday, March 29 is not only a CivMin alumnus, Adjunct Professor and founder of Southern Harbour Ltd, but has extensive field experience. As a former Royal Engineer Officer in the British Army, a post with NATO and other high-profile consulting roles, Hay has such a diverse background in building infrastructure around the world, including areas of conflict, his full list of accomplishments is best left to a glance at his LinkedIn profile.

Hay presents the class, as well as others from U of T Engineering, with examples of how natural and man-made destruction can appear similar. An earthquake in Haiti can have much the same appearance in damage as shelled-out buildings in Aleppo, Syria. The solutions to the similar-looking problems are, however, very different.

“It’s particularly engineers, who think they know the solution, but have a lack of understanding of the situation,” remarks Hay. “You need to have the professional humility to allow yourself to learn.”

The reminder is made constantly. As Hay says, “The great myth of antebellum, build it like it was before the conflict, ignores how conflict has changed the region and its peoples.” The needs of the various peoples across the various areas of a country, can be quite different and need to be assessed before beginning. “We have a balancing act. We need to ensure we protect the most vulnerable; we cannot leave them behind. We are balancing aid with reconstruction.”

Further, besides researching the needs of the people and attempting to fulfill the immediate need(s), confidence needs to be restored. The demand for something like municipal water supply might be severely reduced as the population has moved and/or has lost confidence in the infrastructure. Sometimes encouragement is required to renew the confidence and recapture the demand.

Hay provides further guidance, explaining how the planners and engineers have to work in conjunction with many others to accomplish the overall goals. Often, multiple aid agencies are working together in various areas to provide everything from medical aid and shelter to security and more. “It’s not just engineers there working alone, but with others who all take guidance from local expertise and leadership.” Hay guides the thinking of working with locals as, “Having the humility to talk to others as equals,” adding, “It goes a long way.”

An area in conflict, or in danger of renewed conflict, can experience disruptions unlike those in areas of peace. The weakest link can eliminate essential services to vast areas in an instant. Shelling of a power plant supplying power to a large area can disrupt multiple services, for instance. Or thieves might routinely decide to drop power lines in the middle of the night, taking the raw metals for resale, preventing the continuous operation of a water filtration plant, as was an example Hay supplied from an experience in Iraq. He further explained, “They were removing power supply almost at the same rate we could replace it.”

“I try to black box it – gather the data and focus on what ‘I’m trying to achieve and why”,” responds Hay when asked how he can respond to such varied circumstances and responsibilities. At the same time, he remarks, “You can’t impose aid; you can’t impose reconstruction.”

Turning to current events, the audience receives a query from Hay with, “How will you approach utilities rehabilitation in Kharkiv, Ukraine?” The open question begets, in turn, questions about ongoing fighting. In response, Hay lays out various scenarios of logistics required, as long as there’s no fighting “on the patch of ground you want to work on.”

If the front line is away from the area, one can resume work beginning with data collection, planning, re-opening aid convoy routes, etc. “It’s all a balancing act of what can be sustained, and one that must be constantly re-evaluated.”

The question of why any engineer would choose to work in an area of conflict with possibly low remuneration and high risk, especially where their work could be soon destroyed, Hay is quick and insightful in his response, “Maybe because they have a moral compass?!”

By Phill Snel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daily Hive takes notice of CivMin’s April Fools’ Day joke

 

 

The Daily Hive posted a roundup of Canadian April Fools’ Day jokes, including CivMin’s social media posting, with a headline of 10 April Fools’ jokes across Canada that’ll make you snort (PHOTOS).

The posted offering by CivMin on Twitter and Instagram included the announcement scented concrete is now available in five aromas, including grape, lime, blueberry, lemon and cherry with the text, “Have you heard of the latest innovation in concrete technology? It makes a lot of ‘scents’ to us!”

CivMin is delighted to be included with the cross-Canada roundup, including larger institutions, such as MEC, RCMP, BC Transportation, Domino’s Canada, Ram Trucks Canada, Edmonton Police and others.

