DR. NARA ALMEIDA

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DR. NARA ALMEIDA

DR. NARA ALMEIDA

Nara Almeida is an architect and a Doctor | Professor of civil engineering focused on materials science within the construction industry.

Dig Smart: A Hands-On Excavation Efficiency Challenge

This engaging, hands-on activity simulates real-world excavation operations using remote-controlled excavators. It challenges students to estimate time and cost for an excavation work, while experiencing the impact of human performance, training, and equipment maintenance. This exercise builds essential construction engineering skills and reinforces key construction management principles.

In class, students are presented with a hypothetical or real-world scenario (e.g., excavating a trench for piping near a building). They are expected to relate their technical performance during the activity - such as cycle time and production rates - to broader project impacts, including cost and schedule. Based on these connections, students must evaluate and justify the selection of a planning and contingency strategies. The activity has also been a hit among high school and community college students interested in civil engineering, making it a powerful recruitment tool for the field.

EXCAVATOR - VIDEO

“Simplify, simplify, simplify”.

Henry David Thoreau

No matter your background or your career goals, it is very likely that you will eventually need to work on a project, or participate in a meeting, or give a presentation to the public. And if all of these things are new to you, you can always resort to some Project Management (PM) tools! However, you will not necessarily need to take a whole PM course, so you learn how to use these tools. This is why I decided to develop something simple and handy to all, which consists of a brochure series called Project Management Academic Toolbox! For now, it is divided into 4 volumes that help students (1) initiate and plan academic projects, (2.a) manage meetings, (2.b) use meeting management tools, and (3) present academic projects, . The goal is to help students deliver academic projects more effectively, and help them become effective professionals.