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Home > News and Events > News > News Detail
3/28/2016
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Nine student chapter members from North Carolina State University (NCSU) along with their faculty advisor, Roberto Nunez, and John Conn, ACI Director of Chapter Activities embarked on an international education experience to Panama City, Panama from March 9-11, 2016. The NCSU Student Chapter is a one of four student groups sponsored by the ACI Carolinas Chapter based in South Carolina. This is the fourth trip to Panama that the group has taken, which typically occurs every two years during spring break. As of this year, about 60 NCSU students and faculty have participated in the program. Since its inception, the NCSU Student Chapter has set an international vision for its members. “I helped start the NCSU chapter about the same time when ACI provided support to initiate certifications in Panama,” explains Nunez. “The trip was established as an opportunity for NCSU students to join the ACI Student Chapter, become members of ACI, earn an ACI Concrete Field Testing Technician Grade I Certification, and then be challenged to undertake an international project that would test their planning and organizational skills while having the opportunity to observe outstanding concrete infrastructure projects.” Securing financing for the trip tests the resourcefulness and entrepreneurial spirit of both faculty and students. About 50% of the funding is generated by extension activities organized by Nunez which include construction and engineering seminars, training and ACI certification programs, and a golf tournament through the NCSU Department of Civil Construction and Environmental Engineering. The remaining 50% is raised through fundraising activities directly managed by the students, sponsorships obtained in Panama in support of a certification event run by NCSU students, and by concrete technology seminars hosted by experienced faculty and professionals. “Our trip to Panama was a success! With help from ACI, we were able to visit outstanding infrastructure projects and meet with project directors at the Panama Canal, Tocumen Airport, and Panama Metro. We also trained and conducted ACI Certifications for 16 Panamanian engineers and technicians; helped launch the ACI-Panama Chapter; organized and presented two evening technical seminars on concrete technology with participation from 73 Panamanian engineers, who asked questions until 11pm at night! Our students unanimously reported that this was "once in a life-time experience.” Read the Spanish language article from Metro de Panama The student members who participated in the trip were: Ruben Auvert, Andrew Takla, Nasser Kareem, David Schoch, Jeremy Whisnant, Joseph Weaver, Matthew Edwards, Jacinth Smith, and Mason Manhertz. The following organizations were valuable contributors to this unique learning experience for NCSU engineering students: Panama-Asociación Panameña de Productores de Concreto (APACRETO), ACI Panama Chapter, Argos Panama, Universidad Tecnologica de Panama, Panama Canal Authority, CH2M, Panama Metro, Tocumen Airport, Odebrech Construction Company, Dr. Ing. Luis Mata from University of Toledo, and Dr. Ing. Juan Jose Recalde from Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), Learn more about ACI Panama. The American Concrete Institute has Chapters and Student Chapters located throughout the world. Participation in a local chapter can be extremely rewarding in terms of gaining greater technical knowledge and networking with leaders in the concrete community.
Nine student chapter members from North Carolina State University (NCSU) along with their faculty advisor, Roberto Nunez, and John Conn, ACI Director of Chapter Activities embarked on an international education experience to Panama City, Panama from March 9-11, 2016.
The NCSU Student Chapter is a one of four student groups sponsored by the ACI Carolinas Chapter based in South Carolina. This is the fourth trip to Panama that the group has taken, which typically occurs every two years during spring break. As of this year, about 60 NCSU students and faculty have participated in the program. Since its inception, the NCSU Student Chapter has set an international vision for its members.
“I helped start the NCSU chapter about the same time when ACI provided support to initiate certifications in Panama,” explains Nunez. “The trip was established as an opportunity for NCSU students to join the ACI Student Chapter, become members of ACI, earn an ACI Concrete Field Testing Technician Grade I Certification, and then be challenged to undertake an international project that would test their planning and organizational skills while having the opportunity to observe outstanding concrete infrastructure projects.”
Securing financing for the trip tests the resourcefulness and entrepreneurial spirit of both faculty and students. About 50% of the funding is generated by extension activities organized by Nunez which include construction and engineering seminars, training and ACI certification programs, and a golf tournament through the NCSU Department of Civil Construction and Environmental Engineering.
The remaining 50% is raised through fundraising activities directly managed by the students, sponsorships obtained in Panama in support of a certification event run by NCSU students, and by concrete technology seminars hosted by experienced faculty and professionals.
“Our trip to Panama was a success! With help from ACI, we were able to visit outstanding infrastructure projects and meet with project directors at the Panama Canal, Tocumen Airport, and Panama Metro. We also trained and conducted ACI Certifications for 16 Panamanian engineers and technicians; helped launch the ACI-Panama Chapter; organized and presented two evening technical seminars on concrete technology with participation from 73 Panamanian engineers, who asked questions until 11pm at night! Our students unanimously reported that this was "once in a life-time experience.”
The student members who participated in the trip were: Ruben Auvert, Andrew Takla, Nasser Kareem, David Schoch, Jeremy Whisnant, Joseph Weaver, Matthew Edwards, Jacinth Smith, and Mason Manhertz.
The following organizations were valuable contributors to this unique learning experience for NCSU engineering students: Panama-Asociación Panameña de Productores de Concreto (APACRETO), ACI Panama Chapter, Argos Panama, Universidad Tecnologica de Panama, Panama Canal Authority, CH2M, Panama Metro, Tocumen Airport, Odebrech Construction Company, Dr. Ing. Luis Mata from University of Toledo, and Dr. Ing. Juan Jose Recalde from Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ),
Learn more about ACI Panama.
The American Concrete Institute has Chapters and Student Chapters located throughout the world. Participation in a local chapter can be extremely rewarding in terms of gaining greater technical knowledge and networking with leaders in the concrete community.
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