The writeup applauded CivMin’s pun:

Who knew the Civil and Mineral Engineering Department at the University of Toronto had such a scents of humour? The group invited its followers to “grab a scratch n’ sniff sample today” of scented concrete in five aromas: grape, lime, blueberry, lemon, and cherry. Something tells me they won’t really smell like fruits if there’s even any concrete to be shared. ~Daily Hive

 

Serving up an Iron Ring with side of squash

 

Thandi Myers (Year 4 CivE) plays on U of T’s Varsity Blues Women’s squash team and is to graduate this year. CivMin had a chat with this international student to see how she’s balanced competitive sports, academics and moving to a new country. 

Just to start off, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I was born and raised in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, which is a multi-island nation in the southern Caribbean with a population of about 110,000 people.

I am a fourth-year civil engineering student. I started out at UofT Engineering in TrackOne and I am a CIV2T1+PEY. I play on the Varsity Blues Women’s squash team.

Last year you were doing your PEY – where did you work?
I worked at R.V. Anderson Associates Limited,  as a Student Engineer in their Municipal Group. My role was to assist with various tasks pertaining to the design and contract administration of water, wastewater, and transportation infrastructure projects in Toronto.  I was happy to be exposed to the engineering consulting world in a supportive work environment, especially during the challenging times of 2020-2021.

What attracted you to U of T in the first place?
I was looking for, and really wanted, an international student experience. At the top of my priorities was a school that had a really good academic reputation. Funny enough,  I never heard about the University of Toronto before my sister (Deiriai Myers) applied in 2016, one year before I did.

When my sister came to U of T she found out more about the Engineering program through her connections and that’s how I was introduced to U of T Engineering. It’s global ranking and reputation for research and teaching was impressive, and my parents were pleased to send me off to join her. I really liked U of T Engineering because of the TrackOne program ,which I eventually got accepted into, because I wasn’t sure which discipline I wanted to major in.

What’s your sister taking at U of T?
She graduated in 2020 with a Honours Bachelor of Science in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, and Health and Disease.

Is she in the thick of anything COVID related?
Actually, the pandemic opened her eyes to Public Health as a field of study so she is now pursuing a Master’s of Public Health with a focus in epidemiology at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Besides studying Civil Engineering, you’re also a competitive athlete here at U of T as a Varsity Blues squash player. Can you tell us a bit about that experience?
It’s definitely one of the highlights of my university experience. When I came to university,  it was important for me to continue playing squash but I wasn’t sure about committing to varsity-level sport, especially in my first year.  I’m very curious by nature, so I did some research on the squash team and saw they were having a pre-tryouts meeting in mid-September. I mustered up the courage to find the Blue and White Room at the Varsity Centre, where the meeting was being held. I went in with the intention to just get a feel of the team and hear about the practice and travel schedule. The coaches and players were welcoming and excited about the varsity squash team. I still wasn’t sure at the end of the meeting, but I was encouraged by the coaches to give it a try.

I’d been playing squash for quite some time. It was my main extra-curricular activity for many of my childhood years. I loved competing on my junior national team in the Caribbean circuit and I even had the opportunity to play at the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa.

I was feeling very ambitious, and up for the challenge,  and so I encouraged my sister who was not as inquisitive in her first year to come and tryout for the team too. Going to that meeting was one of the best decisions that I’ve made at university.

You both played for U of T at the same time.  Did you ever wind up being matched against each other?
We’ve never played against each other in a tournament at university since we always play against other schools but we’ve played against each other in team practice.

Are you still playing competitively?
I played my final university competition at the OUA [Ontario Universities Athletics] Championship on the  March 11^th-13^th weekend in St. Catharines (Ont.). The women’s team placed fourth, so we just missed the podium. The men’s team ended their weekend with silver.

We definitely had a good weekend of competition; lots of exciting on-court battles. The camaraderie, the team spirit and the genuine enthusiasm on display by our team was excellent. The season wasn’t short of challenges, as we had to pause practices over the winter break and into January, due to the rising COVID-19 cases in Ontario. Additionally, many of us hadn’t played competitively between March 2020 and the summer of 2021 so we were beyond excited to train and play again. We had lots of fun and that’s always most important to us.

You must have a pretty full schedule with balancing academics and training. You must practice several times a week and then you have your class schedule. How do you balance all that with your personal time?  
It’s a very dynamic situation. I try to prioritize activities as I go.

I think my teammates would agree with me when I say that our coaches are extremely instrumental to our well-being as student-athletes. They have always been very understanding and flexible. Honestly, there are some days when you just cannot commit to both practice and classes. Sometimes there’s an overlap between class or group meetings and practice times or the academic workload is too heavy on some days just before a midterm.

