University transport project mentoring

The University of Canterbury introduced a new 4th-year engineering course in 2008 - Transport Design Project. Industry mentors assisted groups of four students during the course of the project. Jeanette Ward and Axel Downard-Wilke mentored one of the groups.

The intention of the Transport Design Project course is not to advance students' technical knowledge, but to reinforce their existing knowledge with a realistic design project that emphasises the development of professional engineering practices, many of which are difficult to teach without a specific project for context (e.g. costing, peer review, consultation, consents). The course is an option for final-year (3^rd Pro) Civil Engineering degree students, with some postgraduate transport students also able to take the course.

Axel and Jeanette were impressed by the students' ability to produce during a relatively short period of time a realistic and sound proposal for a real life intersection that is due to be upgraded by NZTA.