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CIV 1T0 MIN Discover Big Becky: Enhancing the First-Year Student Experience

By Professor Giovanni Grasselli and Charly BankStudents

On Saturday, March 31, 2007, the MIN 185 class participated in a field trip to the Ontario Power Generation Niagara Tunnel. More than 60 Civil and Mineral Engineering students enjoyed the unique experience of walking inside a tunnel under construction and touching the mechanical marvel that is Big Becky.

Big Becky is the world’s largest tunnel-boring machine (14.4 m diameter TBM) and the machine is currently at work under the City of Niagara Falls, creating a third tunnel 10.4 km long that will feed water from the Niagara River to the Sir Adam Beck Generating Station.

Dr. Wannenmacher and Ms. Ferraro, a U of T Engineering Science graduate, from Strabag were our site hosts. They guided us through the discovery of the tunnel and the machine. Everyone was amazed and fascinated by the size and challenges related to the project. Our hosts were overwhelmed by questions and the curiosity of our students. Dr. Wannenmacher and Ms. Ferraro lectured for more than an hour; it was full immersion in Geo-Engineering and Applied Earth Science!

To quote one of the participants, M. Vacca, 1T0, “Studying Engineering is tough, but there is always light at the end of the tunnel. All you need are good friends along the way.”

Becky

 

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