In my old office in Trades, the wireless was hit and miss, there was only one port in the dusty room, and the metal rollup window constantly rattled with any air movements in the shops or hallways. I joked that if there was a nuclear war, I would survive – that room was like a bunker. In my new space, I have modern LED lights and seven windows for plenty of light. I snagged a couple of coat racks to hang my assorted collection of jackets for the varied weather conditions encountered when taking the students outside. And I even have a comfy chair so that I can entertain the odd visitor. President Brad (Donaldson) has even made it down to see my piece of survey heaven!
Jim Pinches - Geomatics Technician since 2004
Lethbridge College’s Engineering Design Technology program is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year – congratulations! Wider Horizons reached out to a student, a graduate and an instructor and asked them to share their thoughts about the place where they learned (or taught) how to map out their futures and build a better world. Here’s what they had to say:
My dad is one of my instructors, which is pretty exciting, and I have known my other instructors for at least a decade. We have a great facility here, which includes state-of-the-art equipment and well-kept labs. There’s never a dull moment in the program. One week you could be in the classroom learning about construction management, and next week you could be out in the field collecting survey data. I believe that being a student in the Engineering Technologies program has been a great decision for my future.
Joshua May (first-year Civil Engineering Technology student)
Engineering Technologies at Lethbridge College is an exciting area to work in. The learning experience that every student will encounter within the classroom is as rich and diverse as the students who come from all around the world to attend our programs. Students choose our program because they know its reputation – and the skills they obtain offer a direct path to employment within the engineering industry. Our department ensures that students are taught to use the most up-to-date survey equipment and computer software that is available. Employers within the engineering community know our program’s curriculum and seek out our graduates, even before they graduate!
Doug May – Engineering Technologies instructor at Lethbridge College
The most memorable part of the Engineering program for me was Jim Pinches’ Survey Store. The service he would provide was top notch, and he would even come join us in the field after he was done handing out equipment. With Jim’s awesome humour and charismatic personality, it was always a nice break from class for the Geomatics students. The store was always neat and decorated for whatever holiday was ahead!
Scott Polec (Geomatics Engineering Technology 2022) – GIS Technician at Midwest Surveys Inc.
There was a little game we played to make sure students were engaged. As we did the calculations for the lecture, the students had to punch the numbers on their calculators and provide the answers. The quicker we went through this, the quicker we would be able to take a 10-minute break and turn the heat on again. There were some cold days where we took numerous breaks to keep from freezing to the chairs. The wireless was spotty in this area and there weren’t any hardwired internet ports available. This was an issue since our program is a laptop program. Now we are in TT1981 that has a quiet heat source and large windows that let lots of natural sunlight into the space. There are wireless hubs galore as well as wired ports too. It’s a vast improvement.
And then there was my old office in Trades. The wireless was hit and miss, and there was only one port in the room, which came in much later when they switched over the phone system. This room was constantly dusty from the ventilation system being joined with the two carpentry shops either side of my office. The metal rollup window constantly rattled with any air movements in the shops or hallways – like when the overhead doors opened and closed. I was sandwiched in with all the survey gear and had a desk, a chair and my phone. I joked that if there was a nuclear war, I would survive – the ceiling was concrete, the walls were cinderblock and the room was like a bunker.
Once we moved into the TTIF building, I was fortunate to get a renovated area that was fresh and new for me. I have modern LED lights and seven windows for plenty of light in my spacious area. I snagged a couple of coat racks on which to hang my assorted collection of jackets for the varied weather conditions encountered when taking the students outside. Also, I have a bar fridge, a filing cabinet, extra storage cupboards – and the highlight is I now have a comfy chair so that I can entertain the odd visitor. President Brad (Donaldson) has even made it down to see my piece of survey heaven. After 15 years in the dungeon, I am truly enjoying this major upgrade to the Survey Stores location.
Jim Pinches – Technologist, Surveying and Geospatial Engineering Technology (watch for details about this program later this year!)
