From Saskatchewan to South Africa, USask Engineering co-op student makes a big impact

For Dmitri Bohach, his co-op internship at SRK Consulting (Canada) Ltd. has been more than a work term. It has been an opportunity to apply classroom learning in real-world settings, contribute meaningfully to an organization, and grow as an emerging engineer. Those efforts have earned him the 2025 Co-op Student of the Year Award from the College of Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan (USask).

Presented annually, the award recognizes an engineering co-op student whose work-integrated learning experience has had a significant impact on their employer, their own professional development and the broader USask Engineering community. The recipient is also nominated for the Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL) Student of the Year Award, placing them among the top co-op students across the country.

“I joined the co-op program seeking real-world experience and professional relationships in my field. Participating in the program has been an invaluable decision,” said Dmitri. “It enhanced my technical understanding of soil mechanics, geotechnical engineering, and safe tailings management, while developing my client communication and work-life balance skills.”

During his co-op placement with SRK Consulting, Dmitri completed a 16-month work term, working alongside the tailings group consulting mining operations across Canada and abroad. As his placement progressed, he became involved with more projects and took on greater responsibilities, including a unique opportunity to support a high-risk tailings storage facility in South Africa. Today, he works part time with SRK and plans to remain with the company until he completes his geological engineering degree.

In addition to Dmitri’s success within his co-op placement, his work with the South African mine led to him being the first author on two technical papers and co-authoring another. Dmitri’s paper, Finite Element Modeling of Cavity Expansion in Soils: Python Implementation and Analysing the Liquifaction Potential of a Tailings Storage Facility, won the Canadian Geotechnical Society 2025 undergraduate report award. The paper explored a case study of several methods of evaluating tailings liquifaction potential from CPTu, ultimately using the CPTwidget finite element model to calibrate CPTu data with laboratory results. Basic theory of the cavity expansion theory backing the CPTwidget is explored and used along with Fortran90 source code to rewrite the model in Python.

“It’s difficult to describe how much Dmitri learned during his time at SRK, how self-driven he is, and the impact that he made on our entire team,” said Erik Ketilson, principal consultant at SRK and Dmitri’s co-op supervisor. “He became a sought-after member, consistently demonstrating initiative and natural curiosity about our profession in tailings management. His exceptional critical-thinking skills and independent perspective enriched project discussions and strengthened the overall project outcome.”

Announced each January, the Co-op Student of the Year Award includes a $1,000 cash prize, a framed certificate and being automatically nominated at a national level to compete alongside other Canadian co-op students for the Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL) Student Award. Candidates are evaluated on their impact on employers, students, and the institution.

Each year, approximately 130 current USask engineering co-op students are eligible. To qualify, students must have completed or be completing a work term during the evaluation period and must not have previously received the award.

For more information about USask Engineering’s Co-op program, please visit engineering.usask.ca/co-op/