Trenchless Technology Canada Association Updates Summer 2018
Centre for Advancement of Trenchless Technologies (CATT)
In addition to Dr. Mark Knight receiving the Asset Management Award by the Canadian Network of Asset Managers (CNAM) in May (see pg. 12) Environmental Engineering PhD candidate Hamed Mohammad Fardi was given the first-place award for the 2018 CNAM Student Research Symposium in Windsor, Ontario. CATT’s researchers and grad students actively participated in the AWWA ACE2018 and ASCE Pipelines 2018 conferences in Las Vegas and Toronto, respectively. CATT helped in organizing the pre-event workshops and presented at the technical sessions.
CATT and Benjamin Media Inc. hosted the successful Trenchless Technology Road Show in London from May 15-17. Over three days, more than 400 people attended pre-event courses, technical sessions, panel discussions and live demos. Sold-out exhibit hall showcased the latest and greatest in the trenchless technology industry.
The Trenchless Technology Road Shows provide a great opportunity to learn, network and showcase new technologies for pipeline rehabilitation and installation that can save millions of dollars for the Canadian municipalities and utilities.
CATT, Benjamin Media and NASTT-BC have partnered to organize the Spring 2019 Trenchless Technology Road Show in British Columbia. Stay tuned for the call for abstracts and more information. Also, mark your calendars for the 2020 Trenchless Technology Road Show. CATT and Benjamin Media will host the 2020 show at the Scotia Bank Convention Centre – Niagara Falls on May 19-21, 2020. Contact alice.seviora@uwaterloo.ca if you want to be part of the CATT’s Conference Committee responsible for organizing the Trenchless Technology Road Shows.
Education and training is an important part of CATT’s mandate. There are eight workshops planned for the September-December session. Visit catt.ca for more information on upcoming events.
Consortium for Engineered Trenchless Technologies (CETT)
The University of Alberta’s Consortium for Engineered Trenchless Technologies (CETT) is continuing its ongoing contributions towards resolving challenges related to trenchless construction methods.
Dr. Ali Bayat, the director of CETT, has recently been appointed Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Associate Industrial Research Chair (IRC) in Underground Trenchless Construction. The IRC was established in conjunction with a number of industry partners, including The Crossing Company, TELUS Communications, BGC Engineering, UniqEnergy Solutions (formerly Evolution Energy Services) and INROCK, and offers a valuable opportunity to advance research in the trenchless technology sector alongside industrial partners. This IRC program will focus on developing underground trenchless construction technologies with emphasis on cold-climate applications. Research will centre on risk assessment and mitigation strategies for horizontal directional drilling (HDD), microtunnelling, and pipe jacking; improving trenchless geotechnics; enhancing construction and design for trenchless projects; and trenchless installations for fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) projects.
CETT has courses planned for later this year through the University of Alberta Faculty of Extension, including Advanced HDD Design in October and an entirely new course, Fibre to the Home, in November.
RELATED: CETT, University of Alberta Hosting Advanced HDD Design Workshop
NASTT Northwest Chapter
The Northwest Chapter is proud to be jointly presenting the TT2018-TAC/NASTT-NW Tunnelling and Trenchless Conference in partnership with Tunneling Association of Canada (TAC). The theme for the conference and workshop is Innovation in Underground Infrastructure. The conference will take place in Edmonton on Nov. 7-9, at the Fantasyland Hotel at West Edmonton Mall. The conference planning committee is in full swing and the submission of papers closed in mid-July. Sponsorship opportunities and trade show booth sales are still open and early delegate registration pricing ends Aug. 31.
Nov. 7 will feature the short courses and workshops (tentatively) during the day. Nov. 8-9 will include all keynote and theme lectures, concurrent technical sessions and panel discussions. The TAC AGM will take place at the end of the technical sessions on Nov. 8, followed by the 2018 TAC Awards Banquet that evening. The NASTT-NW Project of the Year will be presented on Nov. 9. For more information, tt2018.ca.
The Northwest Chapter is in the process of planning the 2018-2019 Technical Lunch Program and would like to extend an invitation to the chapter members to submit topics for this program. It is an excellent opportunity to spotlight great local projects but also new and national projects. If you have a specific topic or project that you would like to see us spotlight, please reach out and let us know.
For more information, email gtippett@nastt-nw.com.
Editor’s Note: In each issue, Trenchless Technology Canada features the “Association Updates” section to highlight the happenings in the various associations across Canada related to the trenchless field. Information is provided by the associations. To submit information for our Fall 2018 edition, that mails in November, email associate editor Mike Kezdi, at mkezdi@benjaminmedia.com. Deadline for submissions for that issue is October 9.
