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Three in race for new phase of A9 dualling

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CGI of the Tomatin to Moy section of dualling

The Scottish government has shortlisted three firms for the latest slice of the £3.7bn A9 dualling – one of the country’s biggest infrastructure projects.

Balfour Beatty is joined by Wills Bros and John Graham on the shortlist for the Tay Crossing to Ballinluig section in central Scotland, which was first advertised in May. The £155m contract will be awarded next summer.

The winning firm will be tasked with designing, constructing and maintaining the 8.2km section of road. As well as widening the existing carriageway, the contractor will build seven junctions, two bridges, a roundabout and access roads.

Last month, Balfour Beatty won a £185m contract to deliver the Tomatin to Moy section. Scotland’s cabinet secretary for transport, Fiona Hyslop, said she met the firm last Thursday (14 August) and had seen first-hand the “complex nature” of the work required to deliver the contract.

When the Scottish Government committed in 2011 to upgrade the 133km stretch of road from Perth to Inverness, the project was due to complete by 2025. However, former transport secretary Mairi McAllan admitted last year that the aim was now to finish the scheme by 2035.

The project was delayed last year after the government received only one bid to carry out the section between Tomatin and Moy, the cost of which, former transport minister Jenny Gilruth said, was “significantly higher than expected”. She told the Scottish parliament that awarding the contract at that time would not have represented the best value for money for the taxpayer.

Hyslop said the shortlist announcement demonstrated the government’s “unwavering” commitment to deliver the full programme by the new deadline.

She added: “We are committed to delivering a safe, reliable, resilient and dualled A9 between Perth and Inverness in line with our published delivery plan, which anticipates dualling to be operational by the end of 2035.

“Whilst the magnitude and complexities of this work are considerable, there will be no let-up on progressing the dualling programme.”

Science & Technology
Police Nab Three Rice Thieves In Nasarawa

NASA Space Technology

Three suspects, Auwal Abubakar, Danrimi Mohammed, and Habibu Adamu, have been arrested by the Nasarawa State Police Command after they were accused of stealing 96 bags of 50 kilograms of rice from a businessman in the Nassarawa Eggon Local Government Area of the state.

The businessman was said to have bought 700 bags of rice in Nasarawa State and transported them to Abia State when the hoodlums numbering about 15 attacked his vehicle on the road and carted away with the foodstuffs.

The Commissioner of Police, Umar Nadada, disclosed on Tuesday at the command’s headquarters while parading a total of 31 suspected criminals who were recently arrested for committing various crimes in the state.

He narrated that the suspects who made several moves to escape, were arrested following painstaking efforts by the gallant officers of the command.

He said, “On 26/07/2024 at about 0330hrs, a complaint was lodged by a truck driver at Akwanga Area Command that on the same date, he loaded seven hundred (700) bags of rice at Rukubi, Doma LGA of Nasarawa State en route Abia State, but his truck developed a mechanical fault at Nassarawa Eggon, forcing him to pass the night at the spot.

“Suddenly, armed men numbering about 15 attacked him and forcefully tore the truck’s tarpaulin and carted away some bags of rice.”

The Commissioner of Police further narrated that upon receipt of the report, police operatives swiftly swung into action and pursued the hoodlums, adding that luck ran out of them as their vehicle was intercepted by the police officers.

“Three suspects were arrested namely Auwal Abubakar, Danrimi Mohammed, and Habibu Adamu, all males of Masaka, Karu LGA.

“Consequently, ninety-six bags of Mama Gold Rice and a Citroen Bus with Registration Number OGUN 419 XZX were recovered from them as exhibits

,” the CP added.

CP Nadada further mentioned that the command recovered a total of 1,080 pieces of ammunition, 13 laptops, television and phones, five magazines, four motorcycles, and five firearms, among others.

While warning all criminal elements to leave the state without further delay, the Commissioner of Police said the suspects would be charged to court upon the conclusion of the investigation at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Lafia.

In an interview with one of the suspects, Habibu Adamu denied being a member of the criminal gang and explained that he and the other two suspects arrested were merely conveying the bags of rice to a destination as transporters when they were arrested by the police.

“We are transporters (Driver and Loaders). We did not know if the bags of rice were stolen or not. We are appealing to the police to release us because we know nothing about the matter,” he said.

Science & Technology
Three NASA Interns Expand Classroom Access to NASA Data

NASA Space Technology

This summer, NASA welcomed interns with professional teaching experience to help make the agency’s data more interactive and accessible in the classroom. Their efforts are an important step in fostering the education and curiosity of the Artemis Generation of students who will shape the future workforce.

A 35-year-veteran educator, Diane Ripollone teaches Earth science, astronomy, and physics to high school students in North Carolina. In her decades of experience, she’s seen firsthand how students with physical challenges can face difficulties in connecting with lessons. She decided to tackle the issue head-on with her internship.

Ripollone supports the My NASA Data Program, which provides educational materials to interact with live data collected by NASA satellites, observatories, and sensors worldwide. As a NASA intern, she has worked to create physical materials with braille for students with- vision limitations.

“It’s a start for teachers,” Ripollone said. “Although every classroom is different, this helps to provide teachers a jumpstart to make engaging lesson plans centered around real NASA data.” Her NASA internship has excited and inspired her students, according to Ripollone. “My students have been amazed! I see their eyes open wide,” she said. “They say, ‘My teacher is working for NASA!’”

North Dakota teacher  Felicia Haseleu never imagined she’d be a NASA intern until a colleague forwarded the opportunity to her inbox. A teacher on her 11th year, she has seen how COVID-19 has affected students: “It’s caused a regression in reading and writing ability,” a shared impact that was seen in students nationwide.

