Engineer & Brave

Four CEE alumni traveled to Spain at New Year’s for two events that celebrated international exchange, engineering, athleticism, and the University of Illinois.

 

Fernando Moreu (MS 05), a structural engineer at ESCA Consultants Inc. in Urbana and a CEE Ph.D. student, organized a roundtable discussion in his native city of Granada, Spain, called, “Engineer & Young: the American Experience.” Presented at the Carmen de la Victoria on Dec. 31, 2009, the discussion featured three more CEE alumni—David J. Bennier (MS 09), a bridges and highway engineer with HNTB in Kansas City, Kan.; Genevieve E. Long (BS 02, MS 03), a road and airport engineer with Applied Pavement Technology Inc. in Urbana; and Keith M. Schinkoeth (BS 02, MS 03), a structural engineer with Clark Dietz Engineers in Champaign—who spoke about their education and careers for an audience made up primarily of young Spanish engineers.  Two days later, Long, Moreu and Schinkoeth also participated in the third annual Race to Canales, dubbed Ingeniero & Bravo (Engineer and Brave), an eight-mile run to the top of the Canales Dam with prizes awarded to the top runners overall and in a special engineers category.

The mastermind behind both events is the energetic Moreu, who has frequently hosted University of Illinois alumni in Granada over the years. In 2002, he established the Spanish organization Ingeniero & Joven (Engineer and Young), along with an award of the same name, to recognize young engineers at the beginning of their careers. He founded the Canales Dam race three years ago with an engineering colleague who is also from Spain. When some fellow CEE alumni expressed interest in running the 2010 race, Moreu seized the opportunity for cultural and professional exchange and organized the roundtable discussion.

 

The discussion was hosted by P. Ferrer, provincial representative of the Colegio de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, the head civil engineer of Granada. Bennier, Long and Schinkoeth each briefly spoke then fielded questions from attendees.   As a nod to Illinois, Moreu had arranged for the ushers—his two nieces and two nephews, ranging in age from 11 to 15—to wear orange. Collaborators on the roundtable included the Colegio de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos; the Asociación de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos; the Structures and Hydraulics departments of the University of Granada; and the Graduate Discussion Group of the University of Illinois.

 

Schinkoeth, who met Moreu in 2002 when they were both CEE graduate students, is familiar with the Spaniard’s contagious enthusiasm. In 2008, Moreu convinced Schinkoeth to join him in running the Chicago marathon—with just one day’s notice.

 

“So I am convinced Fernando knew that if he could lure me across the Atlantic for a race, he’d have no trouble getting me to present at the roundtable as well,” he says. “I was very excited [to do it] and viewed my participation as an opportunity not only to share my own experience as a young, American engineer but also as a way to view my profession from the Spanish perspective.”

 

The audience of young professionals, engineering students and university professors seemed particularly interested in the differences for engineering students in the two countries, Long says.

 

“In Spain, it is not common to work as an intern during breaks between school semesters/years, so the transition between the university experience and entering the working world was a focal point of discussion,” she says. “Attending a university is also not as great of a financial investment in Spain as it is in the United States.”

 

Bennier agreed that the audience seemed very interested in the concept of gaining professional experience while still in school.

 

The sense that I received was that there is more collaboration between colleges and engineering firms in the U.S. to provide internship opportunities than in Spain,” Bennier said. “We spoke at length about the benefits, pros and cons, of internships.”

 

Sponsored by the Colegio de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, the race pays homage both to the Canales Dam and to the engineer who designed and built it, D. Guillermo Bravo. Completed in 1986, it was the tallest earth dam in Spain at the time. Its construction presented a number of engineering challenges due to the difficult geology of the site, and its completion brought multiple improvements to the region, including fresh water to Granada, flood protection to Granada and the small villages through which the race is run, and hydroelectric power. The name of the race, Ingeniero & Bravo, is a play on words referencing both the lead engineer’s name and the courage and persistence it takes to complete the uphill run. Now 81, Bravo takes part in the awards presentation. The course begins in the city of Granada and follows the Genil River up to the dam, where finishers are rewarded with spectacular views of the dam and the Sierra Nevada. Most participants double the mileage by running back down as well, but there was transportation available for those who preferred to stop at eight miles. This year Moreu, who ran the full 16 miles, placed fifth overall and second in the engineers’ category.   Schinkoeth ran to the top of the dam, and Long participated by riding a borrowed bike most of the way to the top. Schinkoeth ran her bike up the last, very steep quarter mile or so.

 

“Admittedly, I took ‘el coche’ option back down to the start of the race,” she says.

 

In addition to participating in the roundtable and the race, the group toured the surrounding area, even taking part in the local seasonal tradition of olive-picking, Moreu says. International exchanges like these, in addition to being fun, are important for engineers, he says.

 

“Our profession is one of constant travel, exposure and change,” he says. “We have to be ready to communicate with different professionals, nationalities and cultures, and in many different settings.”