Our team practices on evenings at the Athletic Centre squash courts. I return to my residence after practice and then I study or I head to bed and study in the morning before classes. Fitting everything into one-day is really tough with an Engineering schedule, but after sitting in classes all day, I feel like I need to get active. Squash practice gives me the chance to do just that.

It’s good that we have access to high-quality athletic facilities on campus. I have the option to train outside of official practice times if I can’t make it to a team practice.

You didn’t know about U of T previously, but had you ever visited Canada before attending university?
Yes, I visited Vancouver in 2009 on a family trip. I remember walking around the UBC campus quite a bit as my Dad knew his way around having been a Master’s student there at some point. It was my first exposure to a Canadian university campus. I also visited the Whistler Mountains, Capilano Suspension Bridge and Vancouver Island. I have fond memories of my time in B.C.

I’d heard a lot about Toronto growing up, mainly because there’s a big Caribbean community here, but my first time in Toronto was when I moved here for university in 2017.

How did you find the weather? Our winters are kind of notorious in Canada. Was it a shock for you? How did you adjust?
The summer evenings were chilly for me even though the temperature was in the low 20s so I’d always wear a light sweater.

I still remember in the Fall of my first year how nervous I was about walking outside in 12-degree weather from the Mechanical Engineering building to the Athletic Centre. I had my waterproof rain jacket with me, I looked at the weather on my phone thinking, “How am I going to make it to the AC?”

So Toronto, it’s just cold. In my defense, there was nothing I could do to prepare myself for this weather.

It really hit me in my first year that I took the weather for granted while living in the Caribbean – it’s about 27 degrees every day, all year round and its sunny almost every day. Needless to say, I had to invest in a new wardrobe when I moved to Toronto.

Have you had a chance to visit anywhere else in Canada? Have you been able to play a tourist and visit anywhere while here?
I’ve been to Ottawa with family and Montreal with some of my engineering friends. With the squash team I’ve been to Kingston, Niagara, and some other university campuses, like McMaster University in Hamilton [Ont.]. I’ve been to a lot of the iconic tourist sites in Toronto. I’ve done lots of exploring downtown on my own and with my friends from residence.  I love taking in the Toronto culture – Raptors games, street festivals, skating in Nathan Phillips Square. Toronto is a great city!

I’ve also been to U of T Camp near Minden [Ont.] – that was my first experience in rural Ontario.

What year did you go to Camp? Did you think it was beneficial or useful?
I was a part of the 2019 summer cohort of campers. Survey Camp is an unforgettable experience. I think it’s instrumental to building community within the Civil and Mineral Engineering group. There are lots of people I really got to know better over two weeks at  Camp.

There’s no Wi-Fi, but the experience of working on a team of three on a new task every day is a lot different to what you do in the classroom, so it’s a different learning experience. Camp is as fun as you make it too. The earlier you finish your tasks, the more time you have for bonfires, ping-pong, hanging out in, or near, the lake and visiting the ice cream shop in Minden!  Access to such a site as a U of T student is a privilege for us Civil and Mineral Engineering students. The practical experience and knowledge gained at Camp were valuable additions to my engineering toolkit.

You’ll graduate this year. You’ve had some real-world experience already, so reflecting on it, do you think your U of T Engineering education has prepared you to work in the real world?  
U of T Engineering is a rigorous program. Outside of the course content, you learn to manage your time, think critically and to be resilient. There are a few things that stand out to me – the exposure to resources across campus for professional and personal development and professors who are very renowned in the work they do. These two contribute to the enriching student experience.

Every day I’m impressed by my peers and their dedication to all they do in their academic and extracurricular lives. They’re very creative people who have pure and good intentions for themselves, and the world.

As for U of T Engineering preparing you for the outside world – yes, definitely. PEY, is a great opportunity to get your foot in the door and practice what you learnt during your first three years in the classroom. It’s a good time to reflect on yourself and what you like in the workplace. The wide array of courses that you can take at U of T, especially in your fourth year is a reflection of the diversity of study and research areas in the Faculty. The capstone projects are all exciting and they really give you a chance to showcase what you have learnt over the past years.

Looking back, do you have any professors who have stood out to you, throughout your time at U of T?

