#Topcon supporting #AECinSchools with COYO

Discuss Topcon hardware here.
Post Reply
User avatar
andyevans
V.I.P Member
V.I.P Member
Posts: 276
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 11:19 am
16
Full Name: Andy Evans
Company Details: Topcon
Company Position Title: Product Manager - Mass Data
Country: UK
Linkedin Profile: Yes

#Topcon supporting #AECinSchools with COYO

Post by andyevans »


Thumbnail Screenshots by Thumbshots

Topcon partners with UK-based COYO to develop global educational initiative
LIVERMORE, Calif. – Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Topcon Positioning Systems (TPS) has entered into a strategic partnership with Class of Your Own organization (COYO), a major educational initiative for high school students based in the United Kingdom.

The agreement will broaden the program into a global initiative through Topcon’s Education Partnership Program (EPP), which works directly with more than 1,000 schools and colleges around the world to advance surveying, civil engineering, construction and precision agriculture career opportunities.

Topcon and COYO have been working together since last summer to provide “best in class” teaching experiences in the areas of surveying and precise positioning for secondary students, aged 11 to 19. COYO provides design, survey, engineering and construction project-based curriculum materials.

The initial agreement was a result of Topcon Europe working directly with COYO founders Alison Watson, a land surveyor and former Topcon employee, and architect Dan Gibson. Watson said, the agreement with TPS will “dramatically expand COYO’s model of showing through distribution of materials and practical experience how science, technology, engineering principles and math are an integral part of the world of work, the world of business.”

Mark Contino, TPS vice president of global marketing and director of the EPP program, said, “This agreement makes Topcon COYO’s exclusive supplier of precision positioning systems. This is a continuation and expansion of a great working relationship where we have already loaned them equipment and provided technical support and materials.

“The agreement also strengthens our newly announced collaboration with Autodesk, which is already a COYO sponsor. This initiative is fast-growing and there is an incredible upside for the students,” he said.

Contino predicted “this agreement is far-reaching and in the future we anticipate working with COYO to expand the curriculum offerings to include scanning and mobile mapping.”

Ian Stilgoe, Topcon Europe geomatics business unit manager, who led the strategic partnership discussions, said, “The unique COYO educational initiative is an inspiring project to bring the real world into the classroom to educate the professionals of tomorrow. This program is designed by people who have worked in the construction sector and understand what our industry needs for future employees.”

In the past several years, COYO has introduced teachers and students to the concepts of how construction projects are conceived and designed, along with the stages of implementation. At the same time, students were introduced to the many diverse career paths associated with precise positioning, as well as Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology, which transforms design ideas and information into real-time models
Oatfedgoat
Honorary Member
Honorary Member
Posts: 1047
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:31 pm
15
Full Name: Matthew McCarter
Company Details: Costain
Company Position Title: BIM Manager
Country: England
Linkedin Profile: Yes
Has thanked: 5 times
Been thanked: 4 times

Re: #Topcon supporting #AECinSchools with COYO

Post by Oatfedgoat »

I was recently introduced to Alison from COYO and was very very impressed with what they have achieved in education.

She has such a passion for taking engineering to schools in a way that encourages kids to enjoy it and learn at the same time.
She had a great story that she went to a school to help out once and was proudly told by a teacher that they had an engineering area.

It turns out that this was a car workshop area, nothing to do with engineering as most of us would consider it.

This is the kind of situation that the engineering industry is up against in education. How can we entice the engineers of tomorrow to our industry?
These kids will be brought up with so much amazing technology that they take it for granted, allowing them to not be distracted by the tech like we so often do.
This kids will just be free to think about the problems and solutions using the tech as tools, not something that's cool and amazing like so many of us percieve it. They will come up with such great buildings, infrastucture and everything involved with it that we cant even envision it yet.

As well as Topcon and others, she has also been able work with prominant people in the BIM side of the industry. Some of these people are going into schools and helping the kids design buildings in Revit.
These are kids who dont usually show lots of interest in classes choosing to turn up early for this and leave only when the bell has gone at the end. - This is the change in the kids attitudes and perception that can inspire them to work hard and show genuine interest in learning, and it just happens to be in our industry.

If you are ever lucky enough to chat with Alison and experience her passion of what she wants to do, I highly recomend it.

8-) 8-)
User avatar
andyevans
V.I.P Member
V.I.P Member
Posts: 276
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 11:19 am
16
Full Name: Andy Evans
Company Details: Topcon
Company Position Title: Product Manager - Mass Data
Country: UK
Linkedin Profile: Yes

Re: #Topcon supporting #AECinSchools with COYO

Post by andyevans »

Spot on Matt.

Nice post.

Such a cool project, it's an honour to be involved with COYO and their mission.
Oatfedgoat
Honorary Member
Honorary Member
Posts: 1047
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:31 pm
15
Full Name: Matthew McCarter
Company Details: Costain
Company Position Title: BIM Manager
Country: England
Linkedin Profile: Yes
Has thanked: 5 times
Been thanked: 4 times

Re: #Topcon supporting #AECinSchools with COYO

Post by Oatfedgoat »

Cheers Andy.
See you Wednesday? ;)
Post Reply

Return to “Topcon”