Certification News
ACI NEWS RELEASE
ACI Brings Certification to Mongolia
The American Concrete Institute's international outreach continues to broaden, as Mongolia becomes the latest country to benefit from ACI's certification program. Eight Mongolian students successfully passed certification testing for ACI Concrete Field Testing Technician-Grade I. Two certification sessions were conducted over the past year, one in Mongolia's capital city of Ulaanbaatar and the other in Darkhan.
"The sessions and associated certifications in Mongolia probably represent the most remote location that ACI certification has been offered," according to John Nehasil ACI's Director of Certification. "We are approached frequently with requests to provide testing in locations not serviced by any of our established local providers. If the logistics can be worked out, we will arrange for testing," he said.
M.R. Hansen spearheaded the certification sessions in Mongolia. He is a Professor at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and an ACI examiner affiliated with the ACI Dakotas Chapter. Through a university exchange program, Hansen had the opportunity to travel to Mongolia to provide instruction in concrete technology. Since his curriculum incorporates ACI Concrete Field Testing Technician-Grade I certification, he approached ACI to arrange for delivery of the exam materials to Mongolia so he could administer the test to his students.
The language barrier was the biggest hurdle Hansen and the students had to overcome. "The Mongolian students could read and write well in English, but they had difficulty speaking the language. I spent quite a bit of time explaining the technical terminology," he said. Armed with Mongolian-English dictionaries and Mongolian translations of the various ASTM standards covered during the sessions, the students worked hard to grasp the material. The written ACI certification exams were in English, however, and a few of the students had to take the exam twice before passing.
Hansen believes that providing ACI certification in Mongolia will be an important step to improving the quality of concrete construction in the country. "Mongolia is about 50 years behind the U.S. in terms of construction methods and technology. Virtually no construction standards are in place now," he explained. The country became a democracy in 1990 and is on the verge of a construction boom, which will increase opportunities for the concrete construction industry. Currently, Mongolia has two cement plants, both operating at about half capacity.
During his yearlong stay in Mongolia, Hansen, with the assistance of Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Engineering Professor Luke Snell, initiated the formation of a Mongolian chapter of ACI and conducted the First Annual Mongolian Concrete Conference. Next June, Hansen hopes to return to the country to administer additional ACI certification exams. But the next time, the Mongolian students Hansen recently certified will teach the preliminary instruction.
"The Mongolian sessions illustrate how deeply into the international community ACI certification is reaching," Nehasil said. "We currently have 11 groups in Canada, three in Mexico, one in Chile, and one in Lebanon (servicing about five countries in the Middle East), all offering sustained certification operations."
For more information about ACI's certification program, telephone (248) 848-3788; e-mail: John.Nehasil@concrete.org; or visit www.ACICertification.org.