After taking CIV312- Steel and Timber Design I got a lot more interested in a career in structural engineering. It was taught,  by PhD candidate Pedram Mortazavi. I was just impressed by his genuine interest in each student. His classes were very interactive and he always gave us the chance to really ask questions, even though we were hesitant about asking them (he could tell that we were sometimes).

I took three courses with Prof. Paul Gauvreau. Outside of his expert knowledge on all things concrete and bridge design, he spoke a lot about the skills that we would need as future engineers based on trends in the industry. He always emphasized the important of being high-quality engineers with a sound understanding of the fundamental principles of the mechanics of materials and the importance of good quality graphics as communication tools

Another course that I enjoyed was CIV280 – Management of Construction which was taught by Professor Brenda McCabe. She was knowledgeable about the construction industry and a highlight of that course was our Friday morning walking tours. Her lectures were very insightful, and they introduced me to a lot of basic construction site procedures. A highlight of the course was our Friday morning walking tours. Professor McCabe made audio recordings explaining site activity the class would listen to individually while visiting construction sites around the city.

As an international student, did you find there are lots of other international students as well? Toronto is perhaps one of the most multicultural cities in the world – have you found that to be the case here? Did you find it easy to fit in and find what you need?
Definitely. Toronto is a very diverse city. I think it is possible to experience a tidbit of every culture here.

There’s definitely a period of adjustment that you have to go through. At U of T, and at U of T Engineering, I think being in a situation where there’s so many international students you feel like you’re a part of that community. So, even though you might be the only person from your country or town, you don’t feel like you’re the odd person out. You feel like many people are going through a similar experience because there are so many international students.

Next door to Galbraith Building, there’s the Centre for International Experience [CIE]. Did you find that useful at all for your needs?
Yes. [The CIE] was very helpful for me when I needed immigration advising, co-op permit application assistance, filing taxes, and understanding health care coverage. As an international student a lot of these things are intimidating and can cause additional stress, so I would always recommend connecting with resources like the CIE to get the advice and help that you need.

Is there any place around campus that you really found you like? Do you have a go-to spot or a maybe a favourite place to hang out on campus or in the downtown?
I loved walking across King’s College Circle to get to the engineering buildings. That big grassy field and King’s College Road which aligned perfectly with the CN Tower was magical. Walking across there was a refreshing way to start the day. I love the E.J. Pratt Library – that’s probably my favorite library.

Randy’s Roti and Doubles was the first place that I found to satisfy my cravings for Caribbean food. It’s been a go-to for me and my Caribbean friends since our first-year. I love their chicken rotis and jerk chicken meals.

I live on campus and I’m a Residence Don this year. So, whenever I need to unwind and get my meals, I head back to residence to connect with residents and my friends over meals.

Is there something unusual, a different hobby or interest you have a hidden talent for?
I play the piano for fun and I like to read non-fiction books in my downtime. I started learning to sing during the pandemic and it’s a lot of fun.

What’s next for you?
There are a lot of exciting things on the horizon amidst the hard work. I’m looking forward to completing my stadium design capstone project and all my other courses. I’m looking forward to GradBall to celebrate our 5 years of hard work with my peers.  The iron ring ceremony was surreal and it was great that we could have it in person and celebrate the milestone with each other in the newest engineering building that was still under construction in my first year at UofT.

I’m really looking forward to celebrating Convocation with my family and friends this June, especially because my sister didn’t get an in-person graduation, due to the pandemic, so it’s going to be a big family celebration in June.

I haven’t thought too much about what this summer would look like for me after graduation, but I do look forward to beginning my professional journey as a civil engineer soon.

 

By Phill Snel

The new facilities at U of  T Camp have already been briefly used by CivMin students, but the ongoing pandemic has kept a formal in-person unveiling ceremony from taking place. The long-awaited ceremony took place Monday, March 21 as a virtual event in order to ensure everyone’s safety.

In lieu of attending a ceremony on campus, or one on site at Gull Lake, the collaboration of Engineering’s Advancement and CivMin saw to it that donors and alumni were feted virtually. The online event, held on Global Surveyors’ Day in a nod to the history of what was previously called “Survey Camp” at Gull Lake and Dorset, allowed the participation of many faculty, staff, alumni and donors from all over Canada and beyond.

