A steel teaching aid used by Construction, Architecture and Civil Engineering Technology faculty and students has been permanently relocated to Conestoga’s Cambridge campus thanks to the support of Paul Seibel, president of ACL Steel Ltd.
Faculty and students in Conestoga’s Construction, Architecture and Civil Engineering Technology programs will have access to a unique teaching aid now that it has been permanently moved to the Cambridge campus.
The structure measures five metres tall, three metres wide, weighs almost a tonne and has been located near Conestoga’s Woodworking Centre at the Doon campus since it was gifted to the college by the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction in 2005.
The teaching aid is meant to help students see first-hand how a variety of structural steel shapes are joined to form frameworks for buildings, towers, bridges and other structures. It also helps students observe and learn about the welding processes used in steel-based construction. The convenience of the structure means the cost and time associated with visiting different job sites throughout the region to view other structural examples are eliminated.
Robin Carmichael, program manager at Conestoga’s School of Engineering & Information Technology, said relocating the structure will be very helpful to students. “Until now, our professors and students had to walk over to the Doon campus to view it. There’s been a lot of excitement about having the structure here in Cambridge permanently where the students who use it can access it easily,” said Carmichael.
A crew started the move on the morning of November 24 and within hours the steel teaching aid was erected at the Cambridge campus at the far end of Parking Lot 1.
The Cambridge campus is home to Conestoga’s School of Engineering and Information Technology. The 260,000 square-foot building houses innovative technology labs, a welding shop and the Craig Richardson Institute of Food Processing Technology. Visit the School’s website for more information about programs offered.