Annual civil engineering trip includes learning, bonding

Twelve Trine University civil engineering majors and three faculty members traveled to sites in three cities during the annual senior trip hosted by the Reiners Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

The group, led by civil engineering professors Gary Greene, Ph.D., Tim Tyler, Ph.D., and Hemin Mohammed, Ph.D., visited Indianapolis, Mitchell, Indiana, and Louisville, Kentucky, on Nov. 17 and 18.

Tyler Beyke, one of the students who went on the trip, said he decided to go because of the opportunity to see how real-life projects implemented concepts from the classroom.

“I also decided to go to spend time with my fellow civil engineering classmates, as this was a great time to hang out and bond,” he said.

$4.2 billion hospital

In downtown Indianapolis, the group toured the construction site for the new IU Health hospital, which is currently built up to the fifth floor. The completed hospital will have 14 floors and three towers.

The complex is the largest and most expensive hospital construction site in North America, with an estimated total cost of $4.2 billion. The group got a bird’s-eye view of the construction from the adjacent IU Health Med tower.

“I learned how massive a project can be and how much truly goes into a project like this, whether it’s concrete or the number of construction laborers,” said Beyke. ”This project helped me understand and appreciate what goes into a project.”

The group then toured the Heidelberg cement plant in Mitchell, the second-largest portland cement plant in North America. They visited the top of the 400-foot-tall preheat tower, the clinker storage dome, the packaging center and the operations control room.

“Visiting the cement plant was so impressive due to the sheer size of the operation,” said student Jack Kletzly. “The plant was huge and had so much to offer. We learned about the mining process all the way to the packaging of portland cement.”

Bonding time

They then traveled to downtown Louisville to stay the night, enjoying time together at the La Bodeguita De Mima Cuban Restaurant.

“Afterward we all played cards in the lobby for a while, and it was a blast,” said Kletzly.

The next morning the group went to the McAlpine Lock and Dam.

“I had never seen a lock system in person,” said Beyke. “I found it very interesting to learn about the history of the lock system and why it was constructed at this location. The original lock system was constructed in the 1820s to early 1830s because large barge boats were unable to cross this section of the Ohio River due to the water depth being too shallow. The lock system has since been renovated and improved to meet the needs of today’s barge transportation. The lock essentially fills up with water to allow the large barges to pass through freely.”

They then walked across the Ohio River on the Big Four Bridge, a former railroad bridge converted into a pedestrian bridge. Once on the Indiana side of the river in Jeffersonville, they walked to Schimpff’s Confectionery and sampled homemade cinnamon candy after watching it being made.

“The bond between the guys on the trip was unbelievable,” said Kletzly. “We have been friends taking the same classes for three years and we had so much fun on the trip.”

“I am truly thankful to the Trine University Civil Engineering Department for making this trip possible and allowing us to be a part of something special that will provide lasting memories,” said Beyke. “A special thank you to Dr. Greene, Dr. Tyler and Dr. Mohammed for coming along on the trip and taking time out of their personal lives to do something special for our senior civil engineering class.”