Press Releases

For more information call:
Robert I. Carr, Professor
Civil Engineering Construction, University of Michigan
Direct Phone: 734/764-9420

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 1, 1998

Construction Innovation Forum is Seeking Sponsors for National Mock Jury Program

(Ann Arbor, Michigan)
The Construction Innovation Forum (CIF) annually presents The NOVA Award, which is referred to as the "Nobel Prize" for construction, to revolutionary construction solutions, processes or products that improve the quality, efficiency and cost effectiveness of construction. CIF is now organized to expand the Mock Jury Program, which is a university version of the NOVA Award program.

The Mock Jury program was initiated in the Fall of 1995 at the University of Michigan. Students in the construction program reviewed the same NOVA Award Nomination books and conducted a Mock Jury Screening Meeting in the same way as the real NOVA Award Jury does annually. In the Fall of 1996, the University of California at Berkeley as well as the University of Michigan held a Mock Jury with the nominees for the 1997 NOVA Award.

By the Fall of 1997, interest was growing, and the nominations for the 1998 award were computer scanned to produce the 1998 NOVA Award Nominations and Mock Jury Information book of 107 pages. This was distributed to the Universities of Michigan, California at Berkeley, Kentucky, Florida, Illinois and Texas at Austin. Each university is holding one or more Mock Juries during the 1997-98 school year. CIF hosts a University of Michigan Mock Jury student at the Innovation Celebration each year, and it is hoped that other students will be hosted at future Celebrations.

The prototype Mock Jury process has now been proven. The CIF believes that the NOVA Award Mock Jury process has unlimited potential to integrate innovation into university construction programs and develop a strong cadre of graduates who consider innovation to be normal construction practice. The CIF believes a NOVA Award Mock Jury National Program can significantly improve the construction environment.

The vision for the Mock Jury National Program is as follows:

Publicize the NOVA Awards Mock Jury Program and Call for Participants nationally in appropriate media to college construction programs, including engineering, construction technology, and architecture, at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Student chapters of AGC, ASCE and AIA should be included. A Mock Jury video should also be developed.
Publish NOVA Award Nomination and Mock Jury Kits immediately following receipt of nominations each September. Distribute this Kit to participating college construction programs. Publish the Kit on the Internet for free, instant, worldwide access.
Hold NOVA Award Mock Jury Screening Meetings at each site and report results to the CIF. The CIF would distribute the results to all participating students. Student groups would be encouraged to identify and nominate innovations for the NOVA Award.
Some students would be selected from participating colleges at the National Mock Jury to receive travel expenses as industry guests at the Innovation Celebration in March.
The students selected would arrive the day before the Innovation Celebration to review the NOVA Award Nomination Finalist Casebooks and hold a NOVA Award Mock Jury Selection Meeting on the morning of the Innovation Celebration.
The industry sponsor(s) would host the students at the Innovation Celebration and introduce them to the audience.

The CIF is looking for a major national sponsor to provide financial support to develop and annually fund the NOVA Award Mock Jury National Program, which it believes is an outstanding opportunity for one or more construction manufacturers or vendors to demonstrate support for construction innovation and to establish the innovative nature of their brand.

For further information regarding CIF's Mock Jury Program, please contact Robert I. Carr, Ph.D., P.E., Professor of Civil Engineering Construction, University of Michigan and Chair, NOVA Award; 734/764-9420 (phone); 734/764-4292 (fax); RICarr@umich.edu (e-mail).

The Construction Innovation Forum is an international, non-profit organization established in 1987. Roger Lane of the Detroit Edison Company is the organization's Chair. The Forum is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan at: 350 South Main Street, Suite 350, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104-2108. Telephone: 734/995-1855; fax: 734/995-5002; e-mail: info@cif.org; web site: http//www.cif.org

This page last updated 07/16/98, by all