A science teacher passionate about reading and writing, Felicia set out to utilize these in the science curriculum. As an intern with My NASA Data, she’s prepared lesson plans that combine using the scientific method with creative writing, allowing students to strengthen their reading and writing skills while immersing themselves in science.

Haseleu anticipates her NASA internship will provide benefits inside and outside the classroom.

“It’s going to be awesome to return to the classroom with all of these materials,” she said. “Being a NASA intern has been a great experience! I’ve felt really supported and you can tell that NASA is all encompassing and supports one another. From the camaraderie to NASA investing in interns, it’s nice to feel valued by NASA.”

“I’ve never been a data-whiz; I’ve always connected with science hands-on or through art,” said NASA intern Teri Minami, a teacher of 10 years in coastal Virginia. She cites her personal experience in science to guide her to develop lessons using NASA data for neurodivergent students or those with a more artistic background.

Through her NASA internship, she aims to create lesson plans which allow students to engage first-hand with science while outdoors, such as looking at water quality data, sea level ice, and CO2 emissions, taking their own measurements, and doing their own research on top of that.

Although many people associate being an intern with being an undergraduate in college, NASA interns come from all ages and backgrounds. In 2024, the agency’s interns ranged in age from 16 to 61 and included high school students, undergraduates, graduate students, doctoral students, and teachers.

Interested in joining NASA as an intern? Apply at intern.nasa.gov.

Science & Technology
Three Reasons Why ConstructConnect Is a 2024 Technology Top Workplace

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We’re proud to share that ConstructConnect has been recognized as a 2024 Technology Top Workplace by Energage based on anonymous feedback from members of our team. This recognition is a result of the dedicated people who make up our team and the incredible “people first” culture that we continue to build together. 

The Top Workplaces program has a 17-year history of surveying and celebrating people-first organizations nationally and across 60 regional markets. Details about how ConstructConnect builds a great workplace culture are available on Top Workplaces.

To get a better idea of what it takes to be a Technology Top Workplace, we sat down with Chief People Officer Hope Needhamwho shared three reasons why ConstructConnect has an award-winning culture, each relating to three of our core values: People First, Expand Your Impact and Deliver Customer Value.

1) A Commitment to Putting People First

At ConstructConnect, we rally around five core values, the first and most central of which is “People First.” For our team, that means supporting each other to excel at work and in life, building trust and strong relationships in all interactions, and celebrating the uniqueness of each individual. Team members often cite our people first focus as a core reason behind their workplace satisfaction.

What does being “People First” look like in practice? It includes a range of benefits and opportunities carefully curated to help our team members be their authentic selves, including:

  • Our team-driven Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) empower team members to share their experiences, support one another, and create programming that raises awareness and offers connection for the broader ConstructConnect team.
  • While we offer a hybrid work model within our four office locations in the U.S. and Canada, many of our teams have the option to collaborate anywhere they feel the most comfortable and productive.
  • Other benefits including open paid time off for exempt team members, maternity and paternity leave, and pet bereavement leave offer team members the opportunities to fully show up for their loved ones with the support of their leaders.

“We believe that when we lead with prioritizing our people, we create a workplace where ConstructConnect team members feel valued and empowered, where innovation thrives and where collective achievements soar,” shared Chief People Officer Hope Needham. “That’s why our People First mindset is more than just a value – we also consider it to be a key foundational component of our company’s success.”

2) Expanding Your Impact through Professional Development & Growth Opportunities

When it comes to supporting our team to excel at work, our People First culture includes a focus on creating space for team members to learn and grow. That commitment naturally leads to our related value, Expand Your Impact – another key factor in our award-winning culture.

At ConstructConnect, expanding your impact means building skills and expertise to increase success, seizing opportunities to contribute in new ways, and developing leaders from within. In practice, that looks like:

  • Team members taking advantage of library hours offered twice a week for reading or independent skill development.
  • ConstructConnect offering development opportunities for team members at every stage of their careers, including specific learning pathways for career progression and a range of learning modules on a variety of technical and “soft” skills.
  • Our People + Culture team leading an annual success planning process that outlines goals for the year for each team member and their progress, as well as positive impacts team members have had on their organization, our customers, and ConstructConnect as a whole.

“Our People + Culture team is committed to ensuring that every team member has opportunities to expand their impact and advance their career journey,” Needham shared. “By investing in growth and providing opportunities for development, we empower our team members to drive both personal fulfillment and organizational success.”

3) Delivering Value for Our Customers

We find that a result of our focus on leading with People First and Expanding Our Impact is our ability to Deliver Customer Value. For us, that means listening to our customers to understand their challenges, providing the right solutions, and making it easy for customers to get what they need.

At ConstructConnect, we are proud to have built a reputation for providing best-in-class solutions and data for construction professionals. We appreciate the commitment that it takes across our organization to consistently deliver that value for our customers – and the powerful role that both team member and customer satisfaction play in creating a positive workplace culture.

“We believe that when team members feel valued and empowered, they become our biggest advocates for customer satisfaction,” Needham shared. “Their dedication and enthusiasm translate directly into delivering exceptional results and experiences that resonate with our customers, reinforcing our commitment to excellence and long-term success.”

Looking Ahead

Being recognized as a 2024 Technology Top Workplace is an honor that reflects ConstructConnect’s ongoing commitment to creating an exceptional, values-driven work environment.

“As Chief People Officer, I am excited about our journey ahead,” Needham said. “I know that together, we will continue to build on our people-focused culture to create even greater opportunities for our team, partners and customers.”

To learn more about our recognition as a Top Workplace, read more here.For opportunities at ConstructConnect, visit our Careers webpage.

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