Appearances, both live and pre-recorded, saw FASE Dean Prof. Chris Yip, Advancement’s Executive Director Mark Rittinger, CivMin Chair Prof. Brent Sleep, Professor Emerita Brenda McCabe, along with several alumni and donors.

The pre-recorded component of the event saw signage displayed in video segments, highlighting the donors. Highlights for donors signage include the MacGillivray Common Room, HCAT Bunkhouse, PCL Constructors Bridge, Buttcon Limited Wing, H.L. Macklin Wing, Barber Room, Chown Room,  McCoomb Room, Aols Room, Biddle Room, Iron Bars Room and many more. Among the benches sponsored by named donors are: VSCS (CivE 4T9) & WJFS (CivE 8T2), CLASS OF CIVIL 6T9, andCLASS OF CIVIL 8T0.

A virtual tour video created for the unveiling:

The first cohort of CivMin students arrived to occupy the new Camp facilities on Saturday, August 14, 2021. It was the first in-person Engineering class since March 2020, marking the cessation of a 17-month virtual learning experience. Pandemic protocols meant limited numbers for each of the three one-week sessions, maintaining limited small working and living groups, as well as constant rapid antigen tests for COVID-19.

CivMin is planning to host an in-person ceremony for alumni at Camp in September 2022. Stay tuned for updates.

By Phill Snel

Past story on Camp’s new facilities, along with a photo gallery of images.

 

 

Home 2022

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PhD candidate Karlye Wong (CivMin) is assessing and optimizing off-grid systems for disinfecting drinking water before use

 

U of T Engineering PhD candidate Karlye Wong (CivMin) is working with the Geita and Nyanghwale District Councils in northern Tanzania to develop an affordable, low-maintenance, off-grid solution for delivering clean drinking water — one that could significantly improve local health outcomes.

“When you’re feeling sick, you seek out health care. But in many parts of the world, even the local health centre doesn’t have access to clean, safe water for drinking, handwashing and hygiene, sterilization of equipment, or intravenous and oral administration of medication,” says Wong, who is supervised by Professor Ron Hofmann (CivMin).

“Lack of access to safe water exacerbates risks of infection, water-borne diseases and diarrhea. In Tanzania, a study by the National Institute for Medical Research showed that 60% of health care facilities have high degrees of unsafe microbial contamination in sample water.”

In the areas where Wong is working, health-care facilities are not connected to electrical grids or municipal water systems, and groundwater sources are limited. Patients and hospital staff often have to collect water off-site, from sometimes unsafe water sources located miles away.

In the past few years, rainwater harvesting has become a more prominent source of water for rural and off-grid contexts around the world. However, it is not normally treated due to a host of factors, including the high cost of sanitation equipment, as well as lack of access to the chemicals and expertise needed to maintain it.

One potential solution is treating the water with ultraviolet (UV) light, which is known to destroy pathogens such as viruses and bacteria. Powered by low-cost solar panels, off-grid UV treatment systems are simpler to deploy and require less maintenance than traditional chemical treatment.

As part of a pilot program, eight health-care facilities in the Geita and Nyanghwale District Councils have been outfitted with solar-powered UV systems for rainwater harvesting and disinfection. Wong and her collaborators are now leading a detailed assessment of the performance of these facilities, as well as the experiences of their operators.

Last August, Wong travelled to all eight of the rural sites to inspect the installations and replace malfunctioning equipment, and she aims to return for a second visit later this year.

Her goal is to further refine the design of these solar-powered UV disinfection systems so they can be more effective in addressing contamination, while also being adoptable and sustainable with respect to the context of the local community.

“One change we’re looking at is replacing the current set of UV lamps with light emitting diodes, or LEDs,” says Wong. “These bulbs are less costly — and require less energy and maintenance — than the existing fluorescent bulbs. They also contain no mercury, which is a health hazard.”

Wong hopes that the project will contribute to a better understanding of how off-grid communities and health services can sustain safe water quality in the face of challenges such as climate change and water insecurity.

“While this work focuses on a pilot study in Tanzania, the lessons learned will be broadly applicable to rural or off-grid communities in developing countries around the world,” says Wong.

“Working closely with local government and staff allows us to integrate community needs and long-term sustainability into this research. It’s really important that we get these details right, because there are so many places where this kind of approach could make a difference.”

By Tyler Irving

This story originally published by Engineering News