By Peter Murphy
Published December 18, 2019
“I wanted to bring the club back because I wanted students to have more exposure to industry, beyond design engineering,” says civil engineering senior Mustafa Shakoor.
Shakoor took a semester off to complete a co-op in construction management with Advance Testing, a consulting construction materials laboratory. His experience as a materials inspector inspired him to reach out to civil engineering undergraduate studies director Christine Human and assistant professor of practice, Darrell Kaminski about resurrecting UB’s Associated General Contractors student chapter.
UB’s club was initially created in 1990, but had not been active for several years. Kaminski has over 20 years of experience in industry and will serve as the club’s faculty advisor.
“The club is going to bridge the gap between academia and the construction industry. We will be working to provide students with constant exposure to the industry,” says Shakoor, who will also serve as the club’s president, “we are going to offer site tours, professional development workshops, factory and supplier tours and conversations with industry figures.
AGC is a national organization that provides a full range of services satisfying the needs and concerns of its members, thereby improving the quality of construction and protecting the public interest. The mission of the student chapter is to bridge the gap between academia and the construction industry. They do so by inviting guest speakers, visiting plants, going on construction site tours and providing insight into the industry.
Advance Testing is a member of AGC, and Shakoor utilized this membership to make connections with professionals he met working throughout the construction industry. According to Shakoor, he wanted students to experience more organizations and networking opportunities.
UB AGC is open to all majors, but has a focus on students in the civil, structural and environmental engineering department. Shakoor’s next steps are to form an executive board, and organize speakers and site tours.
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Companies will be on campus regularly this semester to discuss engineering opportunities and share information applicable to all students.
View the seminar speaker schedule here