A three day camp encouraging students from Years 10 to 12 to consider careers in civil engineering was highly commended at the IPWEA (NSW Division) Excellence Awards 2008, presented in May.
Gundagai Shire Council accepted the New or Improved Techniques Award on behalf of the members of the Riverina Eastern Regional Organisation of Councils (REROC).
REROC comprises 13 councils and two water county councils located in the eastern Riverina region of New South Wales. Members include Bland, Coolamon, Cootamundra, Corowa, Greater Hume, Gundagai, Junee, Lockhart, Temora, Tumbarumba, Tumut, Urana and Wagga Wagga Councils, along with Goldenfields Water and Riverina Water.
With 38 per cent of civil engineers in the public sector aged 51 years or more, REROC engineers were keen to promote experiential learning opportunities and careers in civil engineering to young people. As such, in 2006, REROC developed the first ‘Build a Bridge and Get Over It’ camp in partnership with the Wagga Wagga Compact Local Community Partnership and schools in the Wagga Wagga and Central Murrumbidgee areas.
The program is supported by the New South Wales Department of Education.
Held at Borambola, around 30 kilometres east of Wagga Wagga, the second camp was run in August 2007.
After participating in a competitive application process, 21 students from the Riverina area were selected to take part in the program. Over a three day period, they participated in practical, hands on activities, which allowed them to experience the world of
civil engineering.
On the final day, they built a full size bridge, which they were required to walk over to ‘graduate’.
Gundagai’s Director of Engineering, Leon Patterson, was one of the engineers who mentored the students, while Nigel Worne from the Riverina Institute of TAFE was contracted to provide the course content and act as a facilitator/trainer.
Leon Patterson said the three day camp began with the students dividing into four teams, named after four famous bridge builders: Morrow, Bradfield, Jones and Contino.
“Teamwork is an essential element for the success of the camp, so the first activity involved the students participating in some team building workshops,” he said. “Engineers from a number of REROC Councils then joined the students and each team participated in an introduction to engineering skills, covering laser levels, surveying, compaction, soil testing and forces in equilibrium.”
Leon Patterson said after this very long day of learning, students were issued with the major project brief.
“On day two, REROC engineers spent the day with Nigel and the students, discussing and investigating bridge design options, conducting site appraisals and mentoring on how to overcome challenges,” he said. “Each team was required to research, plan, budget, design and build a scale model bridge, accompanied by drawings and design notes. The teams then presented their bridge designs at the evening session and were assessed by their peers according to engineering design principals and requirements.”
The Morrow team provided the winning bridge design, which was built by all students on day three, under the instruction of the Morrow team, who were the project managers.
Leon Patterson said the bridge was assembled from materials available from Borambola’s Sport and Recreation Centre.
“There was no cutting or use of power tools, and the bridge was pulled down by the students and materials returned at the conclusion of the camp,” he said.
The camp culminated with each of the students walking over the bridge to receive certificates.Parents, students and invited guests were then invited to afternoon tea and a presentation, including a speech by Robert Evans, a former Kooringal High School student who attended the Build a Bridge camp in 2006 and went on to gain an RTA Scholarship through the UTS in Sydney.
A third camp is now scheduled for August this year.
For further information contact Leon Patterson on (02) 6944 0200.
