Innovative designs of bridges, parking garages or wind farms at sea are designed by Civil Engineers
Elin has a broad interest, which made it difficult to choose a continuation study after secondary school. But by visiting open days, she found out that a technical study is something for her. She chose the bachelor’s programme Civil Engineering to work on civil engineering solutions where she can have an impact on society.
Why did you choose the bachelor's programme in Civil Engineering (CE) at UT?
"At secondary school, I had a large curriculum. That's why I found it difficult to make a choice, also because I had a broad interest. To find out what appealed to me the most, I went to many open days and looked at various programmes. After these open days, I got the feeling that I wanted to do a technical study rather than an economic or social study. I started looking more specifically at technical universities. After receiving information about the Civil Engineering programme, I was immediately enthusiastic. It appealed to me that it is primarily a technical study, but it also touches on other aspects such as economic or social. This gave me the feeling that the programme also matched the broad interests that I have.
I chose the UT because it appealed to me from the start. I come from Enschede and I visited UT many times for masterclasses or workshops; these visits were made possible by my secondary school. Therefore, I knew pretty quickly that the atmosphere at UT, which is very relaxed and accessible, appealed to me and that I would feel at home there."
What makes Civil Engineering stand out for you?
"What makes Civil Engineering very unique for me is the fact that it is about projects that have an impact on everyone and it is not as abstract as other engineering courses. CE is about projects that are actually implemented later and that you can actually see. You could say that it has an impact on society. This makes it concrete and practical, which makes me even more enthusiastic. Also unique is that it is often about long-term projects that are done in teams. This is also well integrated into the programme, through a project assignment during each module."
What complex civil engineering challenges were you able to solve?
"Each module you work in a group (often 5/6 people) on a project that relates to the theme of the module. To complete this project, you use the knowledge you have learned during your courses. This is good because you can immediately apply the theoretical knowledge, and this makes it more interesting and understandable.
Some projects are connected to issues in Enschede, or elsewhere of course. For example, there is currently a large project going on in the centre of Enschede which is aimed at renewing the infrastructure and making it more sustainable. In our module, our assignment was to design a parking garage that would fit within this new infrastructure. You had to take into account the structure (that it is strong enough), the finances and the sustainability of the parking garage. I really enjoyed this because you are actually involved with current projects and you therefore also get to see what is happening in the field. It also shows how broad civil engineering projects are, and that there are so many aspects to consider. And you come up with something that benefits the people of Enschede.”
In the CE programme, you will learn everything a civil engineer needs to know to design, build and manage large projects in construction & infrastructure, water management and traffic & transport. Which field of study attracts you the most?
"In terms of specialisation, I still have some doubts about what I prefer. I am hesitating mainly between building & infrastructure and water management. Traffic & transport attracts me the least.
I find building and infrastructure particularly interesting in terms of mechanics. During the programme, we designed a car park and a bridge. I found the calculation of the strength and safety of these structures particularly interesting and challenging. Materials and the management that comes with it I find less interesting. In water management, I find the focus on modelling very interesting, so also the technical aspect. That is why I am thinking of continuing with a combination of these two research areas, i.e. constructions on water. This is also very topical, think for example of offshore wind farms.”
Today's world is constantly changing, think about sustainability, the environment, many people are busy with the energy transition, change of the world population, change of climate, new rules and laws in construction, etc. How do you think a civil engineer can contribute to a better and more innovative world to deal with all these issues?
"Firstly, I think a civil engineer can ensure that sustainability and innovation are integrated into projects. Civil Engineering is about projects that have an impact for a long time and therefore do not only have an impact now but also on the next generations. That is why it is so important to innovate in this area. This can be done by taking into account what society needs. The most obvious thing is of course to reduce CO2 emissions to improve the environment. But also by choosing materials more consciously (in construction and infrastructure especially), but also by thinking more about renewable and circular sources both for generating energy and for recruiting materials. I think that in the civil sector, there is much to be gained in terms of the use of raw materials, especially by reusing many things and integrating CO2-neutral energy. I also think that combining the built environment and nature can give a better balance. Think for example of more greenery in cities, this improves drainage and air quality, and don't forget ecoducts."
What makes the subjects at Civil Engineering so interesting?
"During the programme, there are references to sustainable innovation. There is even a module specifically dedicated to it. In this module, we were assigned to design a sustainable bridge. We were supported by lectures on different aspects of sustainable development, namely the economic, environmental and social aspects. What I found very interesting was the subject of' Economic and Environmental sustainability'. It taught us how to determine the economic and environmental consequences of a project throughout its entire life cycle."
You are also a member of the open days team of the Bachelor of Civil Engineering. Why did you decide to join this team?
"When I was asked to join the marketing team, I immediately said yes, because I enjoy making others enthusiastic about my study. Besides, I always enjoyed going to open days and I wanted to contribute to that atmosphere.
Besides providing information for your programme, you also organised the introduction camp for the CE Kick-In with several fellow students. How does such an introduction go at UT/CE?
"From the study association ConcepT, I was the secretary of the Kick-In camp committee. This committee organises the faculty kick-in for CE. This is the part of the Kick-In which comes after the regular Kick-In and is only meant for the new civil engineering students. As part of this program, the Kick-In camp committee organises a 3-day camp for the new students. During this camp, there are many fun activities, through which the freshmen get to know each other better, think of a multi-camp, scavenger hunt, cantus and an outing to the swimming pool. Besides that, every night is a big party, and the freshmen are guaranteed to come back tired!
Besides your studies and information activities within your programme, you are also a front desk staff member at Pre-U. This Pre-University of the UT provides an extensive line of education for pupils in primary and secondary education, as well as activities for teachers in the area of professionalisation. What makes working for Pre-U so interesting?
"At the moment I am indeed working for Pre-U. I ended up here because I followed the Pre-U honours programme myself when I was in secondary school. This meant I already knew Pre-U, which made me very enthusiastic about applying.
I work at Pre-U as a front-desk assistant. This means I am a kind of 'customer service' for the organisation. I answer questions that come in by e-mail or telephone or pass questions on to the person who knows more about it within Pre-U. I also arrange a lot of things behind the scenes for the educational activities, such as packing the necessary equipment and making sure that all the employees have access to the accounts they need.
As well as working on the front desk, I also help with the Master's Thesis support. This means that through Pre-U I help pupils at the technasium with their Master's Thesis (a large project on a technical subject). I will answer their questions about the project. At the moment, I have two groups that I supervise. These groups were linked to me based on their subjects related to civil engineering. One group is working on a project about tiny houses, and how you can use this on a large scale. This is something I find very interesting myself, and that's why it's so much fun to do this coaching."
What does a student do as a member of a study association?
"I am a member of the study association ConcepT, I participated in 2 committees, namely the gala committee and the Kick-In committee. I would recommend this to future students. By taking part in a committee, you also get to know fellow students from other years and you learn skills that are very closely related to the organisation.