Engineering Spotlight
Michael Brewer & Regent Ma
Reprinted from Ingenuity | Fall/Winter 2009
Co-op Students take part in Olympics
Competition is not just for athletes. Graduating students and companies are facing increasingly competitive landscapes, and the UBC Engineering Co-op Program is designed to help both.
In 2008 when Michael Brewer graduated with a degree in civil engineering, he had an advantage over some of his classmates. He had experience—relevant, practical experience. Not only that, he had someone in his corner—UBC Engineering Co-op Program Coordinator Sheenagh Brooks. After a particular job came across her desk, Sheenagh forwarded it to Brewer, and he applied.
As Brewer describes it, “In my last Co-op term, I did municipal design-type work. It helped me firm up my skills”—and gave him the edge he needed. Being a big sports fan, Brewer happily accepted the position as an analyst in Traffic Planning for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC).
Brewer’s days are now filled with traffic-impact studies and traffic-management plans for venues, bus depots and fleet facilities, as well as analysis of key routes and intersections integral to the Games’ transportation network. Meeting with Olympic, city or TransLink officials, visiting venues, taking measurements and crunching numbers, Brewer says there is no such thing as a typical day. Although his unique position will come to an end when the Olympics do, he has already developed contacts through VANOC partner companies—sharpening his competitive edge.
Brewer is not the only member of the Engineering Co-op family fortunate enough to be involved in the 2010 Olympics. Co-op student Regent Ma was hired by the Transportation function for VANOC and has learned much about office life and teamwork. While editing the Games’ transportation routes, he suddenly realized what an opportunity he’d been given.
“It hit me that these changes I am making will ultimately be influencing the Games. I am truly a part of the Olympics and have put my stamp on it,” he says.
The Engineering Co-op Program estimates that during the past four years, over 120 students have been involved in projects that have added valuable, technical work experience to their résumés, and also allowed them to put their stamp on the Games. Work placements range from conducting geotechnical testing at the Richmond Olympic Oval, to working on the Sea-to-Sky Highway between West Vancouver and Whistler, to constructing the Canada Line and the Vancouver Convention Centre, to researching microscopic snow friction, to building a ski jump at Whistler.
Companies such as SNC-Lavalin, Siemens Canada Ltd. , Environment Canada and Peter Kiewit Sons’, to name just a few working with VANOC, also benefit from the Co-op partnership. They hire short-term employees with fresh ideas, all of whom have been screened by the Co-op team to ensure that companies employ quality students.
Students learn valuable fieldwork skills, meaning they will be better prepared when seeking jobs. As Brewer describes it, by working during his Co-op terms he was able to “develop an appreciation of the difference between learning in the field and learning out of a textbook.”
So, unlike the podium, with Engineering Co-op there is room for more than one winner. Students get the unique chance to gain valuable work experience and networking opportunities while learning. And employers get a cost-effective solution for short-term employment needs and a chance to start valuable relationships with potential employees.
“Our goal is to be recognized as the leading Engineering Co-op Program in Western Canada by being the first choice among students, employers and the university community,” says Engineering Co-op Director Jenny Kagetsu.
Considering feedback from employers states that 98% would hire a UBC Engineering Co-op student again, it’s an all-around gold-medal performance!
