TU Dublin leads the way with a Civil and Structural Engineering Virtual Site Visit
TU Dublin has once again taken the extra step in delivering exceptional engineering programmes by having their first-ever virtual site visit this week.
Lecturer Cian Farrell travelled to Sean Brady Construction and Engineering in Killashandra, Co. Cavan, to enable his students to interpret engineering and construction fundamentals taught in his Building Technology lecture.
Before travelling to the firm’s headquarters in Co. Cavan, Cian completed a mini-lecture recapping on the importance of sustainable development and how Life Cycle Assessment should be adopted from the raw material extraction phase right through to the End-of-Life phase for development. A virtual safety induction was then carried out to ensure that a maximum level of safety was present during the site visit. This also involved discussing the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that had to be worn. On completion of the safety induction, all Covid 19 restrictions were addressed.
The industry visit involved some in-depth discussions with a structural engineer, a draftsman, a procurement officer, and the firm's managing director. After discussing the Design and Procurement process's various stages, a step-by-step explanatory tour of the manufacturing process was delivered by Cian to the students. On completion of the site visit, a Q & A session was then held for the class. Cian stated, ‘As academics in a period of great uncertainty, it is essential for us to ensure that our current and future students receive the education they have been promised.’ The student’s appreciation towards the practical learning experience was clearly evidenced with comments coming from the students such as, ‘I enjoyed how educational and how simple everything was to understand considering the complexity of the profession’ and ‘It was a great addition to our module and brings back some sense of normality at these strange times.’
In response to such gratitude from the students, Sean Brady, the Managing Director of Sean Brady Construction and Engineering, said, ‘We were delighted and honoured to have facilitated Cian and TU Dublin in producing a virtual site visor the students at our manufacturing plant. Cian has worked closely in progressing our business over the past few years, and his expertise is clearly evident in producing this virtual tour. We wish Cian and TU Dublin continued success in the future. From all at Sean Brady Construction and Engineering’.