Dr. Eric Showalter, teaching professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering, spent his summer with Kiewit Power Constructors as a Kiewit Faculty Scholar.
“It was a tremendous opportunity for me to spend time on the jobsite,” says Showalter. “The last time I worked for a construction company was about 28 years ago, and it was time to go get fresh experiences.”
Showalter spent time in Lenexa, Kansas; Omaha, Nebraska; and Seal Beach, California.
“Some days I did things an intern would do, checking shop drawings or out in the yard looking for specific pieces of pipe,” Showalter says. “Other days I’d work on lift plans for 75-ton lifts. I sat in on meetings with the client. I went out in the mornings for stretch and flex with the boilermakers, ironworkers and the pipefitters. The last two weeks in California I went through the foreman’s leadership training, alongside 15 union foremen.”
As part of the faculty scholar program, Showalter will produce an education module for the Kiewit “professor’s portal.” The modules are available for faculty members to download and use. They include a presentation, a set of presenter’s notes, quizzes and assignments, photos, drawings, and videos.