CIC Blog

The CIC would like to welcome Dr. Yasser Mohamed to his new position of Director of the CIC! Dr. Mohamed is a professional engineer and professor with the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Alberta. He has expertise is in the areas of modeling and simulation, data mining, and machine learning; and has developed applications of these techniques in different construction domains including tunneling, industrial construction, off-site construction fabrication, infrastructures, and safety. His research spans more than 15 years of collaborations with construction companies in Alberta, which have resulted in several solutions that have been adopted by industry partners [...]

Dr. Aminah Robinson Fayek thanks the CIC and its Partners In the two years since its foundation, the CIC has worked alongside partners and collaborators that have helped it to grow into the formidable force that it has become. It was my pleasure and honour to work as the Director of the CIC since its foundation in 2019, and I look forward to seeing how it continues to grow and become stronger under the leadership of my esteemed colleague, Dr. Yasser Mohamed, now that I am moving into my new role as the Vice-President (Research and Innovation) at the University of [...]

This year’s Innovation in Construction Forum (ICF) took place as part of a partnership with the Construction Owners Association of Alberta’s (COAA) Best Practices Conference. The Innovation in Construction Forum began as the Canadian Construction Research Forum, which was established in 1996 by Dr. Simaan AbouRizk at the University of Alberta as a means of disseminating and highlighting construction engineering and management research initiatives being undertaken by the Alberta construction industry and academics in Canada at large. To broaden its reach, the Canadian Construction Research Forum was rebranded as the Innovation in Construction: FORUM in 2012. The University of Alberta’s Hole School of [...]

Since its foundation in May of 2019, the CIC has grown and accomplished a great deal thanks to the efforts of its partners and collaborators. Though we have all been challenged by the events of the last year, we have also risen to meet those challenges, coming together in the spirit of collaboration and progress. On behalf of the CIC I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks for the hard work of everyone involved in making the CIC what it has become. As we move forward into the new year, we should also take the time to reflect on the [...]

Meet Wayne Crew, the General Secretary of the National Academy of Construction! What is one thing you can’t live without? These days it is hard to live without dark chocolate (and maybe a reasonable cabernet). What are your hopes for 2021? While 2020 didn’t shut the design and construction industry down, it significantly changed our behaviour and the way we do business. It is my hope that as the world and industry emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic that we can take what we learned in 2020 and move forward in new and innovative ways to improve the safety, cost/schedule, quality of [...]

Collaboration is and always has been fundamental to progress and innovation. Over the past 24 years, I have had the privilege of developing long-term partnerships with various stakeholders in the Alberta construction industry. Through these partnerships, I have learned a great deal about how industry, academia, and government are fundamental to the fabric of our industry, and how together we can use research to solve big industry challenges. The construction industry is a vital part of both Canada’s and Alberta’s economies and society, and yet it has faced considerable challenges in the recent past. As we look to the future, we [...]

Meet Dr. Ali Golabchi, the CIC's Research and Innovation Scientist! What’s one thing you can’t live without? Hope. For me, life is unimaginable without hope. Oh, and of course, coffee! What’s the most recent book you’ve read? The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek. What is one important skill that you think everyone should have? Common sense! I think if everyone would just make sure to use common sense, the world would be in much better shape! What is one of your greatest personal or professional achievements? Immigrating to Canada and building my life here! It was quite challenging for me to move [...]

As a research centre with academic partners from multiple disciplines and industry partners from various sectors, the CIC has focused its efforts on developing a constantly evolving research roadmap that has allowed the CIC to identify the most pressing needs of the Albertan and Canadian construction industries. The findings of the research roadmap provide the CIC with direction on the most important research areas on which to focus. Based on the results of in-person and online surveys of internal and external stakeholders, the most important research problems — as well as the most important research methods — have been determined. The [...]