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There is such a high demand
Always new and different
Immediately hooked
Young engineers of the globe
A ticket to travel the world
Women in tunnelling? You bet!
Tunneling and the UCA
Paula Wallis, TunnelTalk
- Ask professionals how they came to the underground construction industry and all too often the answer is "by accident".
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- With the underground increasingly appreciated as an indispensable component of successful urban planning and development, the industry cannot afford to wait for engineers and technicians to stumble into the profession. ITA, the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association, and the UCA, American Underground Construction Association, are promoting the industry aggressively by taking concrete steps to reach out to young engineering undergraduates and students. Each has produced a video to promote careers in the underground industry.
- The UCA video, above, premiered at the George Fox Conference in New York in January and introduces young engineers to some of the extraordinary projects underway currently in the United States and meets senior engineers who offer a long-term perspective of how the industry presented them with rewarding professional careers. The video is a follow on to the ITA video that debuted at the 2012 World Tunnelling Congress in Bangkok and focuses on young engineers employed on tunnelling projects around the globe.
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- But the work of promoting the underground falls to all of us in the industry. It is imperative that we take every opportunity to do just that. Contact the UCA and the ITA to obtain a copy of the videos and forward the YouTube links to friends and colleagues. Contact the engineering department at your local university or your alma mater and offer to speak to a class about your experiences in the underground. Join your nation's underground and tunneling construction association and support its education and training initiatives to encourage new recruits. Add to the discussion below to explain to future engineers what it is about the underground industry that you find so engaging.
- Together we can elevate the underground industry to a profession that engineers will aspire to, instead of one they happen to fall into.
Muhammad younas, Pakistan, Consultant
I am and associate civil engineer. I joined as a sub engineer/supervisor on the Malakand III hydropower project in 2004 to 2007 for the ATL Construction company, Lowari Rail tunnel 8.5 KM with Geo Consult Typsa J/v Consultant as Sub Engineer/supervisor in 2008 to 2011 and after suspension of Lowari Tunnel I join Norplan,MWH J/V Nespak (NJ Consultant) as Sub Engineer/supervisor Nelum jehlum 26KM tunnel including access tunnels, headrace, underground P.House, T.Hall cavrans with penstocks and draft tubes. working
Nagappa ananthaswamy, India, Client
I got appointed in 1977 as tunnel engineer for Kali Head Race Tunnel 10000 mtrs long and 9.625m dia horse shoe shape tunnel around 120m below earth surface.It was planned to tackle in around 10 working phases by providing 3 intermediate adit tunnels and 2shafts 1 vertical and 1 inclined with winches.Excavation method adopted was heading and benching with 5mtrs deep drill holes using jack hammer with pnumatic air,loaded with superdyne80 with central zero detonator and outwards with delay detonators for easy pull.mucking done by dumpers through adits and finally concreting done by providing left and right bottom kerbs & steel gantry of 10 mt.
Daniel Louis, S. Korea / USA, Samsung C&T
Prof. Tor Brekke !!
Reference
Prof. Tor Brekke obituary - TunnelCast
Ksn Vasu Babu, India, Student
My boss, an expert in the tunnel division, introduced to me to TBMs. I am a graduate mechanical engineer and I am satisfied with my job profile.
Ludwig Wiesmeier, Germany, Consultant
Civil engineering was the favoured topic to study but coming to tunnelling was because of visiting tunnel construction sites and working there for a vacation job. Then, the former director of an big Austrian construction company became my university professor and supported education especially in tunnelling.
Du, Italy, Client
Just for fun!
Akshay Acharya, India, Geologist and Geotech Professional in hydel sector
The challange was not less than army duty, where vulnerabilities and uncertainities were everywhere and as a geotech man, tunnelling is very challenging for me, unlike my first job in the cement industry.
Education opportunities and training courses offered around the world
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