Omar Shemy, B.Eng

Graduate Researcher

A Robert Forsyth prize-winning, McGill University graduate with a B.Eng. in Civil Engineering, working towards an M.Eng. in Structural Engineering under supervision of a renowned Civil Engineering Professor. Possesses a strong set of technical skills, acquired through data compilation for the thesis project. Communication, time management and leadership skills gained through working as a Teaching Assistant for 8 courses while balancing study commitments and demanding projects throughout the term. Several in-program achievements awarded for demonstrating high quality and attention to detail in academic projects.

THESIS PROJECT

Jan 2019 - Aug 2021

Thesis focused on the shear strength of short shear-critical reinforced concrete bridge columns, working with the renowned Dr Denis Mitchell

- Designed and built 8 short rectangular reinforced concrete bridge columns
- Tested column specimens in an agile manner
- Organized daily check-ins with co-supervisor and standup meetings to discuss blockers, present findings during the construction/testing phase
- Performed data cleansing of over 15,000 records from disparate data sources to develop a descriptive analytical model
- Developed hypotheses, validated theoretical phenomena by analyzing the data to understand data points linkages and develop trends and communicated preliminary trends with the team and stakeholders
- Compared results against tests from the literature and current standard design procedures (CSA S6-19, AASHTO 2014), with a lens to improve
- Conducted research meetings with supervisor twice a week to report and discuss findings during the data analysis stage
- Proposed a simplified superposition procedure to predict shear strength of short columns and verified against experimental results and non-linear finite elements in VecTor2, achieving 21% more accuracy in strength predictions
- Produced extensive report, including a literature review, testing methodologies, detailed discussion, and analysis of results
- Coauthored technical paper entitled “Shear Strength of Short Rectangular Bridge Columns”, Journal of Bridge Engineering

Thesis - Tech Paper - Seminar

Skills: Structural Analysis · Finite Element Analysis (FEA) · Critical Thinking · Research · Planning · Problem-Solving · Teamwork · Time Management.

TEACHING ASSISTANT

Jan 2019 - Apr 2021

Teaching Assistant for Design of Concrete Structures (two terms), Construction Engineering (two terms), Design Graphics & AutoCAD (three terms) and Sustainable Project Management courses

- Independently supervised classes of 50 students on average and over 400 students in total with excellent satisfaction rate
- Introduced bitesize sessions to simplify highly demanded complex engineering problems and evidenced problem-solving by recording on-demand tutorials demonstrating the use of AutoCAD to ease the transition to virtual learning during COVID-19
- Fostered an open environment for students requiring help by providing one-on-one support to address varying student concerns in weekly office hours and mentored struggling students outside of office hours during exam season
- Collected feedback on new assigned work based on assignment and midterm grades, factoring in attributes including attendance, contribution in tutorial and interaction

Skills: Public Speaking · Management · Planning · Problem-Solving · Team Leadership · Teaching.

UNIVERSITY RESEARCH ASSISTANT

May 2017 - Aug 2018

Champlain Bridge Girder and Pier Cap Retrofit Study (Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Inc. funded research)

Research Phases:
• Phase 1: examine the strengthening of prestressed concrete bridge girders using carbon fiber reinforced polymer fabric
• Phase 2: examine the behavior of variable-depth cap beams at service loading and at failure to analyze the effectiveness of crack control reinforcement and inclined reinforcement, as well as to investigate the influence of added external horizontal post-tensioning

Responsibilities:
- Successfully executed the testing, study and comparison of the response of 10 specimens in 1/2 scale size, modeling old Champlain Bridge girders and pier caps
- Presented two technical conference posters detailing the study and findings

Skills: Presentation Skills · Planning · Problem-Solving · Teamwork · Analytical Skills.

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