Welcome back to UMass to all our undergrad and grad students! And welcome to all incoming students of the class of 2023!

News

As we start the new semester, there is some exciting news to share:

We are welcoming Fernando Romero to our faculty! Fernando has been the lead project manager on many large construction projects in various countries. Being originally from Brazil, he joins our team after spending several years teaching construction in Illinois at SIUE. He will be teaching the core of our construction management curriculum, including BCT 353, 550, and 494 and will supervise ASC competitions and other student projects. You can learn more about him here.

Congratulations to Peggi Clouston and Alex Schreyer on their well-deserved promotions! Dr. Clouston now holds the rank of full Professor and Mr. Schreyer is now Senior Lecturer II.

Over summer, BCT students again completed many different internships in the region and we documented several of them on our Instagram feed. Below are some of those images:

 

 

Our lab was also very active this summer with undergraduate BCT student interns and one exchange student from Napier University in Scotland supporting our graduate students. Below they are showing off one of the local-wood cross-laminated timber boards they manufactured (and then tested).

And finally (but earliest in the summer), BCT faculty co-hosted the 2019 Building Technology Educators’ Conference, which saw attendees learn about innovations in technology education, Trimble’s construction technology, and had groups touring local buildings and facilities (Bensonwood’s Unity Homes factory shown here).

Save the Date!

We have several events planned this Fall semester. As always, you can find all of them on the BCT calendar and on our Facebook page. Don’t forget to save the date for our:

  • Welcome-back pizza party on Wed, 9/4 at 12 noon in the Design Building Atrium.
  • Exhibition opening for “Concept to Construction – Integrated Design Process Behind the John W. Olver Design Building” on Tue, 9/10 at 4:30 – 6:30 in the Design Building Gallery.
  • Lecture series with the first lecture on residential solar on Mon, 9/16, at 4 pm.
  • BCT Fall Career Fair on Wed, 10/2 at 10 am.

Some Practical Tips

BCT students have arguably one of the nicest homes at UMass in the John W. Olver Design Building where we are roommates with the Departments of Architecture, and Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning. As you are starting the new semester, keep the following in mind:

  • Most of your BCT classes are in the Olver Design Building with DB 162 being our main classroom. Check Spire for room numbers and give yourself some time to find the rooms. The Olver Design Building is located between Morrill and the Studio Arts Building.
  • BCT faculty and the program director are on the third floor of the Olver Design Building. Just remember: “All the way up the great stair and then to the left.” That’s where you can find us.
  • BCT undergrads have a beautiful lounge area on the second floor overlooking the atrium (right next to the Trimble Technology Lab). That’s where your mailboxes and BCT bulletin board are and where you can hang out anytime you like.
  • BCT grad students are located in rooms 158, 160, and 258. Your mailboxes are next to room 210 (Design Building admin area).
  • There are many cool spaces in the Design Building that are yours to discover. Check these out: The “Post and Bean” Illy café (1st floor), labs and shops (1st floor), “Trimble Technology Lab” (computer lab) (DB 260), open computer lab (DB 235), roof garden (3rd floor).

Have a great year at UMass!

Reposted from: https://bct.eco.umass.edu/news/bct-welcomes-students-back-to-umass-for-fall-2019/