Construction management: the new spectator sport

University of Nebraska senior construction management student Dan Barrett never thought he would live to see the day construction management became a spectator sport. If anybody doubts Barrett's assertion, then one only need see the crowds gathered at the construction site of a home in northeast Lincoln being built for an episode of ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

Barrett and junior Nick Torgusson, president and vice president of the student chapter of National Association of Home Builders, along with other members of the organization, are volunteering their labor to make the dream of a new home come true for a family in need. Barrett and Torgusson had little time to organize the student volunteers.

"This happened really quickly," Barrett said. "But we saw it as an opportunity for our chapter members to see how things get organized on a job site and learn about teamwork. It's a great learning experience," he said.

In addition to making sure workers have appropriate gear and keeping the street safe around the site, students are performing other construction site jobs.

"It's nice for the university," Torgusson said. "It's just one more thing that makes Nebraska's construction management program great and gets students involved in NAHB."