Exploring the Steel Centre’s 2023 SuperTour | YouAlberta

Exploring the Steel Centre's 2023 SuperTour

Engineering students take us on a journey of discovery and inspiration in steel construction.

January 18, 2024 By SuperTour team

At its core, the Steel Centre serves as a focal point for advancing research and educational endeavours in the field of steel structures.

The Steel Centre is a student-centric hub for innovation and industry development within the steel construction sector. The centre emerged from a desire to reshape collaboration between university students, other affiliates and industry members.

The centre's primary objectives include ensuring comprehensive training in the design and detailing of steel structures for all students and facilitating mentorship opportunities for students and industry professionals. It aligns university research with industry requirements, which is achieved through multiple ties with various industry associations whose input is sought on all active research projects.

The Steel Centre stands out when it comes to fostering practical knowledge and providing students with unique experiences. As a community dedicated to promoting innovation and excellence in the field of steel structures, the Steel Centre envisioned a program known as the SuperTour. In this article, we'll delve into what it is and uncover the exceptional journey that students embark upon during this week-long adventure.

The SuperTour

The SuperTour, as the name implies, is the tour of all tours. It's not your average 1-hour tour at the local fabrication shop. For starters, it is not local by definition of the word super. Students get a chance to travel with their professors outside of Alberta and spend a week in an immersive experience that takes them on a comprehensive exploration of cities known for their remarkable structures. This unforgettable journey serves as a foundation for students to witness firsthand the awe-inspiring creations and technological marvels that reshaped the world of engineering.

To grasp the magnitude of the SuperTour, let's take a moment to appreciate the numbers involved. Throughout the course of the trip, students visited three cities: Vancouver, Nanaimo and Victoria, each with its own architectural wonders and offering a distinctive perspective on the application of steel in construction.

The SuperTour engaged with over 12 companies, leading to more than 20 different site visits. These companies graciously open their doors to the students, providing insights into their day-to-day workflows and innovative projects. By connecting students with industry professionals, the SuperTour creates a bridge between academia and the practical world, nurturing a holistic understanding of steel structures.

What makes the SuperTour truly exceptional is the incredible team behind it. Meet Matt Jeppesen, the mastermind coordinator who has meticulously planned every detail to ensure an unforgettable experience. And let's not forget Dr. Robert Driver, the visionary director of the Steel Centre, whose expertise and guidance have made this extraordinary journey possible.

The journey

As anticipation built, we eagerly booked our tickets, knowing that an eye-opening adventure awaited us. We hopped on the plane in Edmonton and got off in Vancouver, where we were greeted by the Steel Centre professors. The steel-filled extravaganza had finally begun!

There was no time to waste; the local expert who designed the Vancouver airport greeted us, eager to share his magnificent design with the group. Not even an hour had gone by since we'd landed - what a treat!

Next, we checked into our hotel, but there was no time to waste. We dropped off our bags and went to explore the lively city. We rendezvoused at Granville Island, where we were informed that the steel-structure scavenger hunt was finally beginning.

The next few days in Vancouver were jam-packed with incredible designs and remarkable steel structures. From active construction sites to recently completed projects, we got a flavour of it all. Not to worry, bridges weren't forgotten. Personal Lion's Gate Bridge and Capilano Suspension Bridge Park tours by the engineers of record made the experience one of a kind!

The tour doesn't stop there. Our next destination is Nanaimo. As we leave the ferry terminal, we head towards Niik Steel. It's truly inspiring to witness the remarkable success of an alumnus from the Steel Centre like Amir Jamshidi, the owner and president of Niik Steel. Their achievements serve as a testament to how far graduates from Steel Centre can go in life. After our visit, we continued our journey to Victoria, with a few more stops planned along the way.

We eventually reached our final destination - Victoria. We squeezed in a few more building tours and a couple more bridge tours and we wrapped up. What a beautiful island British Columbia has, with some amazing structures!

As we boarded the plane back to Edmonton, we could confidently say that SuperTour 2023 did not disappoint. We saw some exciting things, learned a lot and filled our camera rolls with award-winning structures. What an incredible journey!

What students are saying

After the SuperTour, we had the opportunity to catch up with a few students and hear their perspectives.

What was your main reason for wanting to join the SuperTour?

Mahdi Mokhtari: "The main reason for wanting to go on a SuperTour for me was to get to know the Steel Centre members beyond the academic world as well as the urge to become familiar with the construction industry standards and state of practice in Canada as a future structural designer. During the SuperTour, not only did I get the chance to have smart and intellectual conversations with other fellow students, but I also came to know many structural design firms and learned a lot about the difficulties of designing landmark structures in a seismic area like Vancouver."

Pablo Cano: "The Steel Centre Super Tour has provided me with an array of positive outcomes. The main outcome has been the development of relationships with other students and industry professionals. These opportunities to interact with each other have enabled sharing of ideas and perspectives. Furthermore, during these interactions, I also learned from industry professionals. A memorable interaction was with Andy Metten [Managing Partner at Bush, Bohlman & Partners (BBP)] while touring the YVR Terminal. He shared recent changes to the National Building Code for high-importance structures with me. Unknowingly, this interaction sparked a series of additional discussions that have influenced my career path significantly.

Thanks to the connections created with Andy during the Super Tour, I was able to find a job with BBP and will be starting work next year. I believe the synergies stimulated by the Steel Centre and the Super Tour create a fertile atmosphere to achieve one of the core missions of the Steel Centre: to provide innovative education opportunities."

Nurturing future excellence

The SuperTour at Vancouver's BC Place (top) and on the BC Place catwalk (bottom)

The importance of hands-on experience in developing future leaders cannot be overstated. The SuperTour sheds light on the significance of team collaboration, safety awareness, innovation and creativity, project management skills and understanding of the materials and processes in their academic programs.

By immersing themselves in real-life projects, students gain a deeper understanding of how the real world works, developing critical thinking skills and real-world knowledge that will be invaluable throughout their careers.

As we reflect on the SuperTour, it is clear that this experience is an integral part that helps in the development of well-rounded and effective engineers. It complements theoretical learning and prepares students for the challenges they will face in their engineering careers. The program has the potential to become an annual tradition or even get incorporated into the civil engineering grad student program.

The success of the SuperTour highlights the need for the expansion of similar programs to help future students meet and interact with professionals. Networking can lead to valuable connections, mentorship opportunities and insights into potential career paths, which in turn facilitates the journey of freshly graduated students by creating more opportunities and internships.

Finally, the SuperTour is just the tip of the iceberg! The Steel Centre has many more opportunities that help develop and foster future professional structural engineers. With all the ties to various industry members, the Steel Centre is always involved in arranging seminars and local site visits for students at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.